How old is an “Older Person”, Exactly?
One of our partners is Age UK Cornwall and Isles of Scilly.
When Age UK operated under its previous name, Help the Aged, they specified their remit as being people over 50 years old.
Age UK has continued to support the ‘over-50s’, but what this means has changed. The proportion of the population who fit this description is growing, and people’s average lifespan has lengthened. So Age UK Cornwall and Isles of Scilly serves the whole spectrum of ages and abilities within the broad over-50s range.
Perhaps, as far as the job market is concerned, it’s just useful to think of ‘older’ employees as a counterpoint to targeting graduates.
Experience
An older person might be very experienced.
Have skills from more than one field, in a unique combination, that they’ve spent years honing.
Commitment
An older person might be highly committed to keeping a job.
For example, they might have a mortgage, or a family.
Responsibility
An older person might be caring for a dependent older relative, or for grandchildren, or both.
Flexibility could be key to attracting them to a role.
The stereotype of older people is fixated upon their ability to use technology. Once you start to watch out for this preconception, you can prepare to take every older person on their own merit.
Stereotypes are important, because they are one way in which unintended discrimination becomes embedded in the collective belief system.
To explore this further, we are undertaking research into unconscious bias, which we aim to inform recommendations for more inclusive recruitment processes. You can participate in our research too!