Through the bustling corporate corridors of Upper Hill’s financial services headquarters, Mworia, a seasoned finance executive in his late 50s, demonstrates daily that wisdom comes with age.
Despite the rapid digital transformation of payments, banking, marketing, and communications that have completely upended traditional banking practices, Mworia's adept adaptation to change and his strategic decision-making continue to drive his firm’s growth.
His story reflects a broader truth that older workers are not only capable of adapting to new challenges but are invaluable assets to their organizations.
However, many of our Kenyan organisations hold outlandish mandatory retirement ages, usually at 60 years old, that rob the Republic of valuable human capital and seasoned expertise.
Surely, employees like Mworia hold considerable worth and usefulness to the Kenyan economy whereby we do not want to extinguish their professional light and contribution.
Research highlighted by Julie Erickson underscores this point, challenging the pervasive myth that age dims the capacity for personal and professional growth. The negative erroneous cliché that someone “cannot teach an old dog new tricks” is both agist and misleading.
Recent studies on psychotherapy effectiveness, for instance, reveal no significant difference in the ability of older and younger adults to benefit from therapeutic interventions aimed at behaviour change.
The finding proves particularly relevant in the workplace, suggesting that older employees are equally capable of evolving their skills and behaviours in response to training and feedback. Both older and younger workers can equally improve performance, interactions, innovation, and capacity.
In laboratory experiments whereby younger and older workers must learn new tasks by feedback, older workers take slightly longer to learn the new skills, but they still do learn and excel at the duties. All the while older employees hold far more crystalised knowledge than their younger worker counterparts, making behaviour changes and task enhancements deeper and more lasting for those with more years under their proverbial belts.
Matteo Picchio finds that training of older workers, even with their more heterogenous learning styles, makes economic sense for firms and governments. However, he notes considerable unfounded entrenched biases often prevent such training.
Interesting research by Dorien Kooij, Helen Nijssen, Matthijs Bal, and Daphne van der Kruijssen found that high work pressure and high autonomy make older workers the most productive and satisfied.
Recruiters and human resources professionals stand to gain significantly from the above insights. In an era whereby the war for talent rages fiercer than ever, recognising the value of older workers' adaptability, experience, and reliability can be a game-changer.
By crafting recruitment strategies that value the seasoned expertise of older candidates, companies can diversify their talent pool and leverage a wealth of underappreciated potential with commensurate higher satisfaction and likelihood of staying on the job longer.
Managers and executives could then unlock the productivity of older workers by first acknowledging their unique strengths and learning styles. Given that older adults may require more time to assimilate new information, managers should provide tailored support and feedback mechanisms. Emphasising goal-setting around intrinsic values, which older workers are more likely to prioritise, can also enhance motivation and engagement.
Older workers themselves can maximise their workplace effectiveness by embracing lifelong learning and viewing age as an asset rather than a hindrance. Leveraging their own crystallised intelligence, they can mentor younger colleagues, lead by example in resilience and dedication, and continuously seek opportunities to update their skills in alignment with evolving industry demands.
Essentially, it is time for our society to shift our collective perspective on ageing in the workforce. The narrative that positions older workers as resistant to change is not only outdated but detrimental to business innovation and growth.
By fostering an environment that values the contributions of all ages, companies can build a more dynamic, experienced, and committed workforce.
As Mworia's success story illustrates, age is not a barrier to adaptation or achievement. Instead, it represents a source of depth, insight, and competitive advantage that can propel businesses forward in Kenya’s dynamic economy and beyond.
Have a management or leadership issue, question, or challenge? Reach out to Dr Scott through @ScottProfessor on X or email [email protected]
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