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Older Workers Turning Age Into Sage

Tony Wanless

| May 10, 2011

Image by: Flickr / Brent Moore

Resident journosaur Tony Wanless has some advice on leveraging your age in the workplace.

Is the older worker a workplace liability? Not according to a poll that shows that older workers are transforming into office sages who guide younger workers.

If you're a regular reader of BCBusiness, then you may have occasionally seen my editors refer to me as a "journosaur."

Presumably, this is because I was in the journalism game when most of them were closer to wearing diapers than suits. I'm a baby boomer and most of them are either Gen X's and more likely Gen Y's.

I don’t take offence to the term. I’m a newsroom vet and I know that. Like on hockey teams, people in journalism often apply nicknames to each other. The difference is that in journalism, the names tend to have more of an edge. It’s part of the business’s occasionally bent view of the world to display respect and friendship by being slightly insulting.

So I was quite fascinated by a study in the U.S. that showed most baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) who are still working (28 million in the American workforce are 55 and older and it’s climbing) said their age wasn’t an issue at all.

A story on the poll highlighted the 14 per cent of older workers who had faced some descrimination. (Hey youngsters, here’s a tip – don’t take the small negative and turn it into the story. It’s amateurish to twist information to fit your own purposes.)

But, in fact, 25 per cent of boomers surveyed in an Associated Press-LifeGoesStrong.com poll said their age was an asset. A third feel they are receiving more respect within their companies.

What really interested me, however, was that 57 per cent of boomers polled said that since they turned 50, their co-workers have come to them for advice more often.

In other words, they have gone from “age” to “sage.”

The reason this leaped out at me was because I’ve been saying for some time the greatest asset an older worker or business operator has is wisdom; a been there done that understanding of life and work.

And it appears, younger workers agree.

So, if you’re a boomer in the workplace, take heart. Those youngsters may be faster, more technically adept, and in some ways smarter and more educated. But they rarely have the understanding that comes with experience – and scars.

It’s likely that every time they encounter something new or challenging, you’ve been there in one way or another and can guide them through it.

Mostly, it appears, age is a matter of viewpoint.

Okay, you’re not as up on technology as they are – after all, you haven’t been swimming in it for your whole life – but you can certainly learn enough about it to keep up. And you may not have the energy they have. So think of it as having learned to husband your resources.

Generally, instead of worrying about your age, try being a sage, a grey hair, a village elder, a mentor, a wise man or woman.

That’s your new role in the workplace.

Tags

That picture isn't really a

Submitted by Tony Wanless on Fri, 2011-05-13 16:59.

That picture isn't really a good representation of me. My teeth are better (sort of). You did get my standard "quote marks" gesture though. Thank You, and Roar! Journosaur

Tony Wanless Sage in my

Submitted by Tony Wanless on Fri, 2011-05-13 16:53.

Tony Wanless Sage in my kitchen. I like it! But I also like Sages in the workplace, and in life. Yves, you appear to presume that people who become sages are stuck in some kind of frozen state, and are not adapting. But the 57 percent response shows that older workers are adapting, and they're being appreciated for it. Maybe they're not toga-wearing fonts of wisdom just quite yet, but they're apparently getting there. I don't believe giving advice is a leftover from the old hierarchical system, but is the opposite. It's evidence of innovative approaches to work that will only increase as older workers remain in the workforce, as they apparently are doing.

Sage is a Kitchen Herb ...

Submitted by Yves (not verified) on Thu, 2011-05-12 10:29.

Sage is a Kitchen Herb ... The nostalgic view of the older worker turning into a toga-wearing, graying font of wisdom is nice but not realistic. The reality is that the world is changing at a rapid clip and everyone has to keep up. Tech has kicked business organization sideways and squashed hierarchies ruthlessly, forcing businesses to adapt. This means that *all* workers have to adapt. There you have it, that key word: *Adapt*. For every unlikely "sage of the workplace" that adapts and functions in their profession with the benefit of experience, there are legions left behind quickly baffled by changes that seem like another language so I maintain that the person you are describing is the exception, ... not the rule. So congrats for being an exception and correctly pointing out that it is all about keeping up; learning new things to keep up with the times, proving again that .. Time is man's ultimate capital.