When ageism rears its ugly head, who you gonna call?
To be sure, there are many myths associated with older workers. And do you know why they’re called “myths”? According to dictionary.com, a myth is “an unproved or false collective belief that is used to justify a social institution.” In case you haven’t figured it out, the keywords here are “unproved” and “false.”
One of these myths concerns the perception that older workers will not remain in a job more than a few years at most. And since hiring managers don’t want to repeat the process, they mistakenly look past the older applicant. Fortunately there is an abundance of data to dispel that myth.
According to the National Association of Working Women, mature men and women have an 88 percent lower turnover rate than younger workers. And, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), older workers remain with employers twice as long as workers between the ages of 25 and 35.
Why is this important?
As we alluded earlier, one of the goals of most hiring managers is to minimize the risk of the new hire. They don't want to have to endure the hiring process for any given position again any time soon. They want to hire a candidate who will stay with the organization.
Of course, this desire for employee loyalty plays right into the hands of the older worker.
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