Employees of different ages

Age discrimination is prohibited under the Non-Discrimination Act. You can prevent age discrimination by taking into account the different needs and skills of employees of different ages who are at different stages of their careers.

Young employees who are just starting their careers often need more guidance. Make sure that they receive a thorough induction into their work and working life. Also take into account that young people have a new, different attitude to work. Encourage older employees to value the new energy and skills the younger ones bring with them. 

Ageing changes physical and sensory abilities. Think about what kind of measures you could take to promote the work ability of your older employees who are approaching the final stages of their careers. You can support their employment for example with different working time arrangements and good ergonomics. 

Older employees have expertise that they have gained through their work experience. In addition, many characteristics such as strategic thinking either increase or emerge when a person ages. Make sure that both practical know-how and tacit knowledge are passed on from your older employees to the younger ones. Also stress the young employees that they should value wisdom brought by experience.

For more information on how to take account of workers of different ages, see the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health's page about older workers in the workplace (in Finnish and Swedish)Opens in a new window..