Motivation and the older workforce: ‘What’s the point when we’re almost retired?’
I have recently celebrated my one year anniversary with Farscape! And after my appraisal I’m feeling great – proud of what I have achieved this year and extremely positive about how I will progress.
My attitude could not be more different to both my parents’ who have had their yearly appraisals around the same time as me.
Their response: ‘What’s the point when we’re almost retired?’
With this attitude the appraisal just becomes a box ticking exercise – and of no worth to employee or manager. It’s a waste of time.
There is a lot of talk about young people being apathetic but it seems to me that the real culprits are the older generation. And who can blame them really? The CIPD has found that older workers are neglected in terms of training and performance management. And when there’s so much young talent coming in – the future of the company – it seems inevitable that the older workers will get ignored.
So are appraisals just for the young and ambitious?
Of course not. Whilst an older employee may not be aiming for promotion, it’s important to remember the value of experience – there is so much they can give back to the company. Keeping your older workers engaged and motivated is just as important as engaging the newbies.
By Emma Webb
