Even (especially) in a highly remote and hybrid work environment, collaboration is indispensable. To achieve this, it’s time to get rid of misplaced notions about ageism.
Talent transcends age. Young employees can excel in reverse mentoring and conversely, their tenured counterparts can bring in invaluable expertise.
So, while the modern workplace should invest in young professionals adept at unlearning and relearning as needed, it shouldn’t be so quick to relegate those in their 60s.
Employees nearing retirement have a different perspective on work. This is the generation that knew life without the internet and have likely experienced the transition from manual filing to a cloud-based database. They’ve also had the opportunity to work remotely.
Simply put, they can provide a unique insight on how to be productive regardless of your work setup. Thus, here are four golden tips from senior workers that we can apply as we enter the hybrid work era:
Focus More on Living
Young employees have reversed their work view, and many retiring employees actually approve. Rather than living to work, the mentality of every professional is now oriented towards working to live.
Let’s face it, outdated ways in the workplace have left many of us feeling drained and unmotivated. If you need further proof, look up The Great Resignation, where burned out people are quitting in droves.
To prevent this, the company and its employees must meet halfway and realign their values. Apart from hiring people who believe in your brand and what it stands for, this also involves considering what they need to succeed at work – and giving them room and space to grow.
Yes, that includes recognising the need for rest and recuperation as well.
Judge Others Based on Performance Instead of Outward Appearances
Tenured employees have worked with thousands of people throughout their careers. Hence, they already know that judging people based on how they look, dress, or get around is a waste of time.
Such trappings are irrelevant compared to one’s performance.
In a more modern context, this can include Zoom backgrounds. For instance, many of your remote employees might have pets and kids roaming around. While this may be off putting, it shouldn’t be a big deal, especially if they can produce good results despite it.
As long as everyone gets their job done, who cares about the other stuff?
Acknowledge the Importance of Compensation
Many employees juggle full-time jobs with side hustles. Why? Because it is no longer possible to live comfortably on one paycheck for a lot of people.
In this case, it’s best to take a leaf out of our predecessor’s books and re-evaluate employee compensation. Apart from ensuring that they are proportionate to the level of talent and contribution, we need to check if it’s actually a livable wage as well.
To start, determine the commitment level of your remote workers, particularly which ones are working full-time and part-time. Don’t forget to check the quality of their output, too.
Once you’ve reviewed all these factors, consider if your remote workers are well-compensated (or not). If they aren’t and you can afford it, go ahead and give that raise. Otherwise, check out other forms of compensation to make up the difference for now.
Celebrate the Importance of Mentors
Regardless of age, there’s something we can learn from each other. That’s especially true in the workplace.
Many tenured and older employees have gained invaluable experience navigating times of change. On the other hand, younger employees can contribute their technical skills and proficiency with the latest technology.
Ageism shouldn’t have a place at work because the best collaborations are borne out of people from all ages.
Remote Staff has been assisting Aussie SME’s and entrepreneurs (both young and young at heart) with the help of our remote workers from the Philippines since 2007. And whether you’re looking for young professionals or tenured workers, we have all of them on our roster.
Call us today or schedule a call back and let’s get started.
Serena has been working remotely and writing content for the better part of the last decade. To date, she's written for Pepper.ph and Mabuhay Magazine, among others, and has churned out more than a thousand articles on everything from The Basics of Stock Market Investing to How to Make Milk Tea-Flavored Taho at home. Hermits, aspiring hermits, and non-hermits with interesting project propositions may email her at serena.estrella10@gmail.com.
