Knowledge is Power: Why Mature Employes are Valuable in the Workforce | Digital Asia
Every leader would agree that employees are the lifeblood of a company’s growth and sustainability. They play pivotal roles in materialising plans into real and tangible results, while supporting the organisation to achieve its business goals. However, to stay ahead of the game, you need more than just ‘any employee’. Having agile talents in the senior positions gives you a great benefit to win today’s fierce competition, while allowing others to learn directly from them. So here’s the big question: where can you find them?
Are you looking for someone who is experienced, meticulous, dependable, and loyal for senior position in your organisation? Given that you might not have the time to build your own talent pipeline, have you considered the idea of bringing in mature employees onboard?
Mature – and oftentimes older – employees such as Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians (PMETs) are proven to possess more experience and better grasp of the nature of work than fresh grads and younger employees. Employers do not have to spend much cost for their training as well, since mature employees are ready to bring in their expertise to the company. Not to mention, as they have better understanding of work ethics, they can easily adjust themselves to new working culture.
However, despite these boons, some employers seem to be reluctant in hiring mature and experienced employees, mostly due to the fear that they have to pay higher salaries for these talents. Whereas, leaders should understand that giving good compensation can be one but small investment you have to make to ensure that your employees work more productively and effectively. Some employers might be wary of employing candidates with progressed career tracks. Nonetheless, there are copious good reasons why adding more mature workers to the team can help you maintain steady and reliable workforce.
See: 6 Risk-Free Ways to Say ‘No’ to Your Boss at Work
Be it SMEs or non SMEs, below are 6 reasons why you should start hiring PMETs for your business:
- Proven experience
Owing to their decades-long career, mature employees usually have a fair idea of the business fields, work cultures, and work ethics. Gaining experience here and there, these employees can use their wide knowledge to solve the challenges in your organisation. Through years of achievements and failures, they have better judgement towards particular scenarios as well as able to make better decisions. Additionally, thanks to their lifelong involvement in the business, mature employees also make fewer mistakes and blunders compared to fresher graduates.
- Organised and efficient
Mature employees have great understanding of time management and organisational skills. Recognising that ‘time is money’, they work hard to make works streamlined and remain efficient. With their years of experience, they know exactly what you want to get the job done better and faster. This, in turn, will save companies money and improve the bottom line for both short and longer run.
- Less training
One of the biggest reasons why you should choose mature employees over fresh grads is because you can save up the company’s resources for training and development. Having accumulated work-related practices and expertise throughout their careers, they can actively function as soon as possible upon joining the team. While you still need to conduct employee onboarding and orientation, you do not have to train them from scratch as it will not take long for them to catch up.
- Excellent leadership skills
Junior and less-experienced employees will always look up to senior and skilled employees for advice and guidance. With their ability to lead good examples, mature employees can act as source of motivation and inspiration for other employees. Furthermore, you can initiate mentorship program to give them opportunity to share their knowledge and transfer their skills to their juniors at work.
- Confident and responsible
Fresh grads are often overwhelmed with fear and doubt when they are given the responsibility to deal with something complex. Additionally, as they are still new to the job, sometimes they feel hesitant to share their opinions and suggestions with the higher-ups. This will not happen to mature employees. Owing to their diverse knowledge, they have the confidence to deal with complex tasks and solve the challenges imposed on them. They also do not hesitate to voice out their opinions and ideas for the company’s growth.
- Loyal and dedicated
Experienced employees are valuable assets for the organisation. Given the hours and efforts put in screening, hiring, and training new employees, it comes as no surprise that high employee turnover rates often come as a nightmare for employers. Mature employees are less likely to leave their job, as they tend to focus on pursuing stable career. Instead, when they find ideal job, they will be loyal and dedicated to it.
Read also: Motivate Your Employees with Self-Improvement Program