Does Growing Old Have Benefits in the Workplace?

Does Growing Old Have Benefits in the Workplace? on Apr24

We might not like growing older. Most of us would gladly trade our middle-aged eyes for the vision we had when we were younger. But there are some undeniable benefits of aging. Years of experience, and all the successes and mistakes along the way, can make us wiser and smarter.

Versatility is a measure of a person’s ability to work effectively with others. And when you think about it, Versatility is affected by our experiences. After all, so much of our workplace skills are learned and developed over years of experience. And if we’re fortunate, we learn about Versatility through a coordinated learning program and figure out how to consciously improve our skills. This means we can actively work on Versatility and see the effects of our improved behavior right away, as opposed to simply letting time take its course.

We decided to look at our extensive SOCIAL STYLE database to see if there are differences in Versatility across age groups. We found that Versatility does, in fact, increase with age.

On average, Versatility is lowest for the youngest group in our study – people aged 30 and younger. These are the people with the least experience, so they are still figuring out how to get by and work productively with others. When we looked at the next oldest group, those aged 31 to 40, we found a substantial increase in average Versatility scores. These individuals have learned from their experiences; they have started to understand what behaviors are valued in the workplace.

We found another moderate increase in Versatility for people who are aged 41 to 50. These people are established and well experienced in their work lives, so it’s not surprising that Versatility continues to increase, albeit modestly. From there it levels out, with only a minor increase for people who are aged 50 and older.

So when it comes to Versatility, growing older has its benefits. That is one more reason we should respect our elders, they really do know what’s best.

by Casey M., Tracom Group