Age shall not weary them

By ANGELA McCARTHY

We all know the song with the line "life begins at 40". Although the average age of the working population is increasing, too few employers are swinging to that particular rhythm.

The Human Rights Act makes it illegal to discriminate by age, yet some advertisements still read "suit graduate with three years experience" or "young and vibrant company looking for ... "

Mature workers believe the subtext is pretty clear - if you're older, don't bother applying.

Meanwhile the qualities employers are crying out for - commitment, motivation, reliability - can be found in mature workers by the bucketful.

Take Myra, who like all the mature workers or job seekers approached for this story, would only talk on condition of anonymity.

Myra got her current job, initially on a temporary basis, when a young man turned it down at the last minute, leaving the employer in the lurch.

Myra proved her worth and is now working full-time. She has faced two redundancies more than 25 years of employment.

When re-looking for work she was frequently labelled "over-qualified", even though she was happy to take a drop in income and responsibility to be in a satisfying job that utilised her skills.

She had made the shift, but those would-be bosses hadn't. "It irked me," she recalls. "Can't I decide whether a job will be stimulating or not? There is definitely a barrier for people with skills, who are mature, and want to develop a different lifestyle balance."

Other mature job seekers, none of whom wish to be identified, tell similar stories. As one put it; "too qualified" is 2002-speak for "too old." Myra also had a recruitment agency deliberately lower her age on her CV.

That story surprises Jane Kennelly, general manager national transition, TMP Worldwide. She recommends that job seekers look for recruiters that are members of the Recruitment and Consulting Services Association because they are bound to treat people without discrimination.

Kennelly says many mature workers re-enter the workforce through temping services. Such roles provide the opportunity for a mature worker to prove their worth, get work experience and break down employers' preconceptions in the process.

Trudie McNaughton, executive director of Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) Trust suggests mature job seekers seek out employers who aspire to be employers of choice, such as those signed up to the EEO Employers Group. Membership allows them to run job advertisements bearing the group's logo.

"Be explicit that you came to them because you had confidence they would treat you fairly."

For example, ACI Glass Packaging New Zealand is a member of the EEO group. It has 196 staff, and 41 per cent of them are between 45 and 64.

The company also runs retirement planning seminars for the over-50s and a reduced hours scheme that allows people to move into full retirement over time.

HR manager Bruce Woodcock cites low staff turnover, a large pool of technical skills, fewer family distractions and greater levels of job satisfaction as the positives of a mature workforce. McNaughton also advises job-seekers to be a step ahead of employers and ready to address stereotypes. "If you don't have training in a software package, point out it will cost no more to train you than to train a younger person."

Not all employers discriminate. Some employers, such as Winstone Wallboards, go out of their way to retain mature workers, valuing their experience and work ethic.

Winstone human resources manager Marilyn Crocker says about half of their employees are over the age of 40 years. Of those, half are over 50. "We just promoted someone who was 55 and recruited a manager close to 50," she says. "We want the best person, and age and ethnicity is irrelevant."

The company values mature workers for their experience, prior learning, stability, low absenteeism, loyalty, commitment and job pride.

Mature workers have excellent interpersonal skills and relationships, particularly in the sales and marketing area, says Crocker: "We export, and age is valued highly in non-western countries."

In the call centre, mature workers' life experience is valued. Some move into part-time mentoring and consulting roles that tap that.

Crocker says some factory workers' productivity can decline as they age due to the physical nature of the work, but that can be managed.

She scoffs at the idea of up-skilling being an issue with older workers. "We have some older and younger staff who don't want to up-skill. But we do find older staff provide a lot of the core knowledge and stability in the technical areas."

Equal Employment Opportunities Trust