< cur rent
Youth is a
wonderful thing
… as is age
The value of age diversity is yet to be fully appreciated by
South African businesses, as PENNY HAW discovers.
T
HERE is, it seems, a growing players”, “tired”, “inflexible”, “technologically
sense in South Africa that younger challenged”, and “expensive to employ”.
is better. Some go as far as These, he asserts, are gross generalisations.
declaring that workplace ageism “In fact, let’s not be ridiculous – employees
is the new sexism. And, while of 40-plus are in their prime,” he says. “And,
section 5 (1) of the Employment Equity Bill if you consider that, these days, many people
prohibits discrimination against employees on in their 50s and 60s are as intellectually and
Young versus old the grounds of 17 different concerns, including physically adept as ever, it’s clear that by
Frederic Chopin was seven years old when he age, the allegation is that more and more excluding the experience and wisdom that
composed Polonaise in G Minor. Winston Churchill people over the age of 40 face insurmountable comes with age, organisations are doing
was 84 when he ran for (and won) a seat in the hurdles to employment and promotion. themselves a great disservice.”
House of Commons.
There are exceptions, says Gavin Sher, CEO
Mature workers are a vital age
of a Johannesburg-based human resource
... more and more people
consulting company. These are particularly
demographic evident where industries and organisations, over the age of 40 face
In recent studies conducted among major American
businesses, research company Towers Perrin
like Eskom, are experiencing skills shortages.
In many of these cases, companies have been
insurmountable hurdles to
found that employees of 50-plus “have a winning
combination of experience, maturity and positive
compelled to hire back the services of “people employment and promotion
they previously considered to be dinosaurs”.
attitudes” and that they “exceed job expectations and
“Generally though, it is our experience that Studies indicate that age diversity – i.e. the
have the highest engagement levels of all workers”.
increasingly more organisations – chiefly those practice of employing people of all ages, and
in the private sector and most especially those not discriminating against people because
Age diversity as a core involved in the service industry, IT, marketing of how old they are – makes for a vibrant
business strategy and advertising – are reluctant to consider workplace. In fact, the business case for age
Age diversity programmes incorporate codes of
practice in areas such as: older applicants,” he says. “And what’s more, diversity is based on plain old common sense.
• Recruitment, selection and promotion, where whereas five years ago, 50 was considered It helps organisations to adapt successfully
decisions are based on skills, ability and potential too old, nowadays people who are 40-plus are to new markets, and keeps them abreast
of employees perceived as being incapable of change and of evolving social trends and legislation.
• Training and development that encourages all innovation.” Age diversity also counters the threat of
employees
Young employees are applauded because a shrinking, ageing workforce, which can
• Redundancy policies that are unbiased and
they are allegedly “ambitious, and prepared to combine with prejudice against older workers
structured according to employees’ skills
• Retirement plans that consider individual and work long hours and to travel”. And, whereas to generate skills vacuums.
business needs. youngsters are said to bring with them new Regrettably, says Sher, South African
ideas, energy, drive, a “why not?” attitude, organisations are yet to acknowledge the huge
and the benefit of a recent education, the benefits of building an effective workforce of
expectations of older workers are anything but different ages. Age diversity policies are all but
encouraging. non-existent: “The weight of achieving black
Most worryingly, says Sher, an ever-growing economic empowerment means organisations
number of employers seem to be buying in to have tended to neglect other important equity
... workplace ageism persistent myths about mature workers. These issues in recent years. Age diversity, along
is the new sexism are as proverbial as they are enduring, and
maintain that older applicants are “not team
with all the other equity concerns, deserves
more attention in this country – soon.” o
34 | Augustus 2008 August