Talent Q workplace research challenges ìgrumpy old menî stereotype

New research from Talent Q, a people assessment company that helps employers recruit and manage talent, has shown that older workers can often be the most flexible. In-depth analysis of over 5,700 workers reveals that as people get older they become increasingly willing to take on new tasks and more varied roles.

The research challenges the common preconception that older workers are unwilling to accommodate change and that they may be unresponsive to new challenges presented in the workplace.

The study had numerous positive findings, with older workers being happy to work on their own and take a leading role without the need for much guidance. They also demonstrate a high level of ability in building successful working relationships with colleagues, clients and suppliers. Intelligence testing revealed that older workersí verbal reasoning was as good as that of their younger colleagues and while they may take longer to calculate answers to numerical problems, they are equally able to answer correctly.

While it was shown that workers in their fifties and sixties are much less ambitious than their younger colleagues, this is probably just an indication that they have already achieved their goals or have decided that they are happy with their lot in life.

Steve OíDell, chief executive of Talent Q, said: ìOlder people in the workplace might sometimes be viewed as being stuck in their ways and a little less sharp. Our research gives a very different perspective.

ìTalent Q found that older workers are less preoccupied about climbing the career ladder and that they tend to be happy, fulfilled and confident. As a result, they are glad to take on new work or projects, and arenít unduly phased by lots of changes. They tend to plough on regardless ñ a fact that employers are quickly discovering can be a real benefit to their business.

ìWith an ageing population, and therefore an ageing workforce, the challenge for employers is to understand how to motivate and energise workers in their fifties and sixties. These research findings should be very helpful to employers looking to build well-balanced, effective teams.î