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Older Workers Turning Age Into Sage

Is the older worker a workplace liability? Not according to a poll that shows that older workers are transforming into office sages who guide younger workers. If you're a regular reader of BCBusiness, then you may have occasionally seen my editors refer to me as a "journosaur."

By Tony Wanless /

Resident journosaur Tony Wanless has some advice on leveraging your age in the workplace.

Is the older worker a workplace liability? Not according to a poll that shows that older workers are transforming into office sages who guide younger workers.

If you’re a regular reader of BCBusiness, then you may have occasionally seen my editors refer to me as a “journosaur.”

Presumably, this is because I was in the journalism game when most of them were closer to wearing diapers than suits. I’m a baby boomer and most of them are either Gen X’s and more likely Gen Y’s.

I don’t take offence to the term. I’m a newsroom vet and I know that. Like on hockey teams, people in journalism often apply nicknames to each other. The difference is that in journalism, the names tend to have more of an edge. It’s part of the business’s occasionally bent view of the world to display respect and friendship by being slightly insulting. 

 
So I was quite fascinated by a study in the U.S. that showed most baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) who are still working (28 million in the American workforce are 55 and older and it’s climbing) said their age wasn’t an issue at all.
 
A story on the poll highlighted the 14 per cent of older workers who had faced some descrimination. (Hey youngsters, here’s a tip – don’t take the small negative and turn it into the story. It’s amateurish to twist information to fit your own purposes.)
 
But, in fact, 25 per cent of boomers surveyed in an Associated Press-LifeGoesStrong.com poll said their age was an asset. A third feel they are receiving more respect within their companies.
 
What really interested me, however, was that 57 per cent of boomers polled said that since they turned 50, their co-workers have come to them for advice more often.
 
In other words, they have gone from “age” to “sage.”
 
The reason this leaped out at me was because I’ve been saying for some time the greatest asset an older worker or business operator has is wisdom; a been there done that understanding of life and work. 
 
And it appears, younger workers agree. 
 
So, if you’re a boomer in the workplace, take heart. Those youngsters may be faster, more technically adept, and in some ways smarter and more educated. But they rarely have the understanding that comes with experience – and scars.
 
It’s likely that every time they encounter something new or challenging, you’ve been there in one way or another and can guide them through it. 
 
Mostly, it appears, age is a matter of viewpoint.
 
Okay, you’re not as up on technology as they are – after all, you haven’t been swimming in it for your whole life – but you can certainly learn enough about it to keep up. And you may not have the energy they have. So think of it as having learned to husband your resources. 
 
Generally, instead of worrying about your age, try being a sage, a grey hair, a village elder, a mentor, a wise man or woman. 
 
That’s your new role in the workplace. 
Tony Wanless

Tony Wanless