Midternships: a hands-on way to support and encourage older workers’ career change

I was interested to read on the US SHiFT website about their new pilot programme designed to help people at midlife gain hands-on work experience in a new career field. “Midternships” are the equivalent of internships for older workers. Through them,

• Workers at midlife gain on-the-job documented experience in a new career.
• Employers gain valuable temporary help from a qualified pool of experienced, motivated, and skilled workers.
• Once inside an organisation, Midterns may also become candidates for fulltime employment.

Of course this still doesn’t get round the issues associated with the fundamental acceptability of unpaid internships and the fact that older people may be less likely than younger individuals to be able to work for nothing (though this is debatable), combined with the potential loss of face that may accompany it.  

Also, according to SHiFT, “Currently, about two-thirds of our Midterns are working in non-profit organizations. Less than one-third work with for-profit companies.” So, some questions around that too along the lines of where does volunteering stop and midternship begin?

However, all issues aside, it’s good to see a new term for a new concept and a new way to help overcome the barriers of ageism and the difficulties older people face in making a career change in later life.  

Watch that space…?

http://www.shiftonline.org/Midternships.aspx?goback=%2Egmp_4306411%2Egde_4306411_member_102113776

Free advice for older entrepreneurs

The accountancy body ICAEW has recently launched a new Business Advice Service to promote the use of ICAEW Chartered Accountants to businesses. Under the scheme the network of 3,200 offices of ICAEW firms throughout the country who currently participate in the Business Advice service offer SMEs and start-ups an initial, free, no-obligation meeting to discuss their business needs.

As business startups are now increasingly a key post-retirement or redundancy option for older people who want to continue working, this is interesting news. Evidence shows that those who take (and act on) advice prior to setting up a business and work with trusted advisors throughout are more likely to succeed.

Later this month, from June 25 to 29, the organisation is hosting a Business Advice Week, providing a range of free events, seminars and conferences. Topics will include access to finance, initial start-up advice and planning growth. There will also be extensive opportunities to network with business owners and meet local advisers, banks and other local business organisations.  

Further details about events in each region can be found at the ICAEW website: http://www.icaew.com/en/about-icaew/what-we-do/act-in-the-public-interest/policy/enterprise/icaew-business-advice-service/bas-week-events

 

Understanding the bigger picture on employability

One of the biggest responsibilities older people must surely have is trying to ensure that those who come behind us learn from our mistakes and benefit from the insights we’ve gained through having lived a greater number of years. While intergenerational conflict is a current flavour of the month for rationalising challenges and apportioning blame (“those old people stole our future – they don’t care about us”), in fact most older people are hardwired to care for and advise those coming up behind them, if only their own children.

A recent US article on the fastest dying jobs of this generation and those that have replaced them reminded me of the duty we have, more than ever before, to remind younger people of the inherent fragility and transience of employment. While as a nation we have embraced the aim of a university education for all, we have at the same time seemingly raised expectations for a comfortable and ongoing career for those who graduate based on the old notions of “careers for life” that no longer exist.

Although it is easy to see from the list in this article (and there’s plenty of other similar data around relating to the UK situation) that the major swing has been from manual to white collar occupations, the change goes much deeper than that. What the charts underline is that, today, no one can afford simply to secure a job and work hard in the expectation that this approach will earn them a right to employment for life.

Our current situation has been evolving for decades yet as a society we seem to have been slow to learn. The mismatch between what the workplace wants and what prospective employees have to offer seems to have increased. Despite high unemployment, employers report skills shortages – while economists, demographers and others predict that as older people retire, the situation will become even more dire. But, as we know, unemployed older people can’t get jobs either; a situation undoubtedly caused at one level by ageism but, for some, especially those who have worked in dying industries, a lack of sufficient “transferable skills”.

As working lives will now become ever longer we have a duty to stress to those coming up behind us to be vigilant about the nature of what constitutes “work” and “employability” throughout their career. It not feasible at an individual level to wait until the curtain comes down on a particular industry, job type, or even employer before focusing on “what next”.

Employability has now become an individual responsibility and to remain in work throughout life many of those just starting out may need to change direction and re-train several times. There’s nothing particularly threatening or onerous about that if we take it as the norm. Many older people now are starting to realise that if they want to continue to work into older age they will have to adopt this approach. It’s a challenge but it can be done. For many the biggest hurdle is getting over the mental barrier of “I’m over 60, what’s the point?”

Yet, with increased longevity a career change at 60 could result in 10-20 more productive and rewarding years. Of course, there’s a lot to consider concerning type and amount of work and motivation for taking on the challenge – and of course, overcoming the ageism barrier.  But, if old dogs can learn new tricks, then it demonstrates that career change is possible, making it even more acceptable and feasible for younger people to consider similar changes throughout their career.

To ensure more successful working lives we have to start making real changes somewhere. Let it start with us.

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/05/the-fastest-dying-jobs-of-this-generation-and-what-replaced-them/257154/

Talking Point: Do you really know how to get the best out of your older workers?

As published on HRzone

Posted by Dianne Bown-Wilson, chief executive of in my prime in Managing people, Business lifestyle on Tue, 27/03/2012 – 15:43

Of all the things that we aspire to during our career, being an ‘older worker’ probably isn’t one of them.

Yet, as we age, this identity is thrust upon us and, with it, a range of stereotypes based on other people’s perceptions.

As a 56-year old manager recently pointed out: “Suddenly all that people seem to see is your grey hair, and their attitudes toward you start to change.”

But as studies have confirmed, individuals don’t primarily identify with being ‘older workers’ themselves, but rather as still being the person that they feel they have always been. No wonder that this situation can generate conflicting feelings about one’s position as an older person in today’s workplace.  

Herminia Ibarra, INSEAD professor of organizational behaviour and author of ‘Working Identity’ maintains that our identity at work is an amalgam of how we see ourselves in our professional role, what we convey about ourselves to others and, ultimately, how we live our working lives.

But for older workers facing change at a number of levels, this scenario may generate a variety of problems. For example, after many years in a given role, older employees may have an entrenched view of their work-related identity.  

They may also become defensive as they realise that their career has plateaued and become increasingly withdrawn as they perceive a future where working life is likely to just involve ‘more of the same’. But many identity issues for older workers also emanate from changes to the nature of their work.

Negative stereotypes

In his book ‘The Start-up of You’, LinkedIn co-founder, Reid Hoffman, says: “There used to be a long-term pact between employee and employer that guaranteed lifetime employment in exchange for lifetime loyalty; this pact has been replaced by a performance-based, short-term contract that’s perpetually up for renewal by both sides.”  

For many older people who started work in a time of jobs-for-life, dealing with today’s lack of security and uncertainty in career progression terms can be traumatic and challenging. At worst, they may feel short-changed; at best, uncertain of how to negotiate this unfamiliar terrain in order to continue to being successful.

The situation has only been made worse by phenomena such as globalisation and technology, which have fuelled demand for new skills, increased levels of flexibility and continuous learning.

As a result of all of this, older people can fear losing their status and expertise and start questioning their purpose and relevance, while wondering whether and for how long they can keep up the pace. These pressures can also lead to generally unspoken fears along the lines of ‘who am I these days?’ and ‘what do others expect from me?’

One of the issues is that stereotypes about older workers tend to be based on a range of either conscious or unconscious assumptions. These include the belief that they are resistant to change; are slower and less flexible; are reluctant to participate in training or re-training and resent younger managers or colleagues.

The majority of older workers can overcome these perceptions by virtue of their own continuing high performance, adaptability and resilience levels, however. But some do inevitably struggle with change and this scenario can lead to behaviours and attitudes that serve to reinforce negative stereotypes.

For example, older people may be fearful of losing their jobs and of being unable to find another one due to their age. They may also feel threatened by younger colleagues and afraid that they are starting to underperform.

Such fear and defensiveness can lead to individuals feeling resentful and aggrieved, but such feelings not only serve to entrench ageist perceptions but can also damage their own position.

Differing requirements

As a result, HR professionals and line managers who recognise this situation and appreciate the validity of such concerns should take steps to deal with them straight away in order to prevent them from becoming entrenched.

But dealing with older workers’ attitudes and behaviours effectively does entail understanding something of each individual’s personal circumstances. For instance, for many people, as both their children and parents age and grandchildren start to arrive, it is a time of great personal change and potential role conflict.

But the practical implications of supporting younger and older generations at the same time may generate new financial and emotional pressures. Retirement starts to loom, but it may be viewed more as a concern than something to be welcomed.

As for continuing to work, older employees have a range of different aspirations – some will want to continue progressing, for example, while others may want to slow down and put in fewer hours or take on less responsibility.

Some may want to change roles, careers, or even become self-employed but they may also lack the confidence to do so. Others might feel frustrated and marginalised on realising that they are perceived as ‘older’ and on feeling that they are being overlooked in terms of further development.

Still others may be bored and lack an interesting challenge, however, or they may be stressed, facing burn-out and lacking any kind of work/life balance.

Awareness of these and other concerns should ideally come naturally through ongoing informal communication at line manager level, where issues can be dealt with sensitively and appropriately.

Appropriate support

Pertinent responses might include discussing various options such as flexible working, particularly for those with caring responsibilities, or re-training/upskilling for those who need to be reassured of their continuing value.

Appraisals and performance management processes are likewise fundamental as a means of providing focused feedback and they should be used as a forum to set goals and future direction.

However, much can also be done on an informal basis. Mixed age teams, ‘buddying’ schemes and the involvement of older people in project work can both benefit the organisation and help older workers increase their comfort levels around change.

Mentoring and coaching programmes can likewise reinforce older people’s sense of value and assist them in exploring their changing identity.

Alongside such support, however, training around financial, life planning and work-life balance should be also provided for workers of all ages rather than just the usual ‘too little, too late’ pre-retirement programmes.

Health and wellness initiatives are likewise vital and should involve all generations in order to reinforce the message that older workers must be included and valued rather than simply maginalised.

Ultimately, supporting older workers effectively comes down to recognising that, although some are having to work longer purely for financial reasons, many find personal meaning in their employment and are committed to it.

“I am an engineer and a good one,” a 67-year old told me recently. “This is who I am and as long as I can deliver what they need, why does it matter how old I am?”

Dianne Bown-Wilson is chief executive of workplace age management and diversity consultancy, in my prime.

 

To see the article as published on HRzone click below – you will have to be registered and logged in.

http://www.hrzone.co.uk/topic/managing-people/talking-point-do-you-really-know-how-get-best-out-your-older-workers/119012

The start up of you – are all humans entrepreneurs?

The co-founder and chairman of LinkedIn Reid Hoffman with co-author Ben Casnocha have recently produced a thought-provoking new book on how to apply the strategies of successful entrepreneurship to career development. In other words, how to approach your career as “the start up of you”.

Although The start-up of you is written for all ages, it comes across as particularly pertinent for helping older people understand what they need to do now in order to further their career in today’s radically altered world of work. To quote the authors, “there used to be a long-term pact between employee and employer that guaranteed life-time employment in exchange for lifetime loyalty; this pact has been replaced by a performance-based, short-term contract that’s perpetually up for renewal by both sides.”

As might be expected, the book focuses heavily on networking, but so it should. There is much evidence from the way jobs are gained today to reinforce the authors’ assertion that “Professional loyalty now flows horizontally to and from your network rather than vertically to your boss.”

Of course, to a degree it was always thus.  For many people professional success has always been more about who they know rather than what they know. However, the parameters within which that operated seemed in the past to be more constrained. Today, in the face of uncertainty the key to success in career terms increasingly seems to be adopting a persona that is nimble and self-reliant, being innovative and aiming to stand out from the crowd, i.e. thinking and acting like an entrepreneur.

The book contains plenty of good advice (if you can disentangle it from the US context and case studies) with each chapter concluding with points for action. Whether or not you agree with its approach or its somewhat frenetic tone (probably just a reflection of the more excitable US style) there’s nevertheless much to make any reader think.

Ultimately you may disagree with what the authors say, but if the end result is that it inspires you to examine your current position and approach, take greater responsibility for your own career and do things differently then it will have done a good job.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Start-up-You-Yourself-Transform/dp/184794079X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330685775&sr=1-1

Over 55s: seeking skilled, paid work – which is useful, fulfilling and valued

A recent article in the New York Times featured the work of ReServe, an organisation I’ve come across before which merits ongoing attention.

ReServe is an innovative non-profit organisation that links people over 55 with meaningful second careers. ReServists are given responsibilities that allow them to use their skills, which doesn’t always happen with volunteering. Some ReServists use the same skills they always did – retired accountants, for example, are very popular; but most of the time, the ReServe career is something new. 

The pay is low – $10 an hour. But ReServe never uses the word volunteer; it’s work and the pay matters – on a number of levels. ReServe also requires organisations to pay because it ensures the work is valued.  

ReServe began in 2005, and now operates in Miami and Westchester in addition to New York City, with plans to develop elsewhere. According to the article, hundreds of retired professionals are currently on a waiting list to be matched with meaningful part-time jobs in schools, libraries, hospitals and other city agencies and nonprofits.

“The concept of retirement is fading,” said Mary S. Bleiberg, ReServe’s executive director.  “There is a steady increase in people over 65 going into or staying in the workforce.  People are realizing they’re going to be around a lot longer, and there’s a limited number of golf clubs they can swing.”

As a model for what is needed to address the nature of later life careers for a sector of the population ReServe appears to have much to offer. It is founded on the notion of skilled, paid work which at the same time is useful, fulfilling – and valued.

Intuitively one feels that enduring solutions for later life working will come from a proliferation of such initiatives rather than merely extending the timespan of existing career structures.

To access the article go to http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/05/in-a-second-career-working-to-make-a-difference/

6.1 million over 50s set to work past retirement age

According to retirement specialist LV=’s newly released Working Late Index, 28% of working over-50’s are planning on average to work past state retirement age for an extra six years, which based on today’s retirement age would see them retiring at age 71 for men and 66 for women. One in five over-50s (19%) said they expect to work for at least a decade past the current state retirement age.

Two thirds of those ‘working later’ apparently will do so because they can’t afford to retire.

The report goes on to state that one in five over-50s – equivalent to 4.3 million people – who had retired have since gone back into work. Of those who have gone back into work: 

• 11% returned in a part-time capacity, 6% into voluntary (unpaid) work and 3% back full-time
• 37% went back to work because they felt they were too young to retire
• 32% missed being part of the working environment
• For 30% it was financially-related: 20% said it was a necessity as their personal and/or state pension wasn’t enough to support them in their retirement, and one in ten (10%) needed to go back to work to help continue financially supporting their family

However, going back into employment after retirement has given some over-50s an opportunity to fulfil other ambitions. A fifth (19%) made a complete career change and 12% set up their own business. Many have chosen to go back to work in a role that requires fewer hours than before (27%), and 18% are doing a job that is less stressful than their previous job.

In terms of these findings this is an interesting study. However LV’s use of the phrase “state retirement age” isn’t helpful in a society in which we have now abolished mandatory retirement. Obviously they mean state pension age as they say “as the state retirement age increases to age 65 years for women in 2018, and to 66 for men and women in 2020”.

This wouldn’t matter except that it seems clear that the sooner we decouple the concept of retirement from that of drawing a pension the more helpful this will be for people in terms of understanding the options open to them in later life.

Working longer but working differently

A recent article by Alicia Munnell, Director of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College in the US highlights that not only are older workers working longer but they are increasingly moving from one job to another. For example in 1983, the average tenure of men aged 55-64 was 15.3 years; by 2008 it had declined to 10.1 years (figures relate to 2008 rather than 2010 to separate long-term trends from the effects of the recession). Although tenure was down across the board, it was most pronounced amongst older workers.

The article continues:      

“An even more direct way to show the decline in career employment is to see how many work­ers toward the end of their careers are still with the employer they had at age 50.  In 1983, 63% of men 58-62 were with their age-50 employer; by 2008, that figure had dropped to 47%. Although career employment is more common among workers with more education the shift away from career employment was consistent across educational groups.”

The question, of course, is whether the increased mobility is voluntary or enforced to which the answer is “we don’t know”. 

“On the one hand, data on displacement rates, which report layoffs for reasons other than job performance, have not increased for older workers.  These data would suggest that separations of older workers are largely due to quits, not layoffs.  The distinction between layoffs and quits, however, is not always clear.  Employers can reduce a worker’s compensation or increase job demands.  Workers could also feel insecure in their current job, due to technological change or increased competition, especially from overseas.  If workers quit in response to such pressures, they would be leaving on their own volition, but the decline of career employment could not be characterized as a positive development.”

In respect of whether increased mobility of older workers is helpful or harmful to working longer the picture is similarly cloudy.

“The new jobs generally pay less and are less likely to offer pension and health insurance coverage. This fall in wages and benefits makes continued employment less attractive vis-à-vis retirement.  On the other hand, workers who shift jobs often report less stress and an increase in job satisfaction that makes work more attractive vis-à-vis retirement.  The fall in wages and benefits also reduces household wealth, and this “wealth effect” also encourages con­tinued employment.  How workers respond depends on the strength of these various effects.”

The article bears out my own research that older people want to work longer but not just by doing more of the same. It also highlights some of the complexities in terms of factors affecting objective and subjective work and career motivation in later life.

In light of the current focus in the UK around the abolition of the default retirement age, this interesting insight into what later life working actually looks like – or is going to look like –  is invaluable. To the best of my knowledge we don’t have similar information available for the UK; it would be good to hear about it if anyone knows differently.

To read the full article go to: http://blogs.smartmoney.com/encore/2011/08/15/are-older-workers-job-hopping-more/

Educating older workers

News today from the universities admission service, UCAS, that there has been a 12% drop in applicants from the UK for university places in September 2012 compared to this time last year.

The decrease was predictable, varies according to course and university, and arguably can be commended at a theoretical level for starting to reverse the previous government’s economically unsound policy of university education for all. Regardless of the recession, this strategy was inevitably going to result in a generation of university-educated young people with unrealistic and unrealised expectations in respect of the post-graduation jobs market.

However, a figure which seems to be somewhat buried in the news story above is that mature students appear, understandably, to be particularly deterred by the new higher fees for 2012. The number of applicants aged 40 or older has fallen by 27.8%, and among those aged between 30 and 39 the number has dropped by 22.7%.

The implication of this in a climate when it is no longer realistic to expect one career and one set of skills to be adequate throughout life, particularly when working life may extend to well past 70, is potentially disturbing and should not be allowed to be overlooked.

Whilst the education and employment of the younger generation is, of course, a source of concern and a priority it is easy to overlook the changing career needs of those who are already in work. Many of these, from either choice or circumstance need to increase their qualifications or re-train as they move through working life; how this will be funded and the impact of withdrawing this option is equally as important as the situation of school leavers.

 

Finding work over 40

Despite age discrimination legislation, attitudinal change is slow. This means that for many older people finding a job suddenly turns from merely being a challenge to a potentially critical and soul-detroying outright problem. Unfortunately there is neither an easy solution, nor one that will work for all, but that doesn’t mean that nothing can be done.

A new book, Finding Work Over 40 builds from the starting point that one size doesn’t fit all in this arena, and is directed specifically at managers and professionals aged 40 to 65. This is a group that the authors call “the forgotten workforce” – one that is assumed to be okay but, in reality, may be much in need of advice and assistance in this arena.

Alongside this, the book acknowledges that this is a time at which many people start to examine their career and life goals and contemplate making changes for the remainder of their working life. So, not only is this a guide to finding work as a result of externally driven events such as redundancy, but also a practical guide to voluntary later life career change including making the transition to self-employment or a portfolio career.

How new will people  find the material in this guide will depend on how much research they have already done in this field.  After all, even for those for whom this is an entirely unexplored arena, it’s not rocket science. The authors’ basic recommendation for finding work is “Know yourself, sell yourself and network like crazy” and based on their own experiences in working with the over 45s in job clubs for white collar workers, that’s a mantra that’s probably as good as any for helping people focus effort and maintain momentum.

Overall, this is a timely and commendable book. For those seeking work or a career change it is a rich source of both practical advice (how to apply for a job, interview techniques), and inspiration (motivate yourself, self-assessment).

http://www.inmyprime.info/directory/Books/Employmentbooks.html