Breaking the Ice
Hello,
and thank you for your invitation to blog for the O.W.L. project.
I personally find this project very interesting. It's a fact that
Europe's population is getting older. How will this affect us?
I'm working in a company where over 30 % of workers are over 45 years
old. For me and also for the rest of us it's a pleasure that
management has shown appreciation of the value that an older worker
brings to the workplace. Age-awareness training is being given human
resource personnel, managers and other key staff. We have received
some improvements for us here at my workplace; flexible hours and
career leave, for example.
Another issue that I'm interested in is how attitudes toward ageing
and older people are changing. I would be happy to interact with other
people who represent the target group of this project and ask you, how
do you feel about being an older worker and what kind of contributions
are done at your workplace? Comments from the project personnel are
also very welcomed.
I would like to start changing the attitudes by saying that we are
"experienced workers" rather than older workers.
2 comments:
On diversity
So often we discuss the topic of diversity, and how beneficial it is to have a diverse workplace. However, too often our understanding of diversity does not incorporate age as on of the essential spices in the recipe for an innovative work environment!
I learned this lesson in a very unexpected way. I was walking the Camino de Santiago for the French-Spanish border to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain. Started walking the month long journey alone, lost in my thoughts and contemplations. Soon I fell into a group of other pilgrims, ages 17 to over 70! There were four older gentleman in our spontaneous group, and I can not imagine the experience without their presence! It was amazing to see them walk day after day, hardy as any of us younger people and often out a couple strides ahead. They elevated our conversations, our spirits with their wisdom and impressive endurance. During those weeks I realized that by not interacting with people significantly older than myself in my 'normal' life, I was really missing out on a different type of friendship and interaction that brings with it a host of advantages.
As we spend so much of our lives at work, we should make it a priority to take strive to create a diverse environment in which to flourish, an environment of many cultures, backgrounds and ages!
Hello to everyone,
This is interesting. You're right, the term "old" is not the best possible one. It hasn't got the respect it should have in our society. And by the way - are we old? Who is old? Are we talking about the age in years or something else?
May be it's strange but I don't feel older worker but younger than before even if I've got more years. My children are nearly grown-up, I have almost all the time outside the work just for myself. I have many hobbies that I could not have before, e.g. a lot of physical exercise that makes me feel great! I have also begun to study just for my own interest.
But of course I'm also worried. If I lose my job for some reason, who would employ me because I'm not very young any more?
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