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Older employees 'happier at work' than the young?


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Older workers are the happiest employees, research commissioned by Vodafone suggests.

Seven out of 10 workers aged over 50 said they felt fulfilled compared with half of 25 to 31-year-olds. And 97% of those working beyond 65 said they felt "enabled" in their work against 61% of 31 to 35-year-olds.

The research, based on a survey of 3,800 people, suggested that people in their thirties expressed the most negative feelings about work.

Of this age group, 58% felt undervalued, 49% felt unfulfilled and 43% said they were de-motivated.

The report said that mid-career depression was brought on by the pressures of starting a family. In contrast, older people reported a "second burst" once they got through the pressures of the family life stage.

Mark Bond, director of enterprise for Vodafone, said the report demonstrated that more should be done to empathise with and understand those in the middle of their careers.

This was necessary "not only for their sake but for the benefit of the companies they work for", he said. "These people are, after all, the leaders of tomorrow."

The report also warned that those born since 1980 would face "inevitable disillusionment" as they hit their thirties.

"This young cohort is indeed highly ambitious and wants to succeed in a shorter time frame than ever," said Sonia Abrahams, senior research consultant at Opinion Leader, one of the companies that carried out the research.

"But with these new, higher expectations comes the risk of greater disappointment."

Excellent - I've certainly got a lot to look forward to then! What age group are you, and how do you feel about work? At what point in your life have you felt happiest and most fulfilled by work? Have you ever?
LindseyIndigo

4 responses // Older employees 'happier at work' than the young?

  • The older employees are not happier in their jobs, they are just more afraid to lose their jobs. The older you get the harder it becomes to market yourself in open employment field.

    To interview a candidate who is older than you is not easy, but it is even harder for someone to deal with an interviewer who has the life experience not even a fourth of what you have had.
    siuol
  • They should be with all those weeks of vacation every year.
    VegaNerDiva
  • I think it can only get better ... with age comes confidence and experience, so obviously you would be happier and more relaxed when it comes to your work! I am certainly looking forward to it.
    JanaPokana
  • I'm a lot happier now (40ish) but that could be because I'm semi-retired. 40 hours is toooooo much - life is short and buying stuff is boring.
    kellysontheroad

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