By Kim Jenkins, Esq.

Baer & Timberlake,P.C.*

USFN Member (Ok)

We all know the stereotypes of older people and technology. Honestly, many of them apply to me. For instance, seniors are supposed to hate change and dread updates to software they already don’t know how to use properly. In an overused comedy trope, seniors struggle to use a remote control or call their grandchildren to set the clock on the microwave. While society laughs or rolls its metaphorical eyes, keeping older people engaged in the workforce presents real struggles.

The U.S. Government Accounting Office predicts that by 2025, 30% of the United States population will be over the age of 55, and older workers can be an invaluable asset to an organization. They typically stay in a job longer and take fewer days off than workers with young children. Including seniors in the workspace provides a diversity of viewpoints and perspectives. They have many years of experience and skills, and they have established connections in the business community – it’s both what they know AND who they know. However, there are also challenges to be faced, technology being the most obvious. The National Bureau of Economic Research conducted a study of 50,000 businesses and 11.6 million workers and found that the faster a business incorporates new technology, the faster it loses its older workers. Identifying and solving the problems faced by seniors will help create a diverse and productive office environment.

COVID necessitated the use of technology to enable remote work, which can be beneficial to those older workers facing the greatest risk of exposure in a public workplace. Even the courts transitioned to online platforms for hearings during the crisis. However, many seniors experience aggravation and anxiety when faced with learning new technology and the prospect of using unfamiliar features or programs. Some may also have physical limitations, which could make using technology difficult. In a 2014 study, The Pew Research Center found that 23% of older adults have a condition which makes reading difficult. Unflattering stereotypes can also lead management to view an older employee as uncooperative or unwilling to learn new skills.

Failing to address these issues can result in lower productivity and frustration throughout the office, but many businesses fall into a Catch-22 type dilemma: It takes more time and money to train older workers, but the older employees will likely leave the workforce sooner than their younger counterparts. This article offers ideas for making that training more effective.

When training, keep it simple and speak in a language that seniors understand. Remember, for most older workers, digital technology is not intuitive. Never assume that there is a base of knowledge. For instance, in preparing for this article I visited with an older friend in a related field who confirmed that he did not know how to cut and paste, search within a document using “control f,” enlarge the print on his screen, save and retrieve documents, or use Boolean operators. Most IT personnel would assume that this was common knowledge in preparing a training module. Try to discover the base level of understanding before moving on to more complex ideas and avoid using technical terms when a simple word might be more effective.

Face-to-face training works best when an older employee is learning a new program. Online training often makes a bad situation worse, as the employee is struggling with navigating the training instead of concentrating on the content. This approach is more time consuming and expensive than simply providing an online tutorial, but if the end result is a fully trained, functioning user of the technology, it is time and money well spent.

Consider a mentorship learning program. Businesses can pair an experienced user with a novice to teach a new skill. This approach can be gentler and less intimidating than formal training. An added fringe benefit might be that crossing the age barrier can create stronger relationships among the workforce.

Older workers have a more difficult time dealing with distractions, particularly digital distractions. E-invites, calls, e-mails, Zoom messages, and pop-up ads sidetrack most seniors more than their younger colleagues. Training should include advice on how to handle these distractions. Perhaps they can block a specific time for production during which these notifications can be turned off. Using email folders and rules can also help those who struggle with deciding which tasks need immediate attention and which can wait.

Motivation is the key to learning any new skill. Seniors should understand that not only may a new program help the business, but the investment in learning a new skill will also make the employee’s life easier and more productive. It will accelerate finding answers to their questions and provide quicker access to documents or information. The attitude of the trainee should be positive and excited, never fearful. Humor can be a valuable tool. Try naming your device. It is harder to get upset with “Sparky” or “Mac” than “this horrible machine.”

If you are creating a website, training module, or program for older users, it is important to keep it simple. You may use fewer buttons, contrasting colors, simple terms, and larger fonts. You should avoid using acronyms and technical jargon. Testing your program with older users can provide valuable insight for making its use more effective.

Older users are far more likely to want to learn a new skill if they think they are capable of learning and that they will receive a benefit. The technology must be useful to them. Seniors now use smart phones, texting, email, social media, and take photos with their phone because they find these tasks worthwhile. By showing them how new technology in the workplace will be similarly worthwhile, and by training them in ways that make sense to them, modern businesses can have the best of both worlds: technology that makes the office more productive, and an engaged and excited mature workforce.

Copyright @2022

USFN Summer Report