A new study by Age UK has found that older workers are as productive as their younger counterparts.

The research carried out by Essex Business School at the University of Essex on behalf of the charity investigated the evidence behind common perceptions about older workers.

It found that there was little evidence to back up disparaging but engrained stereotypes of older workers when it comes to productivity, health, commitment and flexibility.

Researchers reviewed published studies into the characteristics of older workers.

They found that despite assumptions made by many employers, older workers are motivated and as willing to work as flexibly as younger workers.

The Age UK review also found that while there was evidence of decline in some physical attributes in some, but not all, older workers, there was little sign of a decline in overall productivity as older workers compensated for declines with skills and experience.

The report says that “while bottom line speed may deteriorate, overall efficacy offsets any impact to productivity. It has been reported that there is evidence to suggest that while younger people might be typically faster at carrying out repetitive tasks, in comparison older people are often faster at carrying out complex tasks that allow them to draw on their contextual knowledge and years of work experience.”

This reinforces findings made in two separate studies of German car manufacturers. Older workers in a Mercedes Benz plant were found to be more productive and make fewer errors than younger workers (See Note 1) while BMW found that its
‘Today for Tomorrow’ programme, which set up a production line staffed only by older workers, improved productivity by seven per cent over the first year, matching that staffed only by younger workers. (See Note 2)

Dr Kathleen Riach, Reader in Management at Essex Business School who carried out the study, said: “Our review found that stereotyped perceptions about older workers don’t stand up to scrutiny. Our work indicates that age doesn’t determine a person’s commitment and productivity levels at work. Other socioeconomic and psychological factors are much better indicators of the way older people behave.”

The study also found that older people took fewer short term absences than younger workers. But when they were absent on sick leave, it was for longer. Similarly, older people were found to have fewer but more serious accidents at work.

Michelle Mitchell, Charity Director General of Age UK, said: “This shows that the time has come for employers and recruiters to shed their inaccurate and damaging perceptions of older workers. Too often older workers are written off as a burden when in fact their commitment, productivity, skills and expertise make them an invaluable boon to business and the UK economy.

“Nearly half of all unemployed older workers have been out of work for more than a year. It’s time the UK finally appreciated the value of this untapped potential.“

Notes:

1 - Bӧrsch-Supan and Weiss (2013), Productivity and age: evidence from work teams at the assembly line, Maastricht University

2 - http://ageinginnovators.org/2013/04/11/bmw-heute-fur-morgen-today-for-tomorrow/