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Working and ageing
222 Guidance and counselling for mature learners

Career-end management systems must consider that ageing workers
usually see things differently from when they were young: they may have
poorer health, they have a shorter professional view and may need to
reorganise their priorities in and outside work. To set up a new vocational
project during this life period means to be able to take all these dimensions
into account.
The final recommendation focuses on attention to be paid to the period just
prior to embarking on a programme, when designing it. Companies have to
consider ageing workersʼ specific issues. For example, when asking ageing
workers to pass on their knowledge, it must be done in a way from which they
will benefit. If they do not see any advantage or if they fear being made
redundant, or if they feel it is going to be much work and they are already tired
of the job, they will not commit to the system.
In the call centre case, some ageing workers who were offered other jobs
thought that it not worth the effort, because the new job did not make sense
to them, and they did not have much time left in their professional lives.
Older workersʼ commitment may be a delicate matter, because of
substantial fears, lack of incentive, or difficulties to appreciate the benefits of
further investment in their careers. These issues have to be fully discussed
before committing to a system, which requires devoting some time to this step.
It could involve individual monitoring, but in some cases, it appears that a
more collective approach can also help. For instance, group information
sessions, run by a consultant, can reassure colleagues by providing an
interactive platform to express common fears and defuse them, which is very
effective in removing a key barrier to career development later in life.

References

Barbier, JM. (1992). La recherche de nouvelles formes de formation par et
dans les situations de travail [Search for new forms of training by and at
work]. Éducation permanente, No 112, p. 125-146.
Bugand, L. et al. (2009a). Les bonnes pratiques des entreprises en matière
de maintien et de retour en activité professionnelle des seniors [Good
corporate practices in maintaining and returning to professional activity
of older workers]. Lyon: ANACT (Rapport dʼétude [Study report]).
Bugand, L. et al. (2009b). Maintien et retour en activité professionnelle des
seniors, guide pour lʼaction [Maintaining and returning to professional
activity of older workers. Guide to action]. Lyon: ANACT.