The Golden Age of Accessibility: How to make space for older workers on the job
Introduction
In a rapidly evolving post-pandemic world, what it means to work has permanently shifted.
We’re living in the midst of a fourth industrial revolution — one of technological growth — and the COVID-19 pandemic has sent the workforce into a crisis. There are unprecedented job vacancies and displacements, both in skilled and unskilled labor.
Filling these vacancies could raise Canada’s GDP by over $100 billion.13
The key to mitigating our employment problem may lie in the hands of older workers. Our policies and norms communicate that the workplace is not for older workers — but rising flexibility means now is the time to change the narrative and help address our job vacancy crisis.
References
- Ackerman, P. L., Beier, M. E., & Bowen, K. R. (2000). Explorations of crystallized intelligence. Learning and Individual Differences, 12(1), 105–121. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1041-6080(00)00034-0
- Akinola, S. (2021, May 20). How can we best engage older workers in reskilling efforts? World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/05/how-can-we-engage-older-workers-in-reskilling-efforts-jobs-reset-summit-ageing-workforce-longevity-upskilling/
- Burtless, G. (2013, June 10). Is an Aging Workforce Less Productive? Brookings; Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2013/06/10/is-an-aging-workforce-less-productive/
- Cherry, K. (2021, August 23). Fluid vs. Crystallized Intelligence? Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/fluid-intelligence-vs-crystallized-intelligence-2795004
- Cole, E., & Hollis-Sawyer, L. (2021). Older Women Who Work: Resilience, Choice, and Change. In JSTOR. American Psychological Association. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/j.ctv1chs38v.18.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3Acddbd39d4c144bdbdb49946a0a329954&ab_segments=&origin=&acceptTC=1
- Czaja, S. J., & Lee, C. C. (2006). The impact of aging on access to technology. Universal Access in the Information Society, 5(4), 341–349. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-006-0060-x
- Data and Statistics - Productive Aging and Work. (2014). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/aging/data-research/
- Hamburg, I. (2021). COVID-19 as a Catalyst for Digital Lifelong Learning and Reskilling. Advances in Research, 21–27. https://doi.org/10.9734/air/2021/v22i130282
- Hanley, C. J., Burns, N., Thomas, H. R., Marstaller, L., & Burianová, H. (2022). The effects of age-bias on neural correlates of successful and unsuccessful response inhibition. Behavioural Brain Research, 428, 113877. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2022.113877
- Hanson, V. L., & Crayne, S. (2005). Personalization of Web browsing: adaptations to meet the needs of older adults. Universal Access in the Information Society, 4(1), 46–58. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-005-0110-9
- Ihle, A., Borella, E., Rahnfeld, M., Müller, S., Enge, S., Hacker, W., Wegge, J., Oris, M., & Kliegel, M. (2015). The role of cognitive resources for subjective work ability and health in nursing. European Journal of Ageing, 12(2), 131–140. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-014-0331-y
- Kaufman, A. S., Kaufman, J. C., Liu, X., & Johnson, C. K. (2009). How do Educational Attainment and Gender Relate to Fluid Intelligence, Crystallized Intelligence, and Academic Skills at Ages 22-90 Years? Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 24(2), 153–163. https://doi.org/10.1093/arclin/acp015
- Langton, J. (2022, June 15). Children may be the future, but older workers are needed now | Investment Executive. Investment Executive. https://www.investmentexecutive.com/news/research-and-markets/children-may-be-the-future-but-older-workers-are-needed-now/
- Population of Older Adults Increasing Globally Partly Because of Declining Fertility Rates. (2021). PRB. https://www.prb.org/news/population-of-older-adults-increasing-globally/
- Price, J., & Murray, R. G. (2012). The region of proximal learning heuristic and adult age differences in self-regulated learning. Psychology and Aging, 27(4), 1120–1129. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0029860
- Rangraz, M., & Pareto, L. (2020). Workplace work-integrated learning: supporting industry 4.0 transformation for small manufacturing plants by reskilling staff. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/02601370.2020.1867249
- Reskilling older workers for new careers in tech. (2022, June 10). McKinsey & Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/about-us/new-at-mckinsey-blog/reskilling-older-workers-for-new-careers-in-tech
- Thorsen, Gustafsson, J.-E., & Cliffordson, C. (2014). The influence of fluid and crystallized intelligence on the development of knowledge and skills. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 84(4), 556–570. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12041
- Wiener, R. L. & Willborn, S. L. (2011). Disability and Aging Discrimination Perspectives in Law and Psychology / edited by Richard L. Wiener, Steven L. Willborn. (Wiener & S. L. Willborn, Eds.; 1st ed. 2011.). Springer New York. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6293-5
- Willis, S. L., & Margrett, J. A. (2001). Aging and Education. International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, 299–304. https://doi.org/10.1016/b0-08-043076-7/02460-8
- Zaval, L., Li, Y., Johnson, E. J., & Weber, E. U. (2015). Complementary Contributions of Fluid and Crystallized Intelligence to Decision Making Across the Life Span. Aging and Decision Making, 149–168. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-417148-0.00008-x
About the Authors
Janessa Pong
Janessa is a rising junior at the University of California, Los Angeles pursuing a BS in Cognitive Science with a Specialization in Computing, and minoring in Bioinformatics. She believes that psychology holds the power to ameliorate many of the world’s biggest problems, with climate change being one that she holds closest to her heart. It ultimately serves as a roadmap to why humans do what they do. Understanding this roadmap — our predispositions, biases, and instincts — are crucial to guiding people to make better choices for themselves, others, and our planet.
Dan Pilat
Dan is a Co-Founder and Managing Director at The Decision Lab. He is a bestselling author of Intention - a book he wrote with Wiley on the mindful application of behavioral science in organizations. Dan has a background in organizational decision making, with a BComm in Decision & Information Systems from McGill University. He has worked on enterprise-level behavioral architecture at TD Securities and BMO Capital Markets, where he advised management on the implementation of systems processing billions of dollars per week. Driven by an appetite for the latest in technology, Dan created a course on business intelligence and lectured at McGill University, and has applied behavioral science to topics such as augmented and virtual reality.
About us
We are the leading applied research & innovation consultancy
Our insights are leveraged by the most ambitious organizations
“
I was blown away with their application and translation of behavioral science into practice. They took a very complex ecosystem and created a series of interventions using an innovative mix of the latest research and creative client co-creation. I was so impressed at the final product they created, which was hugely comprehensive despite the large scope of the client being of the world's most far-reaching and best known consumer brands. I'm excited to see what we can create together in the future.
Heather McKee
BEHAVIORAL SCIENTIST
GLOBAL COFFEEHOUSE CHAIN PROJECT
OUR CLIENT SUCCESS
$0M
Annual Revenue Increase
By launching a behavioral science practice at the core of the organization, we helped one of the largest insurers in North America realize $30M increase in annual revenue.
0%
Increase in Monthly Users
By redesigning North America's first national digital platform for mental health, we achieved a 52% lift in monthly users and an 83% improvement on clinical assessment.
0%
Reduction In Design Time
By designing a new process and getting buy-in from the C-Suite team, we helped one of the largest smartphone manufacturers in the world reduce software design time by 75%.
0%
Reduction in Client Drop-Off
By implementing targeted nudges based on proactive interventions, we reduced drop-off rates for 450,000 clients belonging to USA's oldest debt consolidation organizations by 46%
