It's time for a rebrand of the over 50's
Embracing his inner Lord Kitchener, Jeremy Hunt’s recent call to the over 50s that ‘Britain Needs You’ by returning to work, is a largely positive message, albeit sadly undermined by his assumption that they are all on the golf course.
Hard to believe I know, but I am a fifty-something media planner, loving the challenge and opportunity our clients present us with daily. I don’t play golf, but I do believe that we, collectively, need to visit our bias and prejudice. The challenge is for attitude change in an industry often too keen to offload older workers.
Over 50s have hugely valuable life and professional experience to share. My colleague and collaborator, Emma Fahy, firmly in Gen Z territory, agrees. She shares my passion for pale ale, fantasy football and going to the gym (less so music tastes), while maintaining that working in a diverse office is an important factor for her, particularly one where she can benefit from learning from us ‘oldies’, and our vast experience.
A recent CMI study shows that 58% of employers admit to being less likely to recruit people over 50. This kind of shocking statistic inevitably leads to a lack of confidence among this demographic, and a disassociation from the increasingly complex job application process.
There are also the economic benefits of employing more over 50s. This age group is rapidly becoming the biggest spender in every category, yet featured in 15% of media images. In fact, 72% of the 50+ community consider the media’s perception of their lifestyle to be outdated. In the fashion industry over 50s accounted for 45% of spend last year and have spent 23.6% more in the year to date than last year.
What this means for those working within the media industry, is that it’s important to get ads right for older audiences. ITV’s recent Wise Up seminar highlighted this. The best way to do this is to have people in this age group involved in the communication process, rather than those who may not understand that generation, other than clichés. Worth noting of course that there is a massive difference between a 50 and an 80-year-old – you wouldn’t group 17-year-olds with 40-year-olds.
The US charity Age Majority calls the over 50s, ‘Active Agers’, an important group of older consumers who are mentally, socially and digitally agile. Is this really a group to be ignored?
The current retirement age in the UK is 66 with a mooted rise to 68 within a few years. There are a lot of people who would love to play golf every day (I have a few friends who do), but the vast majority cannot afford to. We are all living longer, the pension age is getting older and it makes economic sense for the Government to want people to continue working. We don’t need to be cajoled into returning to work, the desperate state of the economy is driving us to do so.
Boredom is another factor which dissuades many over 50s from continuing in roles they find uninspiring and demotivating. 92% of workers in their mid-50s and over are prepared to take a salary cut to learn a new skill, challenging the myths that older workers are expensive to hire and “stuck in their ways”.
The over 50s need a re-brand. How about Generation YStopNow? If employers can look beyond age and see the abundance of untapped potential among our generation, the workplace will become more diverse, more interesting, more collaborative and more economically viable.
To attract the over 50s, employers should offer flexible working, training and learning opportunities, and responsibility. An alarming number of women leave the workplace due to the menopause. If we introduce good menopause policies, we might encourage women to stay. In doing this, employers will gain economically; they strengthen their workforce by retaining and attracting people with great insight and experience, as well as a perspective into a demographic highly valued by advertisers.
As a result of being made redundant during Covid-19 I gained a revealing insight into the sometimes insidious, frequently blatant examples of ageism. I was fortunate to land a new role at The Village, where I’m thoroughly enjoying being part of a genuinely diverse team.
At The Village, we are committed to busting the outdated age stereotypes. Our age-range spans Gen Z to Gen YStopNow which creates a refreshingly inclusive and stimulating working environment, where we learn from each other’s valuable skills.
We also share a common desire to see urgent and demonstrable action from Government and employers to achieve a level playing field of opportunity for golf lovers, pale ale fans and fitness enthusiasts alike – whichever end of the age spectrum they happen to be.
Chris Catton is Head of Broadcast here at The Village.