Addressing mental health hurdles raised by ageism

Around the world, especially in more developed countries, worker retirement is being pushed further back, either through government policy or demographic realities. As average lifespans lengthen, many people are working longer. Physical and mental health are both central facets of continued employability of these older workers, and in honor of World Mental Health Day 2023, I’ll focus on the mental well-being aspects of this trend.

The Growing Trend of Delayed Retirement

Many baby boomers are laboring in offices and shop floors much longer than previous generations did. By some estimates, by 2025 about a third of the working age population will be 50 years old or older, with colleagues who are 60 years old or older becoming more and more common. This changing demographic highlights the need to address sustainable employability, both to safeguard the well-being of these workers and to benefit from their continued value. According to studies, age-diverse teams are more productive than teams composed solely of one generation.

The Value of Older Employees

It would be hard to underestimate the value of older employees. They carry the experience and skills accumulated over decades of work and are priceless mentors for younger generations at all levels of a company. In addition, they are often the repositories of unwritten institutional memory, helping companies to avoid mistakes of the past, to build on their successes, and to celebrate their legacies.

To retain these workers and capture this value, companies must also understand the specific needs they face in maintaining mental well-being at the workplace.

Studies have shown that age does not seem to be a good indicator of stressors in the workplace. Rather, each age group has its own collections of factors that cause stress. For younger workers, this includes job dissatisfaction; for middle-aged workers, it often means emotional exhaustion; and for older workers, a lack of social connection. By and large, these can all be mitigated by designing challenging – but not overly demanding – workplaces.

This is not to say older workers do not have a unique set of mental health considerations. The onset of physical limitations for some could create stressful environments, as can gaps in their technological know-how. But as with any age group, such challenges can be met with modest accommodations and training. And, on the other side of the coin, older workers have been shown to be more resilient to work-family conflicts than their younger colleagues and better at creating a satisfactory work-life balance.

A more critical detriment to the mental well-being of older workers is ageism, conscious or subconscious biases against them because of their years.

 The Detrimental Effects of Ageism

Indeed, age is one of the first things we notice about other people, and we are often quick to categorize them on this basis – putting them into stereotypes, calling up prejudices, and even fostering discrimination: the very definition of ageism.

Such reactions can trigger mental health conditions, such as depressive episodes. (While I focus here in older workers, ageism can also harm younger workers in a similar fashion, who can be mindlessly brushed aside because of their age.)

How do you look after the mental well-being of workers? Among other measures, companies can:

• Ensure that environmental and physical factors are not detrimental, and roles have the appropriate work rhythms, relationships, and characteristics.
• Provide individual support and learning, as needed
• Emphasize security, continual learning opportunities, and career management strategies.

If you look closely at this prescription, it’s not really different than what workers in other age groups are routinely offered. What’s the difference in perception? Ageism.

Combatting Ageism: Siemens' Diversity Philosophy

At Siemens we combat ageism as part of our overall diversity philosophy, which includes age diversity.

Our workforce spans five generations across 190 countries. Acknowledging and celebrating the unique perspectives, skills, and experiences of each of these generations allows us to boost collaboration, innovation, and productivity.

The benefits of age diversity resonate deeply among our customers, stakeholders, and communities we serve.

Each of our 311,000 colleagues have made a clear decision to be part of our team at whatever their life stage is at the moment. This gives us the responsibility to accommodate their work-life preferences through measures such as flexible working arrangements, individual well-being efforts, and lifelong learning. We want to ensure that every phase of professional life is enriched with opportunities for development and growth, including the last decade.

Prevention and Support for Mental Health and Well-being

At the core of our mental health and well-being management program is prevention that embraces diversity. We design working conditions, tasks, and how they are completed based on assessments that not only cover the full scope of work, but also consider individual needs, perspectives, and work realities. Through our Employee Assistance Programs, which covers almost all of our employees, we provide early, low-threshold support to people facing a personal challenge, regardless of their age.

As EHS professionals, we can contribute individually to creating a healthy working environment for older employees.

1. A clear first step is simply putting it on the agenda: take time to assess the situation internally and to stay up to date on the latest external thinking.
2. It is also important to reflect on personal unconscious biases, and work to counter those.
3. And most of all, engage in discussions about ageism and the benefits brought by older workers,

To end with a bit of a stereotype, healthy, organic societies treasure the wisdom and knowledge of their elders. Companies should, too.