Good news for older workers

Rethinking the relationship between aging and ability
The stereotype of the older worker as being “over the hill” has come under increasing attack by psychologists and others who study the aging process. Although it is clear that older workers may not perform most tasks as quickly as their younger counterparts, there is solid evidence that the quality of work need not decline, even at very advanced ages.

Older workers can compensate for the loss of speed by relying more on their experience and knowledge. These strengths lead to greater accuracy of performance, even if that performance is a little slower than it once was. Highly skilled individuals — such as musicians, politicians, judges or senior executives — because of their considerable experience and knowledge, can continue to perform at the highest levels until rather advanced ages.

As the workforce continues to age, it is essential that employers appreciate the value of their older workers. Pushing older workers into retirement, because the employer believes they might not be able to perform as well as they once did, can be both an injustice to the workers and a costly mistake to their employ.

Moreover, as Canada’s demographic profile shifts due to the large baby boom cohort, it may become necessary for many more of us to remain in the workplace beyond the traditional retirement age. New research suggests that some rather simple and inexpensive changes to the work environment can help the older worker be even more successful. Here are a few suggestions:

  • Improve lighting. The inevitable decline in vision can be lessened by using better lighting. Some work-related problems that seem to be the result of cognitive decline may actually be due to poor lighting.
  • Use larger type. Using larger text can help reduce mistakes in data entry, proofreading and similar tasks. Larger type can also increase the willingness of older workers to use computers, video screens, and other types of new technology.
  • Design equipment with the elderly in mind. Reducing the glare on computer screens and other office-related equipment can improve performance and overcome reluctance to use new technologies.

Restructuring the workday
The needs of an aging workforce may also require some innovative thinking about the way the workday is structured. Adherence to the 9 to 5 workday may be as outdated and arbitrary as the September to June school year.

In their book Successful Aging (Pantheon Books, 1998), Robert Kahn and John Rowe propose organizing the workplace around four-hour modules rather than the traditional eight-hour workday. Older workers could therefore work one module per day as an alternative to retirement. Because most older people do their best work in the morning, a worker tackling a four-hour morning module may be almost as productive as a traditional 9 to 5 worker who is sleepy and under-performing during the afternoon.

According to Dr. Lynn Hasher, Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto and a researcher at the Baycrest Centre’s Rotman Research Institute, the ability differences between younger and older adults have been exaggerated in research literature, largely because older adults are often tested in university labs in the afternoon when they are less alert. When tested in the morning, the performance of older adults often improves substantially.

Clearly, we need to rethink our views on the relationship between age and ability. Older workers are more capable than most people think. Moreover, not only can some of the inevitable declines in ability with age be lessened or overcome with fairly straightforward adjustments, the very existence of some of these declines is debatable.

Scotiabank is committed to helping provide Canadians the tools they need to enjoy health and well-being as they age. We are proud to fund this innovative report. Congratulations to Baycrest on your vision and leadership.