Member Article

Younger North East workers fear ageing colleagues effect

Younger workers in the North East believe their older colleagues are putting the dampener on their career prospects, according to a poll of workers by KPMG.

The survey questioned around 100 people in the region as part of a UK-wide study of attitudes towards the increasing number of over-65s continuing to work. It found the situation is likely to cause increased workplace tension.

There are now more than a million people working after the official retirement age but half of the staff surveyed in the North East believe older people should retire to give younger workers the chance to take their careers to the next level.

The study threw up mixed opinions from the North East workforce; although 47% believed older staff would drain productivity, 30% of those questioned in the region thought employers will want to keep older, experienced staff for longer, compared to the national average of 20%.

There was also an understanding of why older people will increasingly remain in work, as pensions fail to match living costs especially as people live longer. Six in 10 believe people will be forced to work until they die.

Mick Thompson, KPMG’s Newcastle office senior partner, said: “As people remain in the workplace for longer, older workers will inevitably constitute a larger proportion of the workforce.

“This may breed the perception of a younger generation losing out, but it’s not necessarily the case. An older workforce brings a wealth of experience and can mentor those entering the workplace.

“Successful companies will take advantage of what older workers can bring to the table, finding a way for the Baby Boomers in their workforce to be enablers for the young rather than blockers.”

The study showed that young people are more likely to work for more than one employer at a time, and they are more likely to seek out ethical employers with a good corporate social responsibility (CSR) record.

Mr Thompson said: “New entrants to the jobs market are increasingly unafraid to challenge the status quo.

“Some employers may be concerned about this changing attitude, but actually good leadership is - in part - about challenging, as well as innovating and striving to boost performance.

“Employers should welcome these traits given, properly guided, today’s challengers may be tomorrow’s business leaders.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Karen Dent .