The workforce in Denmark is shrinking year by year, with projections indicating that by 2030, we will already be short of 130,000 people in the labour market (DI, 2023). Therefore, it is paramount that you (as a leader and organisation) recruit and retain the best people for your business – and this requires recruiting more broadly than just Gen Z!
Despite significant general recruitment challenges, many seniors experience age discrimination in the labour market.
Almost half of the unemployed who are over 50 years old experience discrimination in the labour market in 2022 (NFA, 2023). Age discrimination can manifest as not being recruited due to biases about lower productivity, fragility, and lack of technological skills. Employed seniors also experience:
Aske Juul Larsen, a researcher on ageing[1], states:
“We (create) a narrative that seniors are a particularly vulnerable group who are weak. This doesn’t align with reality. The truth is that today’s seniors are incredibly competent, experienced, and knowledgeable. (…) They are privileged, so it would be a big misunderstanding to make them victims who need special quotas.””
[1] Aske Juul Larsen is at the head of a research team which, in collaboration with the Velliv association, is working on an extensive project “Senior practice – mental health late in working life” based on a year and a half of field studies of working life at a number of companies in the finance and production industries, as well as interviews with a large number of senior employees, pensioners, managers, union representatives, HR employees and representatives of trade unions and pension funds (Finansforbundet, 2021).
Results from age research show that many seniors today are resourceful, have better health, are physically active, and wish to contribute to the workplace (De erfarne, 2020). In most cases, seniors contribute significant knowledge and experience, greater overview, and qualified decision-making.
With paid-off loans and children who have moved out, many seniors often experience greater freedom, giving them renewed motivation, focus, and career choices.
People are different regardless of age, but today’s seniors are often characterised as a dedicated, loyal, and self-motivated generation, unlike Gen Z, where studies show that 71% would change jobs if offered a similar position with better benefits (Benify, 2023). Such job changes are much rarer among seniors – just as the expectation of being promoted at work is based on seniority and loyalty rather than other factors (Angeline 2010).
1: Use ‘Bias Blockers’ to be aware of any biases in your recruitment and daily management. Here, you anonymise gender, age, photos, and names, screening applications based on an objective checklist that minimises biases and equalises talent access.
2: Be aware of your and others’ unconscious and conscious biases Do you often give technologically demanding tasks to younger employees? Are you attentive to all your employees’ professional development regardless of age? Do you incorporate different perspectives in task solutions and daily work? Do you challenge your assumptions and prejudices?
Situations are different as are people and their individual needs – regardless of age. Therefore, it is crucial that you – as a leader – can lead situationally depending on what the team, the task, and the solution require.
Be aware of how you value your work tasks. Whether a senior is valued in a company often depends on how the work is valued. Thus, values placed on IT skills, efficiency, and KPIs can sometimes make seniors seem less valuable than younger colleagues. Conversely, specialised skills, overview, and mentoring can also be highly valued, areas where seniors are often more appreciated than younger colleagues.
Potential and energy are released when we feel safe. We dare to be ourselves, express concerns, share ideas, and provide feedback. Psychological safety[2] is essential for well-being and sharing thoughts and concerns (Edmondson, 2020).
Often, the transition to retirement is not discussed at the workplace due to a surrounding fear of the topic. HR and immediate managers fear appearing age-discriminatory, and employees fear losing respect or responsibility within the company.
A psychologically safe work environment creates a space for dialogue about employees’ needs, wishes and challenges. Here a joint plan can be formulated for a late-life career that employees and workplaces can thrive in, and perhaps retain employees a few more years in the labour market. When you succeed in creating an inclusive and safe workplace for your seniors, this safety is felt by all talent across generations. Employees realise their full potential with situational and accommodating leadership based on employees’ and individual needs.
When you want to move what matters – the potential is people.
[2]Psychological safety is about creating an environment where everyone dares to fail and feels comfortable expressing themselves and speaking their mind without worry of, ridicule, humiliation or other negative consequences (Edmonson, 2020).
For any questions, contact Per Krull and Anna Abildtrup Jensen.
They work within Strategy & Organisational Development, Psychological Safety and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
The National Research Center for the Working Environment (2023). More and more seniors experience discrimination in the Danish labour market.https://nfa.dk/da/nyt/nyheder/2023/flere_flere_seniorer
Knowledge Center for Working Environment (2017). Why do seniors withdraw from the labour market? http://www.arbejdsmiljoviden.dk:8080/Vaerd-at-vide-om-arbejdsmiljo/Saerlige-maalgrupper/Seniorer/Viden-om-seniorer/Hvorfor-traekker-seniorer-sig-fra-arbejdsmarkedet
Benify (2023). Zooming in on Gen Z. https://info.benify.com/zooming-in-on-gen-z
Angeline, Tay (2010). Managing generational diversity at the workplace: expectations and perceptions of different generations of employees. African Journal of Business Management Vol. 5 (2). https://academicjournals.org/journal/AJBM/article-full-text-pdf/2CD4D3B15906
PwC, via Ritzau (2023). One in four employees frequently experiences an overwhelming workloadhttps://via.ritzau.dk/pressemeddelelse/13718690/hver-fjerde-medarbejder-oplever-hyppigt-en-uoverskuelig-arbejdsbyrde?publisherId=90624&lang=da
Amy C. Edmondson (2020). The Fearless Organization – Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth. Djøf Forlag 2020
Finance Federation (2021). We have a completely hopeless view of age. https://finansforbundet.dk/dk/nyheder/2021/vi-har-et-helt-haabloest-syn-paa-alder/
The National Research Center for the Working Environment via Ritzau (2023). https://via.ritzau.dk/pressemeddelelse/13681738/flere-seniorer-forventer-at-arbejde-til-efter-folkepensionsalderen?publisherId=13560430
The Experienced – Report from the ‘Senior Practice’ Project (2020) https://erfarne.ku.dk/udgivelser/de-erfarne-rapport-fra-projektet-seniorpraksis.pdf
Ramboell (2019). Good examples of senior retention.https://bm.dk/media/11795/gode-eksempler-paa-seniorfastholdelse_0.pdf
