What I have learnt from older workers

I have been working full-time for some 16 years. A common comment I get from bosses through the years is that I speak beyond my age and show maturity and steadfastness in difficult situations.

Credit for this has to go to my older colleagues who have mentored and guided me, not just at work but in life.

Older workers bring much value to a workplace and I speak from personal experience. My more mature co-workers are diligent, conscientious and have no qualms about taking on tough and unglamorous work.

Many of them, while a little uncomfortable and unfamiliar with “young people things” such as technology and social media, do embrace them after being taught.

I have helped several older colleagues set up their Facebook and Instagram accounts, and taught them how to follow their favourite celebrities (or their children) or brands.

So it is not true that older workers are not keen to learn new things and may be averse to picking up new IT skills and knowledge.

An ex-colleague of mine in his early 60s is a lifelong learner who enthusiastically goes for courses and certifications at his own expense.

He could come up with the most impressive Powerpoint slides in the department despite picking up Powerpoint skills only in recent years.

Another ex-colleague who is in her mid-50s commanded respect with her professional competence in strategic planning and management.

Despite being in senior management, she often made efforts to chat with more junior colleagues.

In one such chat, she generously shared with me some decisions she would have made differently and advised me not to repeat her mistakes. In her younger days, she worked so hard that she neglected relationships and her health.

With some wistfulness in her eyes, she implored me to watch out for the “crystal balls” and “rubber balls” in our lives.

Some things in our lives such as health and the well-being of our loved ones are akin to crystal balls and must never be dropped.

Other things such as purchasing a new property or a new car are like rubber balls. Even if they are “dropped”, they can bounce back again. There is always another time and stage of life to consider them.

She also shared certain tips on marital bliss — including always respecting your husband and refraining from putting him down in public; no matter how innocent the remark might be.

I also learned from another mentor in his mid-50s how to conduct oneself with humility, dignity and integrity.

Despite being disrespected by his younger and less experienced bosses, he continued to take on tough projects at work and guided his subordinates well.

Despite being passed over multiple times for promotions, he remained positive and constantly reminded himself and his team to make a difference at work.

He continued to develop himself through courses and later moved to another role where he could put his expertise to better use.

When I deliberated over whether I should pursue part-time doctoral studies, on top of full-time work and nurturing my children, he was careful not to slight my dreams.

To help me make an informed decision, he listed my strengths and areas for improvement and how these could potentially trip me up.

He reminded me time and again to do constant self-reflections and to go back to my original intent of wanting to embark on this arduous journey whenever things get tough.

I have seen from his own life that the true value of life is the journey itself and obstacles, though painful, will make us stronger.

SHOWING RESPECT

I also love having conversations with the cleaners and workers at the food courts that I frequent.

Based on my observations, these uncles and aunties in their late 50s or early 60s are mostly diligent and conscientious workers. They are also generally courteous and pleasant.

While watching them mop the floors and clean the tables, I have noticed how they cover even the deep corners even though this means they have to squat and bend.

Some would even ask me to wait while they go off to rinse the cloth quickly to clean the table again.

I marvel at their strong sense of responsibility and how they seek to do their best in their tasks even though these can be tough physically.

After conversing with them often enough and sometimes treating them to a simple coffee or some green bean soup, a simple friendship is formed.

They would ask me how they can better support their children or grandchildren in their studies when they are not really literate themselves.

One asked if her son should take a particular course in university. Another brought a supplement that she had bought for her daughter to ask me if it was suitable to be consumed as her daughter was keeping late hours and studying hard for a national examination.

They personified the exemplary work ethic of the many older workers who do their best to support their loved ones.

Despite their tough lives, they would always remember to ask about me.

One gave me the most beautiful piece of advice for life — when we are happy, a day passes. When we are sad, a day will also pass us by. We might as well remain happy every single day of our lives.

The deep respect and admiration I have for older workers is part of the reason why I decided to embark on a doctorate degree in gerontology.

Having spoken with many older and more mature workers in the course of my pro-bono career coaching work and as part of my doctoral studies, I believe there is much we can learn from older workers.

Some of my friends think that a workplace with older workers lends itself to more friction and tension due to a difference in intergenerational values and mindsets.

But in my opinion, having different values and mindsets is not an age-specific issue. We can be of the same age, yet possess totally different values towards certain issues.

The bottomline is this: It does not take much to show a bit more respect for older workers and to include them in our conversations even if we are talking about topics which they might not be familiar with.

Open our hearts and minds, and give them opportunities to be seen for who they are.

Only when we remove our pre-conceived notions of older workers, take baby steps to embrace them, can we harness the full potential of a thriving inter-generational workforce.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Yvonne Kong-Ho is a Gerontology PhD student at the Singapore University of Social Sciences and a recipient of the Alice Lim scholarship. She works in a university, specialising in workforce development.