In today’s workplace, issues of age, gender and race are being made more complex when coupled with external factors such as competition, globalisation and constant change. For mature workers and older ‘Baby Boomers’, the question often arises as to whether there is a place for them in the post-millennial organisation.

For mature employees – and it includes those as young as 50 – there are three key areas to address: where to take your career over the next 15 to 25 years (pre-retirement), how to retain an appropriate position in the organisation that provides flexibility, and how to compete with younger workers who are rising through the ranks.

Career direction can involve a change of career or a shift in the manner in which you are employed. Regardless of the career decision or employment approach taken, the most serious challenge that mature workers face is the perception of their relevance in today’s workplace. From the mature worker’s perspective, they attribute this to an ‘age and grey hair’ prejudice. Yes, that prejudice does exist but it’s not about the grey hair or years. The issue arises when mature workers expect senior roles, refuse to learn and use new technologies, be inflexible to change, and don’t embrace workplace diversity.

Mature workers who seek roles appropriate to their skill set and career aspirations, are competent with an organisation’s technology and systems, embrace change and growth, and have remained current with management styles through regular formal learning will remain employable and in demand. It’s the ability to embrace the old with the new (and young) in a way that is relevant that makes mature workers a real asset to an organisation.

Like any asset, it needs to be nurtured and leveraged. For the mature employee, this means tapping into internal office networks as well as external networks. Not only does this increase your business knowledge, it embeds you into your organisation at a level that is core to the business and one that is likely to extend your employment tenure. External networks can also enable you to tap into opportunities if the need or desire to change employment or direction arises.

Nurturing also takes the form of managing your own career. Thirty years ago it was commonplace for an employer to do this for an employee but this is no longer the case. Career management means making people aware of your achievements while recognising the contribution others may have made to this and the value those achievements have to an organisation. Value should not be confused with personal recognition (things like awards and job tenure). Value is about achieving objective, measurable results. It means learning from your experiences, evaluating your career objectively, having goals, and identifying opportunities that will take you closer to your goal.