Its fjords, boreal forests, Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö. Ikea. Bjorn Borg and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Vikings ending at Valhalla well before the age of 30. Welcome to Sweden. Welcome to cliches. Money, money, money, Must be funny, In the rich man’s world sang the group Abba. Money, sinews of war is also the essential lever to keep 76.9% of 55-64 year olds of Odin’s descendants in employment in 2021 (OECD). The monarchy is European champion, when the employment rate for seniors drops to 60.5% in the EU and falls to 56.0% in France (75.1% among 55-59 year olds and 35, 5% among 60-64 year olds (Dares). With the pension reform which could force the descendants of Vercingetorix to work longer, the question arises of their management. First advice: above all, do not underestimate them. “They know their job, they have experienced all the pitfalls”, says Jean-Emmanuel Roux, founder of TeePy Job (recruitment and employment site for people aged 50 and over, seniors and active retirees).
Stable, flexible and involved
“The school of experience cannot be learned, except over time”, continues the expert. These employees must therefore be listened to by their manager, who can implement strategies by using their analysis as an asset. “They have a different work education than today. They don’t change companies every six months, they are stable and reliable.” Unlike younger, more ambitious employees who accumulate experience to move up the hierarchy or “sell themselves” to the outside world, seniors no longer have anything to prove. Except their know-how and their know-how. When they have found their place in a team, they respect their mission and their role. Second tip: enhance their potential. The manager should not accept their presence as an obligation and make them feel it. Thank them. “They have fewer family constraints, they are more flexible”, further analyzes Jean-Emmanuel Roux. In case of professional constraint, they will not hesitate to work. Calling on them is the third tip. Still it is necessary not to consider them as a spare tire by reserving for other employees with younger children, less time-consuming tasks or sunny holidays. The fourth piece of advice is to cultivate their motivation by involving them and associating them with the company’s objectives. Last point: no longer consider that employed seniors know nothing about “tech”. During the Internet revolution in 2000, they were in their thirties. Most of them are ultra-connected. No worries for the others: “with three confinements, those who were still late got started”, specifies the founder of TeePy Job.
Autonomy and soft skills
“By 2030, tensions in recruitment will be perennial, it is structurally demographic. New entrants to the labor market will not be enough” analyzes for his part Charles Chantala, senior sales director at Indeed. As of today, seniors must be recruited or retained. The essential point is to promote their autonomy. This requirement is accompanied by an organizational approach: the location of the company, flexibility in time management and less supervision are all important criteria in the eyes of seniors, who are not very sensitive to declarations of intention to a company. While those over 50 are not perceived as the most efficient, nor as those with the most interesting ideas, 86% of employees nevertheless like to work with people older than them (Indeed, 2022). Capitalize on the atmosphere, working relationships, transmission of expertise. On the other hand, forget the corporate culture built with convivial aperitifs: they don’t need this informal team building. “We recognize their soft skills abilities”. No need to fear their rivalry in a team: 87% of 18-34 year olds want to manage a team (Opinion Way for Indeed) while this appetite is inversely proportional to the age of employees. Finally, according to the expert, the fear of age-related health concerns and fatigue is the main obstacle to hiring seniors declared by recruiters. It is up to the manager to fight against this “unfounded and tenacious bias” in order to deconstruct the myth: since 2016, sickness absenteeism has affected 46% of 18-34 year olds compared to 34% of those over 50 (Absenteeism barometer, Malakoff Humanis, retrospective 2016 -2022). THE Valhalla will wait.