“I’m willing to work but aren’t I too old to get a job?”
Susan Ryan’s “Willing to Work”: National Inquiry into Employment Discrimination Against Older Australians and Australians with Disability” was launched April 16.
The idea is admirable but employment discrimination against older workers is a huge problem. Employers have biases (both conscious and unconscious) that an older worker will not be technically savvy, will be uncomfortable with change, won’t fit in with the team of younger staff, or might leave after a couple of years.
This problem needs to be addressed from both sides of the table: from the employer’s and from the willing hopeful employee. We can help you with training programs to assist employers to become more aware of their biases. Individual coaching can help the applicant pre-empt and address these concerns so that both parties are reassured that this person is the best fit for the job and the organisation.
