IMF – Round Table: ‘Reflections on discrimination against older workers’. #invisibletalentIMF
On Wednesday 17 October, our Managing Partner, Patricio Gil Olmedo, attended in person the interesting and much-needed round-table discussion on senior talent organised by IMF Business School and the 40Plus Association, which was also attended by partner organisations such as Generación SAVIA. An event at which experts from the social and business sectors presented the […]
On Wednesday 17 October, our Managing Partner, Patricio Gil Olmedo, attended in person the interesting and much-needed round-table discussion on senior talent organised by IMF Business School and the 40Plus Association, which also featured partner organisations such as Generación SAVIA.
It was an event at which experts from the social and business sectors highlighted the reality of this vital and valuable segment of society: senior talent. The panel of experts, comprising professionals from Spain’s most influential companies and organisations, shed light on the opportunities presented by having this highly skilled talent to overcome the challenges of an increasingly complex world that requires diverse solutions.
The faces of reflection
The event featured leading professionals from a range of sectors and disciplines, as detailed below:
- María José Valdivieso, Founding Partner of Plus40net
- Miguel López, Partner at Plus40net
- José Ignacio Casas, Founding Partner of Jomial Research & Consultants
- Ángela Gorostizu, Head of Consultancy at Master Value People Spain
- Juan Carlos Delrieu, Director of Strategic Planning at AEB
- Francisco Mesonero, Managing Director of the Adecco Foundation & CSR at Adecco Group Iberia and Latin America
- Alicia Coronil Jónsson, Head of the Economics Department at the Círculo de Empresarios
- Manuel Naharro Arteche, Project Manager at the SAVIA Platform
- Marian Aredes Polo, Head of HR at GT Motive
- Jesús Vega, Speaker and former executive at Inditex, Banco Santander and Hewlett-Packard
- Inmaculada Aragón, Business strategy, marketing and sales professional, consultant and coach
Key ideas in tweets
From the age of 40 – and even up to 50, given how young people are nowadays – unemployment figures rise. Why are companies reluctant to hire these generations? #talentoinvisibleIMF @Plus40Net
— IMF Business School (@IMFFORMACION) 11 October 2018
It saddens me that there is no long-term vision. In Spain, there are plenty of micro-enterprises, where the state needs to step in to implement recruitment policies. From 2024 onwards, when the baby boomers retire, we’re going to have a problem. @CoronilAlicia #talentoinvisibleIMF pic.twitter.com/iGrfvkNQ6V
— IMF Business School (@IMFFORMACION) 17 October 2018
“If skills were measured, we wouldn’t have this bias. Many companies boast about their demographic data, with very low average ages, so on the one hand we’re talking about stereotypes and on the other about companies that use age as a differentiating factor” #talentoinvisibleIMF
— IMF Business School (@IMFFORMACION) 17 October 2018
Reasons why we aren’t hired: We’re expensive. We’re unmotivated. We’re not tech-savvy 68 per cent would be willing to take a pay cut in exchange for working fewer hours. Companies must offer incentives, as they do with millennials @JesusVega_ #talentoinvisibleIMF pic.twitter.com/tbBSbqCwI1
— IMF Business School (@IMFFORMACION) 17 October 2018
@NaharroManuel Socioculturally, it’s very different. When we ask a senior professional who’s landed a job at @Savia_RRHH to share their story, they don’t usually do so. In the US, for example, they’re proud to talk about it; here, we don’t want to put ourselves in the spotlight. We need to get the ball rolling. #talentoinvisibleIMF pic.twitter.com/WYxmbC3XZU
— IMF Business School (@IMFFORMACION) 17 October 2018
Question from the audience: are there any government measures to encourage the recruitment of ‘invisible talent’? @mjosevaldivieso says that @Plus40Net are in talks with various organisations; it’s still very early days, but they’re hopeful that initiatives will emerge #invisibl talentIMF pic.twitter.com/vSSP7yjdhu
— IMF Business School (@IMFFORMACION) 17 October 2018
Listening to @JesusVega_ talking about talent: “our country cannot afford to do without senior talent” – an event organised by @Plus40Net at @IMFFORMACION #TalentoInvisibleIMF pic.twitter.com/sJ54mZSrME
— Marian Corral (@mariancorral) 17 October 2018
“There are prejudices against older people, such as the idea that they are digitally illiterate, that they don’t learn, or that they find it difficult. We can refute all of this with real data, as you can read in the book.” #talentoinvisibleIMF pic.twitter.com/qYsuw9NUu1
— IMF Business School (@IMFFORMACION) 17 October 2018
“During the crisis, the impact was felt equally across all age groups. The growth in employment has been greater over the past two years for those over 45, which gives us a little hope; however, it remains a vulnerable group, with high levels of long-term unemployment.” #talentoinvisibleIMF pic.twitter.com/RoF3Iej7qz
— IMF Business School (@IMFFORMACION) 17 October 2018
“Ultimately, it’s not just a matter for HR, but also for the Managing Director and the board. For example, in tourism, if the customer is a senior citizen, no one is better placed than senior citizens themselves to understand and sell the product” @Pacomesonero #talentoinvisibleIMF pic.twitter.com/WRZ3iZ3xZ4
— IMF Business School (@IMFFORMACION) 17 October 2018
@CoronilAlicia I’m half Icelandic. In Iceland, for the past 40 years, it’s been clear that when people retire, their contribution to society doesn’t end. They retrain and take on a different role. This isn’t practised here. We have the right and the ability to do so. #invisibl talentIMF pic.twitter.com/KvxYsrv1l9
— IMF Business School (@IMFFORMACION) 17 October 2018
We need to be able to work on a project basis, providing mentorship and lightening the workload. It’s not just a matter of working with older workers; we need to work with companies to ensure they communicate clearly. We’re getting far more feedback on #CSR measures than on #HR @NaharroManuel #invisibletalentIMF pic.twitter.com/LUxZDXdiPY
— IMF Business School (@IMFFORMACION) 17 October 2018
“Spain’s demographic situation is tragic. We have no children, nor a replacement rate. We are driving capable people out of the economy without offering any solutions. It is truly dramatic.” @JesusVega_ #talentoinvisibleIMF pic.twitter.com/SgPlsvrzfm
— IMF Business School (@IMFFORMACION) 17 October 2018
“Spain is wasting time. Debates on pensions continue, but the regulatory framework remains unchanged. Policies need to be developed to allow people to keep their pension whilst continuing to earn an income from another job, as is done in the Nordic countries.” @CoronilAlicia #talentoinvisibleIMF pic.twitter.com/cUCDo22HSE
— IMF Business School (@IMFFORMACION) 17 October 2018
A company needs to get the most out of the talent within its workforce. That’s why I invest heavily in #communication policies – employees matter, and if they have talent, I’ll do everything I can to ensure they’re promoted, regardless of their age. @GtMotive #talentoinvisibleIMF pic.twitter.com/3w1CByJamD
— IMF Business School (@IMFFORMACION) 17 October 2018
The fear of failure in this country is a stigma. It is not penalised by the law, but it is by society. We torment ourselves. @NaharroManuel #talentoinvisibleIMF pic.twitter.com/SZNtMfWB9f
— IMF Business School (@IMFFORMACION) 17 October 2018
For @joseicasas, information is the key to overcoming the prejudices that hold back the recruitment of senior talent, the #invisibl talent pic.twitter.com/97s66WICc1
— Plus40Net (@Plus40Net) 17 October 2018
Age is the factor companies focus on when they have to implement redundancies without assessing talent – a wealth of experience that is lost @Plus40Net #WomenandEmployment
— @IgualdadClicA (@IgualdadClicA) 17 October 2018
The negative attitudes and the very prejudices held by people over 40 (lack of digital skills, reduced ability to adapt, etc.) need to be addressed because this is a matter of individuals, not age @Plus40Net
— @IgualdadClicA (@IgualdadClicA) 17 October 2018
Both the younger generation and the older generation share the same feeling: no matter how hard they try, they won’t find a #qualityjob. #WomenandEmployment45 #recoveringtheinvisibletalent @Plus40Net
— @IgualdadClicA (@IgualdadClicA) 17 October 2018
1. Let’s stop feeling sorry for ourselves. 2. Let’s have confidence in everything we’re capable of doing. 3. If we have any weaknesses, let’s get to work on them @JesusVega_ @Plus40Net #recoveringtheinvisibletalent
— @IgualdadClicA (@IgualdadClicA) 17 October 2018
For @CoronilAlicia, we need to apply pressure from the grassroots to demand the right to reskilling and career progression for professionals over 40; let’s change our mindset #recoveringtheinvisibl talent
— Plus40Net (@Plus40Net) 17 October 2018
The biggest challenge is that we’re moving towards a demographic model we’ve never experienced before, and we have the right to continue contributing to society. Alicia Coronil @Plus40Net #recoveringtheinvisibl talent
— @IgualdadClicA (@IgualdadClicA) 17 October 2018
@GeneracionSavia has run training sessions with Google on productivity tools, and older people were already familiar with them. It’s not true that we’re out of touch with technology, Manuel Navarro. #recuperandoeltalentoinvisible @Plus40Net
— @IgualdadClicA (@IgualdadClicA) 17 October 2018
For @GtMotive, discriminating against talent on the basis of age would be corporate suicide. Retention is key to growth, and ‘expensive’ is synonymous with profitable. #recuperandoeltalentoinvisible
— Plus40Net (@Plus40Net) 17 October 2018
It’s worrying that by the time institutions react, it will be too late because nothing is currently being done about it @CoronilAlicia
— Plus40Net (@Plus40Net) 17 October 2018
Developing retraining or talent development policies in SMEs and micro-enterprises is highly complex. That is why state intervention is essential. Alicia Coronil @Plus40Net #recoveringtheinvisibl talent
— @IgualdadClicA (@IgualdadClicA) 17 October 2018
