Age is a much more complex issue than just a look in a birth certificate. Employers should perceive the age of their people from at least ten other perspectives. These perspectives were described closer in a recent study by The Sloan Center on Aging & Work at Boston College entitled Through a Different Looking Glass: The Prism of Age. The study results were published on diversity-executive.com.
1. Physical-congnitive age
Physiological changes affect employees' ability to work. From this point of view, employers should assess three things: 1) physical and intellectual capacity of employees, 2) tasks that have to be completed within a job 3) what type of support is needed for this type of age in the workplace.
2. Socioemotional age
At various stages of life, different perceptions of time develop. While younger workers access their live from the perspective that there is still a lot in front of them, the older are rather considering how much time left they have. That is what their motivation should be based on.
3. Social age
This perception of age is associated with a typical example of age discrimination. It is about how other people think that someone is old. Typically, it happens that an employee is considered too young or too old to do something even if he/she is actually able to do it. Employers should fight against this by monitoring how different age groups contribute to their company's success.
4. Career age
Age can be interpreted in the context of employees' careers as well. Here, employers should know one thing above all - older employees are interested in new challenges and want to learn new skills.
5. Organizational age
This age is equal to the length of time for which an employee works for one employer, one department or one boss. It should be taken into account for promotions as a key indicator of experience and abilities.
6. Normative age
Companies and individuals have different views on what is appropriate for a young man and for an old man. Employers should therefore help older employees to develop their work potential, not to take away their responsibilities.
7. Generational age
Traditionally, it is said that in today's workforce there are employees representing Millennials/Generation Y (born between 1981-1999), Generation X (born between 1965-1980), Baby Boomers (born between 1946-1964) or even Silent generation (born between 1900-1945). However, you cannot generalize that all representatives of a particular generation are the same.
8. Relative age
How employees perceive their age compared to the others, affects how they perceive their own abilities. Employers should therefore count on the fact that an employee who feels too old in comparison with colleagues may unnecessarily consider himself less effective.
9. Age defined by life events
Age can also be seen in connection with major life events such as marriage or family. Employers should therefore be of interest also to the influence of the personal lives on the working lives of their people.
10. Subjective age
Everyone is so old as he/she feels. The subjective age has a significant impact on personal decisions. Employers have therefore no choice but to seek how to make their people feel young and fresh.
The whole study is available to download on the Sloan Center on Aging & Work webiste here: http://www.bc.edu/research/agingandwork/archive_pubs/RB03.html
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