Thirty-six per cent of Finnish retirees believe that older employees are even seen as a burden in the workplace, according to research by Elo.

Indeed, its survey of around 800 old-age pension recipients under the age of 75 found that 64 per cent of retirees believe that people would continue working longer if work experience were valued more highly,

Furthermore, as many as one in five respondents said they could have continued working if there had been flexibility, such as the option to work part-time.

Elo's pension counselling manager, Satu Sandell, said the results send an important message to employers.

"We still have work to do to ensure that workplaces consider how flexibility can be made an integral part of working life. In addition to working hours, reducing workloads should be standard practice in workplaces, and this should apply not only to parents of young children, but to employees of all ages,” she said.

The views of pensioners under the age of 75 on how experienced employees are treated in working life differ significantly.

One in three (33 per cent) experienced employees believe that experience is valued in working life. On the other hand, as many as 36 per cent of pensioners who responded to Elo’s customer survey believe that older employees are even seen as a burden.

The results are largely unchanged from the same survey conducted in 2021 by the pension company.

“It is very positive that so many people feel that their experience is an asset in the eyes of employers and colleagues. But we still have too much of an attitude that experienced workers cannot cope in today's fast-paced working life. According to Elo's customer surveys, experienced workers are, on the contrary, the most enthusiastic about their work,” Sandell said.

However, she warned that there are still “prejudices” when it comes to the workforce.

“We should learn to see each person as an individual, not as a representative of their age group or background. Experienced employees also have a role to play – they need to reinforce their own attitude of wanting to learn new things in a rapidly changing working life and being prepared to invest in taking on new roles. Workplaces need open dialogue about what kind of tasks and responsibilities should be available to people of retirement age.”

Furthermore, according to Elo director of responsibility and public relations, Katja Veirto, there is also the challenge of keeping people over the age of 60 in the workforce until the state retirement age.

This is because the number of people over 60 who have retired on disability pension has increased by about 50 per cent between 2017 and 2024.

“For many people in their sixties, physical limitations become an issue if they have done heavy physical work during their career. Workplaces have taken major steps forward in lightening and adapting the workloads of older employees whose work ability is beginning to decline. But more can be done.

“One major issue is the difficulty of accessing treatment. People should have smoother access to treatment so that their working life does not come to a halt in their final years due to long periods of sick leave and waiting lists for surgery,” Veirto said.

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