The Golden Age of Accessibility: How to make space for older workers on the job

Our population is graying. As many countries enter the final stage of demographic transition, a predicted 21% of our population to be over 60 years of age by 2050.¹⁴ If the demographic composition of our current workforce is maintained, the ratio of retirees to workers will be drastically increased.

A greying workforce and a worker shortage hold one common solution: to expand the age demographics of our workforce to include older adults (i.e. those over 60-65). Encouraging older adults to remain in the workforce will become necessary for a thriving economy, but our industries aren’t yet conducive to an older workforce. 

Accommodating older workers will require structural and cultural shifts, including:

• Improving working conditions
• Normalizing lifelong learning
• Creating age-inclusive workplaces

The key to older worker inclusion is an understanding of the behavioral science behind how younger and older people think differently.

Older workers face situational disadvantages based on circumstance

Older workers are inherently disadvantaged in two ways: educationally and technologically.

Over the past century, post-secondary education has become more accessible and expected — so those born in the 60s’ are likely to have lower education levels than those born in the 90s’.²⁰ This gap varies by country and disproportionately affects women and people of color.

And due to the lack of vocational training and reskilling at work, our increasing reliance on technology is leaving older people behind. Many essential softwares are hard to navigate and lack options for customized accessibility, which creates a barrier for older workers.

Ageism, though prevalent, lacks mitigation

Ageism (age-based prejudice and discrimination) is just as institutionalized as racism and sexism, but rarely at the forefront of public discourse. Whether it’s joking about being too old or the rise of plastic surgery, society tends to antagonize aging and assign older adults stereotypes of cognitive decline. 

Implicit negative attitudes towards older people in the workplace are psychologically ingrained: 

• We subconsciously associate being old with negative traits.¹⁹
• 61% of people have witnessed or experienced age-based discrimination in the workplace. (and only 3% report it)⁵
• Working people perceive people 45 years and older to be the least employable, most unskilled, and most untrainable age range.¹⁷

This ageism can manifest in several ways:

• Stereotyping of older workers as incompetent
• Lower wages
• Lack of reskilling and networking opportunities
• General preference for youth, often based on appearance
• Disproportionate effects on women (especially in male-dominated industries) and people of color⁵

This understandably makes older workers feel unwelcome in the workplace, deterring their participation as workers - even if they want to continue working.

In-group bias perpetuates ageist attitudes

We subconsciously favor younger workers over older workers due to in-group bias. We’re wired to perceive people in the same demographics as us as more socially favorable, including our age brackets.⁹

The distinction between fluid and crystallized intelligence 

Psychologists acknowledge two types of intelligence: 

1. Fluid intelligence, defined by:
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2. Crystallized intelligence, defined by:
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Fluid intelligence peaks in early/middle adulthood and declines after a person’s mid-sixties, whereas crystallized intelligence doesn’t peak until middle age and doesn’t decline until the mid-seventies.²¹

The majority of education is designed for children and young adults. But older adults are not a blank slate — they already possess a wealth of knowledge and have existing attitudes. 

Because their crystallized intelligence tends to be stronger than their fluid intelligence, they will thrive most with ‘crystallized intelligence’ tasks, including verbal and reading comprehension,1 and are generally less strong with fluid intelligence-related skills like math.¹⁸ However, overgeneralizing these trends can also be counterintuitive — it’s important to consider individual differences!

1. Design reskilling workshops & encourage lifelong learning attitudes

Older workers can thrive in the workforce with the help of reskilling workshops. Making opportunities abundant and accessible asserts that lifelong learning is valued.

A good example is Singapore’s #GetReadySG initiative, launched with Microsoft. #GetReadySG organized boot camps and training programs for mid-career workers, providing them with the necessary skills for entry-level jobs in the tech sector.

Look to existing programs for best practices, but when developing your training programs, be sure that older adults have input every step of the way. This ensures the program can be customized to meet each person’s individual needs,¹⁶ like accessibility, formatting, and activity preferences.

Program design should:

• Allow customizability: Ensure that users can customize the program and its delivery platform 
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• Focus on real-world, pragmatic applications of theory: Older adults are rich in experience, so relate it to real-world operations.
• Give users the option to reduce task size
• Incorporate team projects and group discussions¹⁶
• Provide networking opportunities: These are crucial to professional development, but older adults are often not given access to as many of these opportunities as young professionals.
• Avoid paternalistic design/language: Giving older adults autonomy within the learning process drives up engagement. 

You can even try taking input from outside parties to create a more comprehensive reskilling process. Some suggestions include:

• Product manufacturers: Manufacturers know their product best, and their business depends on successful product experiences. Ask them about accessibility options.
• Universities: Schools can provide existing educational components like curricula, class structures, and learning materials - as well as give advice on designing the learning process.
• User input: Program participants have the most valuable input. Be sure to put their needs first and give them a voice throughout the whole process.

2. Combatting ageism within the workplace

Older workers must feel welcome to ask questions, learn, and engage with others. Here are some ways to reduce the prevalence of workplace ageism:

• Humanize the jobs of older workers: Recognize the contributions of older workers and ensure they feel supported and valued. Whether it’s a pat on the back or inviting them over for dinner, building community humanizes all workers and reduces ageism.
• Advocate for older workers within the workplace: Older, experienced workers may stand up for young workers who are stereotyped to lack experience - young workers must be vigilant to return the favor when they see hints of ageism. 
• Encourage personal advocacy: Encourage older adults to advocate for themselves in situations of age-based discrimination, and support them when they do so. This helps build a culture where everyone can set boundaries and be assertive when needed.⁵
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• Look to other discrimination mitigation techniques: How else do you combat discrimination, like sexism and racism,in the workplace? Apply it to age-based discrimination.
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The fight against ageism is a self-perpetuating cycle: Inclusive workplace practices can help older adults find employment, which further integrates older adults into the workforce and demonstrates the false nature of ageist prejudice. 

3. Turning technological growth from a hindrance into an effective tool

Technological growth offers employees an unprecedented amount of accessibility, dismantling physical obstacles like distance and physical strength.²⁰

We can maximize these advantages through customization, giving older adults the power to choose what works best for them. For example, someone with severe short-sightedness will opt for a different user interface than someone with hearing problems.

Modern software interfaces are capable of detailed customization, which in turn helps them optimize their job performance, but not all are suited for older adults. When selecting tools for your workspace, try to pick software that:

• Has a clutterless user interface
• Clearly presents where and how to set accessibility preferences, such as font size and text-to-speech^{10, 20}
• Provides intuitive navigational support (eg. include search bars and help guides)⁶
• Simplifies operational procedures⁶
• Removes time constraints⁶
• Ensures consistency between other software⁶

Ameliorating the disadvantages faced by older workers is a win-win. Not only are we facing a shortage of workers, but older people within the workplace are also able to pass down experience within fields that younger colleagues may lack.

Unlocking the full potential of our workforce, especially in the coming decades, not only means designing tools and workspaces to include older workers, but to design it for them.