Some Tips for Older Workers to Weather Hard Times

by Chris Farrell at startribune.com

The association of old age with decline has a long history. To work or do anything demanding during the traditional retirement years is often considered cute at best and depressing at worst. Economist John Kenneth Galbraith called these reactions the “Still Syndrome.”

    “The Still Syndrome is the design by which the young or the less old daily assail the old. ‘Are you still well?’ ‘Are you still working?’ ‘I see that you are still taking exercise.’” 
 

A Baby Boomer called me with a question that many of you might be tossing around. Sandy asked, “I really dislike my current boss, and I want to leave this job, but should I just be grateful I have a job and not try for a new one? The pandemic has caused so much bad news about company closings, reduced hiring, and my brother just lost his job. It has got me down, so should I stop complaining, suck it up, and hang on for another year or two until times are better?”

    Sandy’s fear is understandable. She thinks that few employers are hiring, which is not valid.
 

Not long ago, the world of work was reserved for people ages 16-64 who longingly looked to retirement at age 65. Like nearly every component of the future of work, things have changed.

    Many Americans are working well past the traditional retirement age of 65, into their 70s and 80s. Over the coming decade, workers 55 years and older will be the fastest-growing segment of the workforce, gifting our communities with the opportunity to learn and grow from their years of professional experience.
 

For most workers, being laid off or furloughed is a scary thought, and unfortunately this scary thought became a reality for many professionals who had their jobs impacted by COVID-19.

    However, for some, losing their job is the push they need to make a career change.
 

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Since the Covid exploded on the scene last spring, the job market has experienced more than just a few tremors of its own.

    Almost overnight we went from job seekers being in the driver’s seat to an abundance of candidates for all sorts of jobs. This increased competition for fewer job opportunities has driven many employers to look at senior people for junior positions.

    This opens a real Pandora’s Box for older job seekers by presenting questions you never thought you would have to answer. Here are a few of them.

    One. The most obvious hurdle for a senior job seeker considering a junior position is financial. Most likely the employer will want a senior person but will be hoping to only have to pay junior wages. It’s a tough question for the older job seeker. How much of a pay cut would you be willing to take? And, how flexible might that employer be in paying you what you’re worth?

    Two. For some this won’t be an issue, while for others… Will you be willing to work for a younger boss? It may not be as simple and as easy as one might expect.

    Three. If you enter the company at a junior position, how likely is it that you can rise to a senior position that more closely approximates your experience and expertise? And, if so, how quickly could that happen? You really don’t want to be mired in the basement for 20 years.

    Four. This may not apply to all senior-junior switches, but for some positions it is relevant. Is the work which had been designated for a junior person be more physically demanding or even too intellectually strenuous for an older, more senior person? Can you run as far and as fast as you did 20 years ago?

    For many older, senior job seekers, none of these may be issues. Some may never have crossed your mind. But, for some, any one of them could be a deal breaker and you should be able to make that assessment before it’s too late.