Seasoned for success: The benefits of hiring older employees
For the last decade, hiring trends for jobs requiring college graduates have largely favored younger people, typically in their first or second decade in the workforce. This is especially true for industries like mine – civil engineering – where the use of digital technologies for remote sensing and computer modeling are now the norm.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the employment rate for 25- to 34-year-olds with a bachelor’s degree or higher was 87% in 2019, compared to 74% for 55- to 64-year-olds, with college degrees. Data USA reports the average age of all engineers in the U.S. as 43 years old and getting slightly younger every year. And the average age of all employees in professional and business services in 2019 was 42.8.
Many employers shy away from hiring skilled workers 55 years and older. But these “seasoned” employees offer tremendous experience, wisdom, situational awareness, reliability and problem-solving abilities.
Throughout my 35-year career, I have encountered colleagues who don’t want to sail away into the sunset when they retire. They would like to do some consulting to make some money and keep their brains active. I’ve been hiring senior-level professionals, mostly from the public sector, since I started my business in 2005. They have proven to be an essential ingredient in our success.
Paired with younger team members, they serve as respected mentors who bring real-world, practical know-how to projects. They often have essential core skills not yet fully developed in less experienced employees, such as communicating clearly and concisely, navigating the complex regulatory environment, and working collaboratively on multidisciplinary teams. They understand and are sensitive to community concerns because they’ve lived them. They have leadership skills that can keep projects moving to completion and decades of experience giving presentations.
As civil engineers serving the public sector, we are in the business of providing our clients with varying solutions to their water-related problems. These veterans usually have specific place-based knowledge or institutional knowledge of legacy problems and potential causes in a specific area. This firsthand familiarity is extremely valuable when you’re trying to solve a problem with limited time and resources. And let’s face it: Anyone in the consulting field, not only civil engineering, is in the business of solving some type of a problem.
Civil engineering is currently experiencing a shortage of qualified job candidates, and the market for civil engineers is expected to grow by 10.6% between 2016 and 2026, according to Career Explorer. As infrastructure nationwide continues to age, more civil engineers will be needed to manage projects to build or rebuild bridges, water and wastewater treatment plants, stormwater systems, airports and structures of all kinds. Strategically employing seasoned older professionals can help to bridge the gap between supply and demand.
In my case, strategic use means that I bring them on as part-timers, allowing them flexible hours, often on an as-needed basis, with the ability to work remotely. They typically don’t need benefits like health insurance but are compensated at a level reflective of their extensive experience, making this arrangement a win-win.
I am also fully cognizant of their potential “production capability” limitations. Rather than having them write a report, I’m more likely to have a younger professional write the report draft and then have a senior staffer review it. They provide quality control, advice and professional evaluations. They help to shape project designs at the start and solve specific problems along the way.
Our pool of seasoned veterans has been a valuable and cost-efficient brain trust. They are recognized and respected experts in their field, with vast networks of contacts and long lists of accomplishments.
The seasoned veterans may not be as technologically savvy as the younger staffers. Younger employees may complain about their older colleagues still using the telephone and paper and pen, and the older employees may complain that the youngsters rely too much on technology and tend to “hide behind email.” But in my experience, the relationship has been overwhelmingly positive – one of mentorship and mutual respect.
We live in a culture where older people are not as respected as they should be. I feel like grandparents and older generations have a lot more to offer than we give them credit for.
Don’t discount the assets of older employees. Make note of the people in your network who you like to work with, and when they are approaching retirement, talk to them before I do.
- Elie Araj