The Surprising Truth About Older Workers

A new study from North Carolina State University found that older programmers knew a wider variety of topics than younger colleagues did, answered questions better and were more adept at certain newer systems.

"We think that if you're familiar with older technology," says study coauthor Emerson Murphy-Hill, "you're better able to understand new technology."

Also, Cappelli says, older workers tend to be motivated by causes like community, mission and a chance to make the world a better place; younger workers are more driven by factors that directly benefit themselves, such as money and promotions.

But perhaps the greatest asset older workers bring is experience — their workplace wisdom. They've learned how to get along with people, solve problems without drama and call for help when necessary.

That's what Erin Barbarino, 54, is proving in her new job with Sphere Offshore Solutions, a Houston marine-services firm that helps move oil and gas drilling rigs. Barbarino was laid off from her energy-industry job in the summer of 2012 but was hired by Sphere that September. She brought with her a wealth of contacts with specialized knowledge — a key strength because she's involved in assembling crews quickly, and in her business a bad hire can mean an ecological disaster.

"I know people all over the globe I can call," Barbarino says. "They're all older workers, many in their 70s. These are the people who have the experience we need."

With Age Comes Ability

Experience also helps older workers compensate for the physical and mental changes that accompany aging. Younger workers enjoy a reputation as adept task-switchers who can better juggle the technological distractions of the modern office.

But according to neuroscientist Adam Gazzaley, M.D., at the University of California, San Francisco, "multitasking" is a misnomer. The brain can't actually do two things at once, he says. Instead, it switches from one task to the other, and with every switch there's a slight delay, or "cost." And the cost increases as we age.

Gazzaley's research, however, shows that this cognitive decline starts in the early 20s, and physical exercise can slow or even halt the decline. Given the wide variations between people, he says, a smart, active 75-year-old could score higher on cognitive tests than a 40-year-old slouch on the couch.

And an experienced worker can easily steer around this "sea of distractions" by closing the office door and turning off email. (Always-on younger colleagues could be less likely to embrace the idea of unplugging.)

That may explain why older workers might score low on cognitive tests in laboratories but show no drop-off in their job performance or rate of workplace accidents. "It comes with experience," says Wharton's Cappelli. "More experienced workers are more careful."

Bottom line: The human brain is adaptable, and we can learn skills throughout our lives if given the opportunity.

A case in point is Rosa Gibson, 66, of San Diego. She lost her job managing a retail clothing store when it closed in 2005. "Once I got over the shock," she says, "I decided to try something different."

Gibson started volunteering with Scripps Health, a nonprofit health care system in Southern California; there she used her bilingual skills in community outreach. Several years and many classes later, she's now earning a bachelor's degree in public health and working as a clinical trials assistant.

"I may be 80 by the time I get my degree at the rate I'm going, but that's OK," she says. "Everybody out there has something to teach you."

What about creativity and innovation, often cited as key strengths of younger employees? While it's true that young minds may produce a higher volume of ideas, business guru Frans Johansson argues in his book The Medici Effect that creativity comes more from making connections among diverse thoughts: The more knowledge you have, the more connections you can make.

For example, Kay Hall, 56, was able to creatively recycle her sales skills when she found a job at a law firm in Seattle. Now she looks for service opportunities for the firm's clients, using data-analysis techniques learned on her old job. "It was completely innovative for the legal field," she says.

Even in physically demanding fields, older employers have advantages, according to a study published in 2011. Researchers at the University of Mannheim, in Germany, studied teams of workers at a BMW plant. They found that productivity increased consistently as workers aged, right up to mandatory retirement, then at age 65. That's because veterans knew where to focus their efforts to deal with unexpected problems and prevent the most costly mistakes.

The Power of Patience

Mark Simoneau can identify with the BMW study's findings. "The patience you develop as you get older helps you deal with stressful situations," he says. "A crisis comes up and rather than getting emotional you're more likely to think, 'This too shall pass.' When you can be dispassionate about a problem, it's easier to see what's urgent and where to put your resources."

Simoneau's networking paid off in 2012, when a consultant told him about a social services agency that was looking for a human resources director. He gave the consultant his résumé and cover letter — and got an interview.

So, on a cloudy, late-fall day, Simoneau put on his best charcoal-blue suit, borrowed his stepdaughter's Hyundai and drove more than an hour from his home near Worcester, Massachusetts, to the Wakefield office of Emarc, a nonprofit that serves adults with developmental disabilities.

Simoneau was at peace about his age. "I can't make myself younger, and I wasn't going to try," he says. For 90 minutes — longer than he'd expected — he met with the company's executive director and the chief financial officer.

He thought he'd nailed the interview but knew that they were also talking to others and wondered about his chances. A day later, he got a callback. This time, he talked for over an hour with the executive director. A few days later he was formally offered the position.

The salary? Well, it wasn't what he'd been earning before. But that was no surprise.

"You have to understand the constraints of the organization, and I did," Simoneau says. He took the job. That night he celebrated modestly — by taking his wife out to dinner at Ruby Tuesday.

Simoneau has been back at work for nearly a year. At 65 he could be retired and collecting benefits. But what he's realized, he says, is that "I'm a worker." He enjoys solving problems, helping coworkers and passing on his knowledge to others. That, as it turns out, is a good thing, and not just for his new employer.

Letting people work longer, economists agree, boosts overall employment and gives the whole economy a little more gas: Last year a tow truck took away Simoneau's old Mercury. He had bought himself an almost new Ford Focus.

Nathaniel Reade is a freelance writer.

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