How do older employees face ageism, feeling devalued and burnout? Psychological and practical advice for employers on keeping experience in the organisation.
A maintenance master who has worked in the same factory for twenty-five years can tell what is wrong with a machine just from the sound it makes. An accountant with thirty years behind them remembers when and why a particular supplier caused problems. This knowledge is often written in no manual. Yet in many organisations, older employees, generally those aged fifty and over, are judged through stereotypes such as "resistant to change", "doesn't understand technology" or "just waiting for retirement". These judgements are not only unfair; they can quietly cost the organisation one of its most valuable assets. In this article, I look at the psychological effects of ageism, the difficulties these employees face and the concrete steps that can be taken to keep their experience in the organisation, for employers, HR managers and team leaders.
Who Are Older Employees and Why Do They Matter?
"Older" is not defined by a precise cut-off. In some sectors even forty-five can be considered "old", while in some professions the sixties are regarded as the peak of expertise. What matters here is less the calendar age than the meaning that the organisation and society attach to that age.
The value these employees bring to organisations is generally summarised under the following headings:
- Tacit knowledge: Practical knowledge gained through years of experience that is not found in written procedures.
- Institutional memory: What has been tried in the past, why something did not work, and how particular relationships were built.
- Experience of crises: Having already come through economic fluctuations, major changes and difficult periods.
- Role models and the master-apprentice relationship: A critical role in the development of younger employees, particularly in production and technical work.
- Stability: A calming and balancing influence within the team.
These contributions do not mean that experienced employees are better at everything. However, failing to see the value of this accumulated experience carries a serious risk of loss for the organisation.
How Does Ageism Show Up in the Workplace?
Ageism often appears not in open and crude ways but through subtle, everyday behaviour:
- Older employees not being invited to training and development programmes
- The assumption that "they won't be able to learn it anyway" during technology or system transitions
- Younger people being systematically put forward for promotions and project assignments
- Unwelcome comments such as "you should be thinking about retirement by now"
- Views being brushed aside in meetings as "old-fashioned thinking"
- Jokes and nicknames: expressions such as "Grandpa", or "love, you wouldn't understand these things"
- Over-fifties being the first group that comes to mind in restructuring periods
Ageism affects not only older people but also the younger employees who watch. When a young employee sees how a senior colleague is pushed aside, they also receive a message about their own future: "The same will happen to me when I get older here." This perception can weaken long-term commitment across all age groups.
Some of these behaviours are not deliberate; most are fed by stereotypes widespread in society. But whatever the intention, the impact is real.
In Turkey, the tradition of early retirement can reinforce the perception in workplaces that "after a certain age, a person is leaving anyway". Yet many people continue to work after retirement, whether for economic reasons or by choice. This group, who retire and carry on working in the same workplace or elsewhere, often remains invisible in organisations' HR planning.
Psychological Effects on Older Employees
Being exposed to ageism, or feeling invisible, can lead to a range of psychological effects in employees in this age group.
A sense of worthlessness. Feeling no longer seen in an organisation to which one has given years of effort damages a person's self-worth. The thought "I'm surplus to requirements here now" is common.
Anxiety and insecurity. News of restructuring, automation and digital transformation can heighten senior employees' fear of losing their jobs. The thought that finding a new job at this age will be harder deepens this anxiety.
The self-fulfilling prophecy. An employee who is constantly exposed to the stereotype that "older people can't learn technology" may eventually begin to believe it themselves and avoid trying new things. This creates a cycle that appears to confirm the stereotype.
Withdrawal and quiet quitting. An employee who feels their views are ignored may stop contributing and begin to do only the bare minimum the job requires.
Physical strain and fatigue. In people who have spent years in physically demanding work, musculoskeletal pain, sleep problems and fatigue may be more pronounced. If work arrangements are not adapted, this poses both a health and a safety risk.
Questions of identity and meaning. For someone who has spent most of their life identified with a profession, work is not just a source of income but an important part of identity. Feeling that one's role in the organisation is shrinking can raise the question "Who am I, and what am I for?" This questioning intensifies particularly as retirement approaches and can lay the ground for low mood in some people.
Multiple caring burdens. Many people in this age group care for both their ageing parents and their grandchildren. This "sandwich" position can markedly increase the load outside work.
From a cognitive-behavioural perspective, automatic thoughts such as "I can't learn anything new now", "I can't compete with the young ones" and "Nobody cares about my ideas" may grow stronger in these employees. When combined with real messages in the organisational environment, these thoughts affect motivation and mood negatively.
The cost of losing an experienced employee is not just one person leaving; it is the knowledge that goes with them, which is written down nowhere.
What Happens to the Organisation When Older Employees Leave
The early departure of experienced employees, or their mental disengagement from work, has a number of consequences for the organisation:
- Loss of knowledge: A master who leaves without passing on tacit knowledge can cause longer breakdown times and more errors in production.
- Occupational safety: Experienced employees are often the ones who notice danger and warn younger colleagues. When this role is vacated, safety culture can weaken.
- Team balance: When the bridge between generations disappears, conflict within the team can increase.
- Recruitment and training costs: It takes a long time for a replacement to reach the same level.
- Employer reputation: The perception that ageism takes place sends a message to all employees, not just older ones: "I have no long-term future here."
According to Deloitte's 2022 report, around 40% of turnover costs in the UK are attributed to mental health problems (Deloitte UK, 2022). This proportion is not specific to any age group and is UK data; however, it shows how large the effect of mental health on staff turnover can be.
Legislation and Standards Framework
Article 10 of Law No. 6331 (Occupational Health and Safety Law) requires that, when risk assessments are carried out, the situation of groups requiring special policy, such as young, elderly, disabled, pregnant or breastfeeding workers, be taken into account. Article 4 of the Law also requires employers, when assigning tasks to employees, to consider their fitness for the job in terms of health and safety.
These provisions offer a framework not for "removing" older employees from work but for adapting the work to them. Reviewing work arrangements in conditions such as heavy lifting, prolonged standing, night work or high temperatures supports both health and the employee's staying in the organisation.
Article 8 of the Risk Assessment Regulation requires psychosocial hazards to be identified. ISO 45003:2021 also defines social factors at work as one of the three main categories of psychosocial hazards. Age-based exclusion and discrimination can be assessed among these social factors. For the legal dimension of age-based discrimination in recruitment, promotion and dismissal processes, it is important to consult an employment law specialist.
What Can Employers Do to Keep Experience in the Organisation?
Confront stereotypes:
- Run awareness sessions for managers and HR teams on age stereotypes and unconscious bias.
- Set criteria that question age-based assumptions in recruitment, promotion and training decisions.
Do not limit development by age:
- Open training programmes to all age groups. Plan new technology training in hands-on formats that allow for different learning speeds.
- In digital transformation, see senior employees not as a "resistant group" but as experienced users who can contribute to the design of the process. The article on AI transformation and the employee may also offer ideas on this.
Make knowledge transfer systematic:
- Set up master-apprentice, mentoring or "reverse mentoring" programmes. In reverse mentoring, the young employee and the experienced employee teach each other, the former on technology and the latter on professional knowledge.
- Set aside time to document tacit knowledge for critical tasks; plan this years ahead, not a few weeks before retirement.
Adapt the work:
- In physically heavy tasks, plan ergonomic adjustments, rotation and rest breaks.
- Offer flexible working, part-time working or phased-transition options in roles where this is possible.
- Carry out individual assessments with the workplace physician regarding night shifts and long hours.
Strengthen relationships between generations:
- Form project teams made up of mixed age groups.
- Talk openly about respectful communication rules regarding jokes and nicknames within the team. For more on tension between generations, see the article on intergenerational conflict.
Support the transition period:
- For employees approaching retirement, plan programmes that cover psychological as well as financial preparation. I have discussed this subject in detail in the article on preparing for retirement.
Provide psychological support:
- Openly announce the availability of confidential individual counselling to employees of every age. In this age group, seeking psychological support can still be met with hesitancy; choose plain, non-stigmatising language.
The Manager's Role
Suppose an automotive supplier plant is moving to new quality software. The fifty-seven-year-old quality control supervisor stays silent in the training sessions, and his teammates tease him with "He won't use it anyway, mate." When the department manager talks to him one-to-one, he learns that the supervisor is not afraid of the software but of the fast-moving training format and of making mistakes in front of the team. A few one-to-one, hands-on sessions are planned; the supervisor then makes critical contributions to the system's set-up with his knowledge of past quality problems. This fictional example shows that the problem often lies not in age but in the learning environment and the messages within the team.
What is expected of the manager is to notice stereotypes, establish respectful language within the team, make the strengths of different age groups visible and listen without judgement to an employee who is struggling. The most strongly evidenced recommendation in the WHO's guidelines on mental health at work is mental health training for managers (WHO, 2022). Adding topics such as age stereotypes, communication between generations and career conversations with employees approaching retirement to this training can help managers act more fairly and with greater awareness in their daily decisions. Remember that managing an employee who is older than oneself also requires a distinct skill for a younger manager.
How to Get Started in Your Organisation
For organisations aiming to retain older employees and prevent ageism, the following path can be followed:
1. Needs analysis. Map the age distribution of employees, the critical positions whose holders will approach retirement in the next five to ten years, and the state of knowledge transfer in those positions. Use an anonymous survey to measure experiences of age-based exclusion, access to development opportunities and relationships between generations.
2. Programme. Based on the analysis results, plan mentoring, adapted work arrangements, manager training and retirement preparation programmes. For examples of organisational needs analysis and programmes, you can look at the corporate services page.
3. Measurement. Regularly monitor participation in training among employees over fifty, promotion and assignment rates, the tendency towards early departure and changes in survey results. In knowledge transfer programmes, track how much of the critical tasks has been documented and covered by a successor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can older employees learn new technologies?
Yes. Learning capacity does not end with age; however, learning speed and preferred method can vary from person to person. Training environments that are hands-on, proceed step by step and make it safe to make mistakes make it easier for experienced employees to adapt to new systems.
How can we spot ageism?
Looking at how training, promotions and project assignments are distributed across age groups is a good start. Jokes, nicknames and "retirement" hints within the team are also important signs. Anonymous employee surveys can help bring out experiences that are not voiced openly.
How can conflict between older and younger employees be reduced?
Teams made up of mixed age groups, mutual mentoring and shared goals can help reduce prejudices between generations. Conflicts often stem from differences in values and communication; an environment where these differences can be discussed openly and respectfully is important.
Does an employee approaching retirement need psychological support?
Not every employee has the same need. However, retirement is an important transition in terms of identity, routine and social relationships. Some employees may experience anxiety, a sense of emptiness or low mood. A transition programme that includes psychological preparation, and confidential individual support when needed, can be helpful.
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Eda Erkan Alapala
Klinik Psikolog. İstanbul Kent Üniversitesi Klinik Psikoloji Tezli Yüksek Lisans mezunu; bilişsel davranışçı terapi, çocuk merkezli oyun terapisi ve çocuk-ergen psikoterapisi alanlarında eğitimlerini tamamlamıştır.
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