Being born during the ’70s, I have come to notice the phenomenon of change in the workplace with regards to the average age group of managers, quite drastically over the past few years. When we (and by saying “we” I refer to everyone born before 1983) from that era grew up, our parents and mentors haven’t exactly made a secret of the fact that you will have to study hard & work hard, to climb the corporate ladder. This was the general discipline that was instilled in all of us from that generation.

By the time you completed school in the ’90s and entered your working career, you were told that you lacked experience, for some of us whose parents could not afford for us to continue our studies, you were told that you weren`t qualified enough. There were always these 2 levers of education and experience that drove the employment sector back then. If you were anything like I was, one of those who could not afford to further your studies, you were just too happy to get your foot in the door at any company to gain some experience and maybe to save up to continue to further your studies at a later stage in your career. At age just after school combined with the lack of these 2 levers, opportunities that presented themselves were most of the time low-paid entry-level positions. Your independence from your parents was not guaranteed in any way by you being employed and some still had to rely on assistance from their parents to make it through the month. But for you, this was the beginning of your adulthood. 

There was a time in my early to late ’20s when I felt that people didn’t take me serious enough as a business person because of my age as well as my lack of experience, even though I owned my first business at the age of 21. Top management positions in large corporates were held by people mostly above 40 years of age and the norm was that you should gain experience and prove yourself to “get there.” I cannot blame those people today for not taking me seriously as my first business was a complete failure. This was largely to blame for my lack of experience even though I have kept the business alive and running for almost 13 years. But from the hardships within that business that I had to endure, I have gained tremendous experience.

By the time I reached 40, I was surprised to have noticed that I have missed this change somewhere. Working for a large corporate and dealing with various other corporates, I have come to notice that senior management positions were now being filled by youngsters. Some may argue that it is due to the lack of experience these young millennials have, that is widening their vision. Others may argue that it is because of the instant gratification being sought by these youngsters, that positions are being created for them to fill the employment gap as the older generations leave the employment force. 

Whatever you may argue, the reality is that when you have reached the age of 40, you are not a sought-after commodity for companies anymore. Labor capital has become increasingly younger.

I have yet to see any scientific evidence that justifies this behavior from companies. I have heard a lot of excuses but no factual justification, argument, or for that matter a fact that truly makes sense. Most of the arguments are that youngsters are cheaper, are easier to get rid of and the lack of experience makes them more attractive as they are paid less. The latter is not entirely true as I have seen some youngsters earning annual incomes unheard of. 

So what is the reason? Do the above 40’s come with too much experience? Do they come with inherent bad habits? Are they over-qualified? Are they too old? Are they too expensive?

The fact that remains is that the more mature people have been around the proverbial block, experience is a rare commodity and South Africa has a huge lack of skill, but yet, companies prefer to employ the younger generation as the first option. This might be due to the ratio of millennials in the workforce compared to the previous generations, in other words, based on the principle of supply and demand or because of price.  

Besides the fact that 40 is still a very young age, my personal opinion of these people is that they have a much more mature approach to dealing with others. They generally tend to have a higher EQ than youngsters and can handle challenges in the workplace more efficiently as they are generally calmer people. One of the biggest contributing factors is these people’s people skills compared to the younger generations. We grew up by interacting with others and playing with friends, we didn’t have screens in front of our faces all day, hence the reason why we show more empathy to other people’s situations than the younger generations. How one interacts with others should be seen as one of the most important aspects within a business that wishes to have a customer-centric focus, one of the distinct factors that may contribute to a companies success or failure, the way they treat their clients, and provide them with service. Service is the key differentiator in business these days.