Are ageist mindsets a thing of the past?
Nearly six in 10 employers across Australia have hired a retiree in the past 12 months in a bid to bridge the gaps within their workforce, according to a new report.
Specialised recruiter Robert Half found that 58% of 300 hiring managers said they have employed someone who retired but has since returned to the workforce in the past year.
Another 37% said they are considering the possibility, while only five per cent said they have no plans in doing so.
For 47% of those who hired retirees, they said they would do it again.
According to the report, employers are hiring the returning workforce because they:
- Have specialised expertise (60%)
- Can contribute quickly (57%)
- Have strong business acumen and knowledge of key business issues (51%)
- Can mentor less experienced colleagues (49%)
Andrew Brushfield, director at Robert Half, said considering retirees for vacancies is a great way to find talent for higher-level or specialised roles, positions that Australian employers have been looking to fill.
"Alongside their tried-and-true technical capabilities, I often think a retired professional's greatest value is their business acumen," Brushfield said in a media release. "They are able to draw on years of experience across shifting industry trends and economic climates to approach a problem with an educated response."
Addressing ageism at work
Robert Half's findings indicate a growing openness to hiring older employees, after previous research indicated HR professionals have been "actively" excluding employees above 65 years old in a sign of ageism in workplaces.
Patricia Sparrow, CEO of the Council on the Ageing (COTA) Australia, said this form of discrimination is "rife" across the country.
"We see it in all walks of life, whether it's in the workplace, in aged care, in medical settings, or in the community broadly," Sparrow said in a media release. "Ageism affects us all. It hurts everyone and stops us from providing the meaningful contribution to society that we all know we're capable of."
Shifting ageist mindsets
The Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is tapping a potential solution on ageism by asking organisations providing services to older people to deliver ageism awareness training to staff.
This comes after AHRC research discovered that aged care and community workers who undertook a training session that included the topic of ageism caused 86% to actively consider actions they could take to address ageist attitudes in their workplace.
"It's so exciting to see that a short, one-off training session has the potential to positively affect the way older people are treated," said Hon Dr Kay Patterson AO, Australia's age discrimination commissioner, in a media release.
The report confirms that ageism is one of the easiest forms of prejudice to shift, according to the commissioner.
"I urge governments, businesses, and other institutions to provide ageism training to promote positive intergenerational relationships," Patterson said.
Sparrow also welcomed the findings of the report, which she said businesses and governments should also review.
"This report is exciting for many reasons. The idea that simple education can help shift attitudes significantly provides real hope, not just in the workplace settings identified in the report, but more broadly," Sparrow said.
"If we take responsibility for ageism, Australia will be more inclusive, cohesive and prosperous. This report shows that's not just fanciful thinking – it's really possible."
