WORKER 1.0 STILL VITAL IN TECH AGE
DIGITAL technology is creating uncertainty for many businesses but it is older workers, not millennial staff, that organisations are urged to look to for help.
Recruiters Hays reports young “digital natives” often are assumed to be the best response to the rapid pace of change.
However, the recruiter recommends employees with 20-plus years in the workforce be considered too as a unique approach to tackling digital disruption and maintaining competitiveness.
Hays Australia and New Zealand managing director Nick Deligiannis says a workforce with older experienced employees is often more prepared to face change, whether it is caused by technology or not.
“Yes, digital natives can grasp and make sense of the changes around them, but older professionals have the experience that allows decisions to be made and then deliver on agreed outcomes,” he says.
“When an organisation creates a diverse workforce – of younger digital natives as well as experienced professionals in their 40s, 50s and 60s from various industries – they have a team that will bring knowledge from various backgrounds to the challenges faced.
“Older professionals can also upskill to become digitally savvy and capable of responding to, or creating, disruption.”
Deligiannis says workers who can innovate and embrace agile working methods should be employed.
He says workers who can look for new opportunities, take calculated risks and can translate data into usable and valuable insights should be considered.
Tony Gordon, 59, was hired by Open Systems Technology in February because of his experience.
“I had the right mix of experience for them,” he says.
“(My role is) a mix of different things that I have done before, just putting them all together.”