Older workers may be paid more than younger recruits – but they make up for that in value. They are more productive, more likely to come up with sustainably creative ideas and less inclined to fall into the trap of multitasking. So writes independent careers coach Eli Amdur in a Forbes magazine article. Addressing a blistering open letter to HR managers (he is 78) he says there has never been a better time to recruit over 50s, he argues that while young workers can “impulsively and impatiently generate new ideas (some with merit), creativity as a sustainable asset depends on the ability to recognize patterns in seemingly unrelated things, ideas, or events – and that depends more on maturity than anything else”.And he snorts at suggestions silvers find it harder to multitask. “Multitasking? Nonsense! Multitaskers do none of their tasks as well as they should. The human brain, neuroscientists know, cannot do more than one thing well at a time. Multitasking only creates distraction, a trap older workers tend not to fall into. Smoothly switching tasks in timely ways, on the other hand, requires mental agility that takes decades to develop, not to mention good judgment as to when to engage in the switch. How to make the change? “As the first step in your hiring process, stop giving resumes to junior people to screen. Those young ones have no clue what they’re looking at. Give those resumes to an empathetic, seasoned manager – and watch what happens.”
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