by Lecia Parks Langston,
Economist
Myth:
Employers don’t like to hire people over
50.
Reality: Many people in
their sixties, seventies and even eighties are still
working.
Myth: Older workers are
less flexible and adaptable.
Reality: Older workers are
just as adaptable once they understand the reason for changes. They are more
likely to ask “why?” because they have seen processes abandoned in
mid-stream.
Myth: Older workers face
health issues.
Reality: Older workers have
better attendance records than younger
workers.
Myth: Older workers can’t
meet the physical demands of the job.
Reality: Most jobs do not
require great strength or heavy lifting.
Myth: You can’t teach an
old dog new tricks.
Reality:
Studies show only a negligible loss of
cognitive function in people under 70. They have better study attitudes and
accumulated experience which lowers training costs. For example, the
fastest-growing group of Internet users is people over
50.
Myth:
Training older workers is a lost
investment because they will not stay on the job for
long.
Reality: The future work
life of an employee over 50 usually exceeds the life of new technology for which
the workers are trained.
Myth: Older workers are
not as productive as younger workers.
Reality: Overall
productivity does not decline as a function of age. Productivity can actually
rise due to greater worker accuracy, dependability and capacity to make better
on-the-spot judgments. Older workers’ production rates are steadier than other
age groups.
Myth:
Older workers are not as creative or
innovative.
Reality: General
intelligence levels are the same as those of younger workers. Roughly 80 percent
of the most workable and worthwhile new production ideas are produced by
employees over 40 years old.
Myth:
Older workers cost more than hiring
younger workers.
Reality:
Replacing older workers is not cost-free.
Aetna Insurance Company discovered that training, etc. added 93 percent to the
first year’s salary of new employees.
Myth:
Benefit and accident costs are higher for
older workers.
