Are You Getting Too Old?

The issue of an ageing workforce is one that Occupational Psychology has a key role in addressing

By David Griffiths

Ageism is extremely self-destructive because workers internalize and comply with negative stereotypes like 'lack of creativity at 30' or 'declining cognitive powers at 65'. This adds to the already enormous cost of age prejudice especially because ageing stereotypes are used as a convenient excuse to avoid effort "I'm getting too old to do that" is an all too common 'get-out' and it can presage descent into learned helplessness and ill-health

Expectation is mightily compelling, both in terms of what we expect of ourselves and what others expect of us. Expectancy theory seems to predict lower effort as expectancy and valence levels fall. While it is true that studies of older workers have shown them to be very positive possessing characteristics like reliability, job satisfaction etc, this conclusion is based on responses from self-selecting groups who have decided to remain in the workforce. Those who have left might well show the opposite attributes.

Health is a major issue here. It has been observed that some elderly people become more healthy as they discard psychosomatic illnesses. I suspect that the more general tendency works in the opposite direction. GPs and the NHS generally complain about surgeries being crowded with people - mainly old - who are suffering no identifiable medical pathology. Yet they feel ill.

These attitudes and behaviours are deep-seated and are not susceptible to change by conventional industrial training. Governments and employers could spend vast amounts on age training without achieving positive results. Trainers, managers and personnel officers need to understand that the usual cognitive based training is not enough. And while none of us would want them to return to the notorious T-Groups of the 70s and 80s we need to come up with tools, methods and processes they can profitably deploy: some may even have psychodynamic features. In any case alternative forms of training are indicated, perhaps mentoring, group coaching, OD groups etc. What emerges is that there is a very real role for Occupational Psychologists to play both in developing and improving practice and in supervising and being involved in delivery at the organisation level (cf Engineer and Craftsmen/women) This would help remove the risk of pouring massive sums into an enterprise where the goal is sound but the anticipated process of achieving it suffers fundamental design flaws. The cost of failure is incalculable, and if we follow the Government's argument on age discrimination at work, it could lead to the total disruption of our economy.

Finally, I often feel that Occupational Psychology is too tolerant of the shortcomings of companies. A positive outcome of legislation would be to square the circle where to progress their careers the 'innovative' young need years of experience by which time (if we believe the stereotypes) they will be too old to be innovative. Perhaps if older workers do lack originality and the capacity to innovate this may have something to do with poor management.