Older employees 'happier at work'

Older employees 'happier at work'

Older workers find their jobs more fulfilling, the report suggests
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.

Disillusionment

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."