Why Hire an Older Worker?

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Age discrimination is just as common as race or sex discrimination these days. It is increasingly hard for the older generation to find work. In fact, once a person turns the big 4-0, they are then considered a part of America’s aging workforce. Most people, however, consider this the time when they are in the pinnacle of their working careers.

So, if you are one of those companies that normally hire the tech-savvy hotshot — you may want to rethink your hiring strategy a little. Here are some reasons why you should hire older employees rather than younger ones:

1. You know what you’re getting. With older employees, you know what you are going to get just by checking their work history and background check. You will be able to determine if they are the fit you are looking for, while with an employee right out of college you won’t have that work history to look back on.
2. Older employees will have lower benefits. Yes, lower benefits. When you reach a certain age, you won’t have dependents like children to worry about. Medicare, which starts at 65, will not go on a company’s tab either. In fact, many older employees would rather work part-time rather than full-time which means that benefits are decreased even more so.
3. Flexibility. Older employees have no children and they usually have no extracurricular activities to go to which mean odd shifts and those hard to fill time slots on the time clock get filled easily.
4. Wise beyond their years. This saying tells it all. When you sat down in front of your grandparents and they told you how to do something that seemed farfetched, you listened anyways because you knew that they were wise. This same thinking goes into the business world. Older workers have been around for a while and it can be beneficial to hear what they have to say, especially if they have been in one sector for decades.
5. They are eager. Just because they are older doesn’t mean they don’t want to learn. In fact, they love to learn and older workers are just as capable of learning new techniques just as much so as younger workers.

What Makes a Quality Leader

Every business needs a good leader to thrive. Delegating tasks, keeping employees motivated and setting a great example for the team are among the key qualities for leadership. Check out the following five things that help define a confident and successful leader: 

1.   Articulate Interests. Ensuring harmony and balance in the team is the basic task of a leader. The biggest challenge is to reconcile the different interests that coexist in the same organization, articulating them in a productive way.

2. Maintain Open Channels With Your Team. For employees to assimilate the values and principles that guide the business, it is essential to communicate with clarity and objectivity. Likewise, it is important to be open to hearing what everyone has to say on various topics. This establishes a trust relationship with the group, creating harmony and an encouraging environment.

3.  Establish And Verify Work Patterns. The standardization of work processes is crucial for a company's performance. It is the job of a good leader to establish these processes. It is important also to have effective methods to verify compliance with these processes, whether it be time clocks to ensure hours worked or weekly reports.

4.     Promote A Culture Of Innovation. Creating an environment conducive to innovation is also the task of a leader who wants to see your business take off. It is important to encourage and foster the diversity of ideas in order to make the work environment more creative and innovative.

5.     Train More Leaders. A good leader is one who knows how to identify and encourage other leaders within the business. That means looking for people with innovative and motivating character, exercising a positive influence on the group.

Become More Productive This Year

We all know that our everyday lives are not easy. We only have 24 hours to take care of our business, our personal lives and still try to find some room to relax. One way to helping you etch out time for the latest episode or to take a job is to be more productive.

Here are some tips to help you become more productive both at home and in the office in 2013:

1.     Arrange: Get your desktop organized. Everything must be easily accessible so you do not waste time looking for something.

2.     Say "no": Only say "yes" when necessary or possible. Avoid doing things that take up time or cause stress.

3.     Schedule right: When scheduling a new task, take into account factors such as queues that take time, displacement and transit time.

4.     Simplify: At first, it seems that everything we do is essential, but it is not. Choose the tasks necessary to your goals.

5.     Consider life as a whole: Divide your day into parts because doing everything at once will only stress you out and kill productivity.

6.     Focus and concentration: Keep a to-do-list. Leaving things vague will bring distraction and forgetfulness.

7.     Organizing methods: There are many theories about personal organization. You need not follow any, but knowing them and select the ones you are interested. Getting better time clocks for your office would be one great way to organize the office space.

8.     Find your own way: Create your own methods of doing things that get the work done and keep you focused. Methods are different for everyone.

9.     What’s your interest in productivity: What do you want to do with your time? Remind yourself of what productivity brings.

10.  Do not miss the focus: For those who want to gain productivity and efficiency, the key is to analyze your situation, find out enough about it, find a technique that works well, and use that technique to help re-focus other time on your own personal goals.