During the recently ended Winter Olympic Games, two of the many winners stood out, both in their own way. In the men’s half-pipe snowboarding event, 19 year-old Shaun White from the United States stunned the crowd as he soared up the sides of the pipe to ‘get some air’. White took home a gold medal for his efforts – and, yes, appeared to get a little misty eyed when The Star Spangled Banner was played
During the recent Winter Olympic Games, two of the many winners stood out – both in their own way. In the men’s half-pipe snowboarding event, 19 year-old Shaun White from the United States stunned the crowd as he soared up the sides of the pipe to ‘get some air’. White took home a gold medal for his efforts.
Meanwhile, in the men’s luge event, Venezuela’s Werner Hoeger was doing a little winning of his own. Hoeger is a professor of sports science and 52 years old, which must make him one of the oldest Olympians of all time. Hoeger didn’t win a medal, but he certainly won the admiration of the crowd.
White and Hoeger may be separated by age but their dedication and achievements are in some ways not dissimilar. White demonstrated the power of youthful determination; Hoeger showed that years are no barrier to expertise and excellence.
As the workforce begins to age, we will see professional achievement at both ends of the age spectrum – or to be more precise, we will if employers structure their workforce such that its older employees are allowed to achieve. We are entering uncharted territory in this area, and the way in which companies figure out how to get the best out of employees of all ages will be watched with interest by their peers – and no doubt by the HR profession too.
The key will not be about accommodating a few old guys in the corner who want to work five or so years after retirement age. Nor will it be about putting up posters in the office kitchen encouraging employees to ‘Celebrate Diversity!’ Rather, the successful management of the aging workforce will be about identifying the skills, knowledge – and especially the experience – that older workers bring.
If a firm claims its people really are its “greatest asset” this may turn out to be the litmus test of that claim. Older workers add a value not necessarily found in abundance in younger employees, and needs to be recognised as such. Tomorrow’s managers are still young – many of them no nonsense, driven, Generation Y achievers. This is a message they would do well to take on board now, in preparation for their future roles.
