What could employers do to better support those aged over 50?

It is some time since I worked, but my first suggestion is that they should not be first in line when redundancies come.

I am self employed but my main client is a global cooperation.
The staff there that I work with are much younger than myself, they treat me as a they would any other colleague.

I am up to date with technology, I do however have many friends of my age who are really behind. I imagine this could be a huge stumbling block for many employers.

Some of my friends believe they are so far behind technologically that they are unemployable.

At age 53 I was made redundant but quickly found another job. I was there until I retired at 65. I left school at 16 and didn't go into further education. My Civil Service employers treated me with respect and within the large organisation I changed roles 4 times! I loved working with young people and older mainly men, who had long histories within the organisation. My managers harnessed my experience and skills and listened carefully when I spoke at meetings, sometimes at very high level. From 60 onwards I reduced my hours and trained up my replacement. When 65 came around I finally felt it was time to move into retirement. Retirement is bliss but I have wonderful work memories and actually my manager said I could stay on as long as I felt up to it. Leaving was such sweet sorrow but it was on the crest of a wave and it was the right time for me.

I’m still in full time work as a civil servant in a demanding role in a military environment. My experience of people and how to get the best out of them serves me very well, as it taking whatever comes in my stride, bending and flexing to always met my timelines. I can do it all well because I’ve seen most things before, have a wide corporate knowledge which is recognised widely. I deal firmly but kindly with anyone that tries to dismiss me because of my age and sex and because I’m a civilian.
I’m very aware of older colleagues letting themselves drift towards retirement (I’m not putting myself out...) letting themselves be overlooked (they won’t want me...) being scruffy, lazy, indifferent, unwilling to learn new skills, adapt to new ways - everything negative. And they moan about absolutely everything, work and personal.
I’ve become ageless: younger colleagues are repeatedly bemused when I tell them I’m 61.
It’s bloody hard work and gets a bit harder all the time (luckily I’m not required to travel much) but I’d never admit that. That’d be the day I’d start to get overlooked and slide into oblivion like those colleagues.
It’s all about what you allow others to think of you.

Second thought: I get paid the same amount of taxpayers £s as any colleague of the same grade 30 or more years younger so should produce the same output. Why should my employer adapt their ways just because I’m older?

I’m 60 and my treatment, opportunities and behaviour is no different to my younger team members. In fact I’ve recently been promoted. That said I am the most experienced of the whole team and I feel on the whole that is valued. I work for a big corporation and discrimination on age, sex, race is not tolerated.
I have been looking for another position as I want to move, downsize and be nearer my grandsons and here I do appear to have a difficulty. I must still work. I feel, but cannot say for sure that my experience etc is not as valued outside my present organisation. When I talk to recruiters I sense a step back from them when I reveal my age. Whilst they are not supposed to discriminate on age I’m sure they do.

Why should my employer adapt their ways just because I’m older?

Because there is a desperate skills shortage in this country and one resource to fill this skills gap is older people, especially as providing pensions for people living into their 90s is getting almost unaffordable. This means making it possible for older people who may have some medical and other problems to keep working if they feel able to. This may mean allowing shorter days or part time working, or limiting the amount of overseas travel or site work they need to undertake.

DH is in his late 70s and is still working as a marine surveyor and assisting in the installation of offshore wind farms. He no longer goes offshore, he is too old and unfit to get authorisation to do so and he tries to avoid spending long hours standing on very cold quaysides in wind and rain for the same reasons. But the group of self employed engineers he works with are all over 70 and the thirty something aged team of engineers from the installation company who employ them do so because between them they have over 100 years of experience of towing very large loads at sea and many more engineers are needed to do this work in a growing market and there not enough people under retirement age with the skills they have.

This is happening in more and more industries and employers are beginning to realise that making a few adjustments to be able to draw on the skills and experience of highly qualified people in their 70s and even 80s is worth their while.

Flexible hours, the ability to decline work that is too heavy, (as long as it is in line with agreed guidelines) recognition that maturity can count for something; possibly by a different payscale after 50.

Interesting. I’m a nursery nurse and still like my job. However I will have to work till I’m 66 and wonder about the long hours and lifting the kiddies. I probably in reality have to. It he hours down eventually but will have to for go holidays and luxuries to do this.

I hate my job with a passion but am stuck with it until I am 67.5 so only another 9.5 years to go.

The problem is I want to start living now not in 10 years time when I will be ready for the knackers yard !

I'm 17 months off retirement, 64 atm and I can't decide if I want to go or not. I too am a civil servant and love my job. I work with people who are much younger than me but they don't treat me any differently. I don't really know if there should be any allowances made for over 50s. If you can't do the job shouldn't you allow a younger person to step in? If allowances were made this wouldn't be fair on the rest of the staff.

As far as I'm concerned, its no different than the allowances that would be made to help a disabled person work.

It doesn't take anything away from other employees, particularly if its something as simple as being allowed to nip out for a couple of hours, and making up the time later.

Fine in a large organisation MissA but imagine the chaos in a small business ?

Oh yes, I'm not saying that small companies would have to offer any of these benefits.

It just means that people could have more choice in whether staying with that company is sustainable.

Gillybob I am 68 and I am not ready for the knackers yard yet!!

I have just started a permanent role for the company I have been working for as an agency person for the last 18 months. I was offered a full time role but when I said I would like to now go part time a role was found for me and it is great. I work 10 - 2 each day which maintains the structure of my day and gives me lovely long free afternoons.

My partner is in his 70s and still does a few hours a week at the engineering firm he used to work for. His skills are now quite rare and he was difficult to replace.

Older people are still needed in the workplace and allowing them to work the hours they want can benefit both employee and employer.

In my experience I have found when the interviewer is over 50 themselves, then I have always been offered the job. Younger interviewers tend to be more negative with older job seekers.

I found a wonderful career at age 53 and worked in it until 69 I was hoping to make 70 but it wasn’t to be
I did not feel I needed any special treatment I was always treated well and because I had so much life experience I was often asked opinions even when I was the ‘new girl’
I still work hard (just not paid any more) I will continue until
I m no longer useful
I don’t think there should be any differences made you can either do the job well or you can’t whatever age
Age does not need to be an excuse

I also haven't been treated badly at work because of my age. Possibly I have been lucky. I have always done office work and think it is a type of employment which you can continue to carry out as you age.

If you do a physical job, things can get hard.

Where is this skills shortage and gap that needs filling? I haven't seen much evidence of it.

I do not want to be treated differently from anyone else at work. All I ask is that I am treated like anyone else, young or old.

I find the notion that somehow older people women are somehow in need of special treatment deeply offensive.

It's hard enough being thought of as unable to grasp IT, learn anything new or otherwise in need of special treatment without having it rubbed in via misguided policy.

If I can't manage, I'll find something I CAN manage. Until then, I expect to perform my role in exactly the same way as anyone else.

Well I’m happy for you Lyndylou . There is a saying that if you love your work then it’s really not work at all.

I HATE my work and have another 10 years of it in front of me .

As a teacher, I'd like to just be employable and paid my hard earned post on the upper pay scale. Instead of being treated as a dinosaur and negotiated down on salary.

I'm well qualified and experienced. I'm very employable!

gagajo that sounds like discrimination.

Absolutely it is. But they manage it so it can't be proved. Although there are virtually NO teachers over 50 in UK schools. What we're supposed to do until we reach pension age, I have no idea.

I am still working at 66, 67 in July. I only work 2 days a week but am valued and younger colleagues treat me just the same and listen and take notice of my opinion. Most of them are much younger than me. I was definitely not discriminated against at interview as I got the post at age 64, I have a lot of experience in what I do and I am up to date in what I need to know. I hope to work until I am at least 70 and also do unpaid voluntary work on some other days. Use it or lose it!

DH and I are passed over for youngsters with degrees, it seems experience counts for little.
There are older volunteers in the shop where I volunteer who refuse to learn how to use the touchscreen till. Keeping up with technology is a must and can make work life easier.