SURVEY RESULTS
Spring/Summer 2025
Rethinking Aging in Today’s Workplace:
A Wake-Up Call for Inclusive Leadership
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Below we describe the key insights from our detailed analysis, focusing on nuanced findings about ageing, workplace experiences, and opportunities for creating inclusive, thriving environments.
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We explored how senior employees perceive development opportunities, recognition, and the impact of age in their professional lives. Here, we present the main findings.
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​Detailed Report: download PDF
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Strong Professional Identity, Enduring Value
Older professionals consistently report high levels of job satisfaction, confidence in their abilities, and a strong sense of purpose. Importantly, these feelings are not related to chronological age. Instead, personal experience, workplace culture, and perceptions shape how professionals feel about their work and corporate experience.
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Our take: When organizations look beyond age and truly recognize the individual behind the profile, they unlock powerful reservoirs of strength, insight, and institutional wisdom - all critical resources for meaningful progress and lasting impact.
It’s Not Age, It’s the Feeling of Disadvantage That Matters
Our research clearly shows the strongest negative impact on professional wellbeing stem from feeling personally disadvantaged by age bias and not from age itself. Those who experience or perceive age-related discrimination firsthand report significantly lower job satisfaction, reduced confidence, stress, and a diminished sense of being valued.
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REFLECTION
​What targeted strategies can your organization implement to address employees' personal experiences with age bias?
Growth Opportunity and Meaning Remain Strong Motivators
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Senior professionals emphasize their contributions, such as emotional intelligence, strategic thinking, mentoring capabilities, patience, diplomacy, and resilience. Despite recognizing their skills, many express frustration that organizations do not fully utilize their potential or actively support them.
Contrary to stereotypes, senior professionals remain driven to grow professionally, take on meaningful roles, mentor younger colleagues, and leave a meaningful legacy, provided the environment supports these aspirations.​​
REFLECTION
Are your current practices fully leveraging the unique strengths older employees offer?
What Senior Employees Value Most in their Working Lives
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Opportunities to mentor and uplift the next generation, sharing knowledge in ways that build lasting organizational capability
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Leadership roles with real influence, where they can shape direction, drive outcomes, and leave a meaningful legacy
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A healthy work-life balance, not just as a personal need, but as a principle of sustainable, human-centered leadership
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Job security and financial stability, reflecting a desire for reliability in return for long-term commitment and performance
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Genuine respect and recognition, grounded in contribution, wisdom, and continued relevance
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​​​​​Missing the Opportunity of Intergenerational Collaboration
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Older employees highlight the critical value of mutual respect, open dialogue, and dismantling age-related stereotypes. They strongly advocate for intergenerational teamwork, seeing it as essential for innovation, growth, and organizational cohesion.
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​Our take: Fostering meaningful, cross-generational dialogue is not a “nice to have” - it is a strategic imperative.
​​​​​REFLECTION​
How can your organization foster meaningful intergenerational dialogue and collaboration? Are your current practices fully leveraging the unique strengths older employees offer?
What Older Employees Wish Younger Colleagues Knew
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Experience is not a relic - it’s a resource that brings critical insight and context.
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Mutual respect and open, personal dialogue lay the foundation for effective teamwork and career growth
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Stereotypes about age must be challenged and not ignored or tiptoed around.
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Intergenerational unity is not optional. It’s essential for strong, cohesive teams and a strong and healthy workplace culture.​
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​​​What older Employees wish Companies Knew
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Many older professionals in our survey felt supported and valued by their organizations. At the same time, a significant number of employees expressed the wish for more meaningful inclusion and more opportunities to develop their skills an contribute their experience in impactful ways.
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They urge companies to recognize and actively leverage their expertise and wisdom, ensuring their full potential isn't overlooked. Key themes include:
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Recognize the reliability, emotional intelligence, and stabilizing presence older employees bring
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Create roles that reflect their evolving strengths and accumulated expertise
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Understand that age diversity drives sustainable performance, raises retention, and strengthens organizational resilience
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Offer flexibility and opportunity to retain your highly experienced, motivated mature employees​​
The Bottom Line
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Approximately 60% of older employees report having access to meaningful growth opportunities. Approximately 40% do not – highlighting untapped potential and clear areas for improvement. Many feel supported, others highlight concerns about:
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Insufficient targeted development programs and opportunities for older employees
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Limited formal knowledge-transfer practices
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Experiences of age-neutral, performance-focused cultures versus organizations where older roles are phased out
OUR TAKE:
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Aging in the workplace is not a liability. It is a strategic advantage for organizations willing to build cultures that recognize, support, and elevate the contributions of every generation.
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