Why workplaces need experience capital

What's going on, really

So, why don't we see many grey-haired folks in offices today? Well, perhaps because many older people look younger these days, for starters! And because companies are not hiring older candidates due to fat pay packages. While these may appear to be obvious reasons, however, the nuances are slightly hidden, and deeper.

As pointed out by Vaitheeswaran K., co-founder, Again Drinks and Indiaplaza (India’s first e-commerce company), an important cultural reason is that in Asia, age is directly translated to wisdom and hence associated with more respect and higher designations. Filial piety, or “respect for one’s elders”, is often an assumed common value among Asian cultures. Be it China, Japan, Korea or India, caregiving responsibilities of elders are passed on to their children and grandchildren.

But this is not the case in the West; in the United States, for example. There, elders look after themselves and are provided State aid in case they are unable to do so. That is perhaps why many veterans take up junior positions and start their careers from scratch at 65 or beyond. Every time I think about this, I am reminded of the American movie The Intern, where a 70-year-old widower starts afresh and bags the role of a ‘senior intern’ at a fashion house. One cannot imagine this happening in India (yet).

Referring to the book The 100-year life by Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott, Sreevatsa adds that with life expectancy increasing, people are now planning and designing longer-term careers, and that will mean seeing more veterans taking guard for a second or third innings.

Having said that, there are some on ground realities that skew the average age in offices today.

According to Vikas Dua, head of HR at IPG DXTRA, a leading marketing communications company, the pandemic may have accentuated the hiring of younger candidates across roles. Reason: the higher degree of automation in the workplace and the need to keep costs under control. Many companies have done away with CXO roles (that require a work experience of 20+ years) and replaced them with Manager or Senior Manager level roles (that require a work experience of 10-15 years at the most). This is making it tough for older employees to either switch jobs easily or to get back to the workforce.

“The situation on the ground is worrisome as many people still do not have a retirement nest at the age of 45,” says Dua. Some of the trends he has noticed are older employees taking up more consulting, coaching and freelance gigs or staying put in their current roles and jobs. He believes meeting mid-way is a good solution for both companies and older employees, where companies are flexible about age and older employees about titles and compensation.

Lastly, we may also be victims of the past. For decades, grey-haired folks dominated the workplace and hierarchy was the norm. Younger talent was not given its due and in many places, even today, a young employee is not given enough space to voice his or her thoughts. Says Sandhya Menon, a communications professional, “Today, the reverse is true; younger workers have found a voice and are questioning why they should respect older colleagues.” The fact that older colleagues are role models and can teach by demonstrating resilience is lost on many workplaces.

The need to meet mid-way

A middle path means the best of both worlds and here are some ways that can happen.

Normalising reporting based on proficiency and not age: Per Vaitheeshwaran, each function/ department requires a unique hiring approach. “Getting an older person to report to a youngster is a skill and also getting them to do their work is a skill,” he says. In startups especially, there is an action bias, for which younger professionals are preferred. However, there are some expertise- and experience-driven roles for which only senior talent is preferred. Hiring managers must know the difference and strike a balance.

As a corollary to the above point, older workers should not worry much about who they report to and need to be thorough professionals, putting their skills to the most advantageous use.

Overcoming homophily and being more inclusive : Rajeev Menon, co-author, Apples & Oranges, and a Diversity and Inclusion proponent, talks about the psychological concept of ‘Homophily’ — the tendency for people to seek out or be attracted to those who are similar to themselves. This often leads to a bias in hiring. Instead, he says, organisations should focus more on being inclusive. “We are always more comfortable with our own kind and culturally that has to change,” says Menon. In India, the concept of diversity and inclusion is restricted to diversity only. To be truly inclusive is to empower and hire for diverse thinking, not just tokenism. He further suggests that workplaces have to make some behavioural changes. For example, by letting everyone in a meeting speak, keeping track of who is giving ideas and which ones are executed. Changing meeting convenors, and by rewarding thought, not just action.

Creating more ‘reverse mentoring’ opportunities: Sreevatsa recommends hosting listening sessions and pairing younger and older workers. They should be able to freely exchange ideas and also be codependent at work. Further, being a ‘don't knower’ is key to creating a more transparent work culture. Many older workers, if given the opportunity, are excited and more than willing to train and impart their skills to younger workers. Organisations should encourage this.

For example, a younger employee recently revealed how being paired with an industry veteran on a project helped him gain tremendous expertise and industry knowhow. Late-stage startups especially are now hiring experienced subject-matter experts; pairing them with younger team members will be beneficial to both.

Measuring more than ‘productivity’: Companies should not use the same yardstick of measurement for a 40-something and a 20-something. Assessments should be more skill- and outcome-based and not productivity- and output-based. Not every attribute can be quantified, but older workers do bring in more thought diversity that should be encouraged.

The fact that we are interdependent and need a mix of people at the workplace is well known. Going forward, here is hoping age is just a number and each person is given the runway to live and give their professional best — be it at 20 or 60.