Ease your way into retirement

Older workers need flexible working hours to keep them in the workforce longer, an Australian organisational psychologist has suggested.

Associate Professor Margaret Patrickson, of the University of South Australia, who recently raised the issue at the 9th Industrial and Organisational Psychology Conference in Brisbane, said companies must offer older employees flexible work hours and conditions to keep them in the workforce longer.

She also claimed older workers who make a ‘staged exit’ from work often enjoy better mental, physical and financial health than those who retire suddenly; however few older workers are offered the flexible working conditions that would allow them to achieve this.

“Older workers are forced to rely on the flexible working policies designed for parents of young children, but these are not often made available by companies,” Professor Patrickson said.

As a result, she said many workers are “forced” into casual or low-paid work, which does not take advantage of the skills and experience they have.

The failure to take advantage of the expertise and energy of those older Australians who want to remain in the workforce has been reported to be costly to the Australian economy, with an estimate of about $10.8 billion each year.

Despite government policies minimising the economic cost of the ageing population by keeping those over the age of 55 years in work, Professor Patrickson said employers fail to “keep pace” because of “ingrained prejudices” about older workers.

“Many employers have an unfair perception that older workers lack initiative and are not as up-to-date or dedicated. These views are deeply entrenched and we must challenge them,” she claimed.

The number of Australians over 85 years of age is expected to quadruple by 2050, according to the federal government; with those over the age of 65 years representing a quarter of the population.

Dr Hannes Zacher, of the University of Queensland, agrees with Professor Patrickson, stating older workers are increasingly facing the challenge of caring for elderly parents and need their employers to do more to accommodate them.

Dr Zacher’s research indicated employees who believed that their employers “cared for them and support them” in their caregiving responsibilities displayed better mental health and higher levels of work engagement, regardless of gender.

Other experts have claimed companies “miss out” on the skills and experience of older workers because they do not offer the flexible hours and conditions to keep them in the workforce.

Do you agree that gradually reducing work hours will benefit older workers?