Almost (46%) of young workers agree that older employees should retire younger as they pose a threat to younger workers' career progression, a survey from KPMG reveals.
Fearing that their career prospects could be stifled by older colleagues who are set to work for longer due to the removal of the default retirement age, almost half of respondents said that a much older workforce would drain productivity.
According to Office for National Statistics figures published last month, the number of individuals aged over 65 in employment currently tops one million.
Worryingly, just 20% of those surveyed believed that employees will want to retain older workers to learn from their experience.
However, there also appears to be growing acceptance that older workers will have to continue working for longer. Eight out of 10 (81%) respondents said that due to living longer, more people will end their lives in poverty, highlighting the issue of insufficient pensions linked to longer life expectancy. In addition, two thirds also believed that people would be forced to work until they died as rising long term care costs drain retirement funds.
"As people remain in the workplace for longer, older workers will inevitably constitute a larger proportion of the workforce. Although this may breed the pernicious perception that the younger generation will lose out, this does not have to be the case," KPMG HR global centre of excellence co-lead and partner Robert Bolton said.
"Far from it - an older workforce brings a wealth of experience and baby boomers can potentially adopt the invaluable role of coach or mentor to those entering the workplace. The companies who succeed will be those who take advantage of what older workers can bring to the table, in a way that is both innovative and inclusive. They will be the ones who can find a way for the baby boomers in their workforce to be enablers for the young rather than blockers."
In terms of attitudes towards work, younger generations were less likely to be attached to a single employer and their objectives, according to the survey. Almost a quarter (24%) of younger workers felt that "individuals will increasingly challenge and question their organisation's purpose", in contrast to just one in 10 (12%) of older workers.
"New entrants to the jobs market are unafraid to challenge the status quo, with many refusing to accept that things should be ‘done this way' just because the current method has always been the one to use," Bolton added.
"Some employers may be concerned about the changing attitude, but the truth is that good leadership is about challenging, about innovating and about striving to boost performance. Employers should welcome these traits as, properly guided, they suggest that in the long-term today's challengers will be tomorrow's leaders."
