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Working and ageing
134 Guidance and counselling for mature learners

public. Financial reasons reflect the current and future value of pensions and
other benefits, and range from concern to avoid poverty, to enjoying a little
additional income. It is widely believed that the main reason why people stay
longer in work is financial necessity, and there are undoubtedly people who
do stay in unattractive jobs for this reason. There are also some who retire,
and then return to work when they find that their pensions are less adequate
than they had expected. However, finance is only one of several reasons
which people give for staying in work (McNair et al., 2004), and not always
the first, or the only, reason cited. Even allowing for a distinctively British
reluctance to discuss money, and admitting to poverty (Fox, 2004), it is clear
that finance is not the only, or even the principal, driver. Its importance also
changes with age. Smeaton found that while half of workers aged 50-64
mentioned finance as a reason to stay, this fell to one in seven among those
working after 70 (Smeaton and Vegeris, 2009), while intrinsic and social
reasons became increasingly important. Employers and careers workers
should understand these issues, alongside the more practical ones of working
time and flexibility, if people are to be helped to stay in work longer.
Older peopleʼs participation rates are also influenced by the attitude of
employers. Here the evidence is contradictory. Most employers deny
discriminating (Metcalf and Meadows, 2006), and qualitative evidence shows
many saying that they actively prefer to employ older people (McNair et al.,
2007). Further, the UK labour force survey shows that employers are more
likely to provide time off for training to older workers than young ones.
However, despite these positive indicators, age discrimination is the most
commonly reported form of discrimination at work in the UK (Age concern,
2004), although age cases are less likely than others to be taken formally to
employment tribunals, and when there, they are less likely to be successful
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(Ministry of Justice and Tribunals Service, 2010) ( ).
Examination of qualitative interview evidence shows two underlying factors
which may explain the apparent contradiction. First, the stories senior
employers tell about older workers are typically of successful ʻsurvivorsʼ,
exceptional long-serving people who are visible in the organisation, but may
be untypical of ageing workers generally. As a result, their attitudes to older
workers are generally positive. However, line managers (whose attitudes may
be critical to recruitment decisions, and may determine the quality of working
life for individuals) have to manage less productive colleagues in their 50s,

( ) However, this may reflect that age has only recently become a legitimate basis to claim unfair
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discrimination.