Hiring the Silver Surfers - Assignment Example

CONTEMPORARY ISSUES CONTEMPORARY ISSUES Definition of silver surfer. The term Silver-Surfer is used to refer to internet users who are considered to be advanced in age. The age group that most commonly falls under this definition is 50 years of age and above. In essence, the term Silver-Surfer refers to internet users who are 50 years of age and above. The coining of the term Silver-Surfer to refer to this age demographic is a direct pun on the physical appearance of people categorized in this group. The word silver refers to the hair colour of the elderly, which is often grey in colour resembling silver. The word surfer is in this context used to refer to Internet users (Bricoe, 2009, p.88). This demographic appears as being unique because of societal stereotypes that with age comes ignorance as far as technology is concerned. Thus, the elderly are not expected by mainstream society to be frequent Internet users and vocal on sites such as social media platforms. This stereotyping has led to the loss of business opportunities by many corporates all over the globe (Aaker, 000, p.81). This can be extrapolated from the fact that silver surfers represent a market and workforce base that is more often than not unexploited almost in its entirety (Aras, 2009, p.55). Importance of the silver surfer age demographic in a corporate setting Silver-Surfer demographic is relevant to any contemporary commercial organization primarily because of the timeline of operations of people in this group. A majority of people in this age demographic have retired from formal employment or are en route to do so in a few years. As a result, people in this age group do not have restrictions that are present in other age groups, the most common of which is time (Bratton, Jeffrey, 2000, p.201). People in this age group work on a more flexible timetable as opposed to their age groups where people are working multiple jobs at the same time (Bonhoeffer, 2001, p.91). This demographic group is therefore very significant in any contemporary commercial organization because of the flexibility of this group as far as time is concerned. Silver surfers present an operations base that is primarily unexploited. Society tends to shy away from the old in any formal setting. These emotions and reactions are fuelled by stereotypes that people in this age demographic are very dull as far as their social interaction is concerned (Schneider, 2004, p.50). The result is a very capable and highly experienced workforce that is greatly unexploited. Any contemporary commercial organization considering hiring silver surfers can use this as a public relations strategy to rid the world of societal stereotypes about the elderly (Macrae, 2005, p.37). From a business point of view, this is a strategically viable move as any corporation venturing into hiring silver surfers can market itself as being unique. This can be extrapolated from the fact that in marketing, strategies that are unique tend to draw in more clientele than typical contemporary marketing strategies. Thus, from a purely business and profit oriented point of view, incorporating Silver-Surfers into the workforce is a very strategic move that can help to draw in more customers. Disadvantages of hiring the silver surfer age demographic Given the age group that comprises the Silver-Surfers, hiring of this age group is a venture that can best be termed a double-edged sword. It has its advantages while at the same time it also has its share of disadvantages. One problem of hiring Silver-Surfers is the pace at which they will complete their tasks. Given the advanced age of members of this age demographic, it can be argued that they are not as locomotive as people are in their twenties for example. Thus, any department comprising exclusively of Silver-Surfers is likely to complete its departmental tasks at a slower pace compared to other units with mixed age groups (ScSchuler, 2004, p.84). Thus, one disadvantage of hiring Silver-Surfers will be their working speed as well as their working capacity in comparison to a younger age demographic. Another disadvantage of employing Silver-Surfers comes from a cost saving perspective. Health issues are also a factor to consider for any contemporary commerce corporation considering hiring Silver-Surfers. Given the relatively advanced age of members of this age demographic, their health might not be at an optimal level. This can pose a significant challenge to any commercial organization with strict deadlines and an enormous workload. The number of days that people are likely to miss work due to health related issues is likely to be higher with this age demographic (Davidio, 2010, p.22). This will hinder the productivity of the concerned commercial organization because in such a setting manpower is always of utmost importance. Hiring of Silver-Surfers is also likely to be expensive for the respective employers. This alludes policies dictating issues such as the provision of health insurance for employees. The financial implications of the medical costs of this age group are likely to be higher compared to other age groups. The result is a high maintenance workforce that might in turn affect the profits of the corporate entity in question (Singer, 2008, p.122). The stereotypes that society attributes to the age demographic of Silver-Surfers might also prove a disadvantage to a corporation intending to hire them. Society labels this particular age demographic as being rather anti-social and very difficult to deal with on a social level (Dunning, 2008, p.140). People in this age group are also ranked among the worst service providers in a corporate setting (Davidio, 2010, p.61). Due to these stereotypes, people often tend to avoid the elderly in their formal working environment. A good example is the airport where travellers often avoid elderly guards. Any corporation intending to hire silver surfers must keep in mind the societal stereotypes that accompany this age demographic. These stereotypes might in turn be attributed to any commercial corporation that has hired Silver-Surfers in large numbers (Fisher, 2014, p.22). This might lead to a loss in terms of business opportunities for the concerned corporation. This factor might in turn affect the profit margins of the corporation in question because the loss of customers and clients translates to decline revenue and slimmer profit margins. Thus, it might not be considered a strategic move to hire Silver-Surfers in any corporate commercial setting (Ewing, 2003, p.44). Advantages of hiring the silver surfer age demographic One advantage of employing Silver-Surfers by any organization is that the move is strategic. The strategy is as a result factoring in the experience base of the Silver-Surfers. This workforce is highly experienced in many years spent in the formal or informal sector (Harris, 2003, p.237). Thus, it is stuffiest to say that members in this age group know their way around any given workplace setting (Dowling & Denice, 2012, p.37). This experience might prove instrumental in any organization as the silver surfers might bring in important aspects of the business that was previously absent in the organization (Macrae, 2005, p.42). Hiring of Silver-Surfers is also a splendid move because it encourages diversity in the workplace. Diversity is perhaps the best recipe to ensure optimum productivity in the workplace. Diversity in this context refers to the many ways in which people in the workplace are different (Price, 2004, p.133). These differences in the workforce range from gender to religion and even to age. The diversity brought about by the silver surfers seems rather strategic and aimed at improving performance dynamics. The result will be a workforce consisting of both young and elderly workers. It is a highly diversified workforce to say the least (Harzing, 2004, p.91). The ultimate result will be the workforce will provide different points of view aimed at improving the performance of the corporation in question (Mondy, 2005, p.202). The younger employees and the Silver-Surfers can engage in constructive debates and brainstorming sessions all aimed at improving the profit share of the corporation in question. Another advantage of hiring Silver-Surfers stems from a public relations point of view. It is the corporate social responsibility of any organization to take care of the community that enables the operation of the corporation in question. One such way of taking care of this immediate community is giving a new lease of life to the elderly (Mendenhall, 2000, p.63). This can be in the form of hiring Silver-Surfers to do some tasks in the corporation and turn compensating them effectively (Dewey, Jame, 2012, p.133). This will go a long way as far as the public relations of the corporation in question are concerned (Nelson, 2002, pp.220). The corporation will be able to project itself to the public as being all rounded and impartial to age-related prejudices. A corporation that is impartial as far as employee hiring is concerned is likely to draw in a larger clientele. Thus, hiring Silver-Surfers is considered a good move as it makes the involved corporation look good to the public (Hartmann, 2002, p.12). It is also a good move because it serves to show the lack of prejudices when it comes to employee hiring in the corporation in question. Another advantage of hiring Silver-Surfers stems from a logistics point of view. Because the elderly have lived out a greater part of their lives, they are more likely to provide a calm and relaxed workforce as opposed to people in their early twenties. It is sufficient to say that the elderly are relatively more settled down in the workplace (Desssler, 2000, p.73). As a result, they can provide work that is in actuality more thorough and comprehensive than a younger workforce (Pickering, 2001, p.70). Their experience in various aspects of employment also comes in handy as it serves to improve their overall performance. In other words, Silver-Surfers are more likely to be composed at the workplace and have a higher degree of work ethic than younger employees. Issues that may arise as a result of hiring silver surfers Any corporation intending to hire the Silver-Surfer age demographic must be ready to deal with workplace stereotyping. This is a scenario where employees develop stereotypes about each other and this in turn affects employee cohesion and ultimately productivity (Smith, 1999, p.79). Any organization considering hiring the Silver-Surfer age demographic must factor in the fact that there are likely to be ill feelings from the younger employees (Roth, 2005, p.139). These ill feelings are likely to stem from stereotypes that are usually attributed to the elderly by mainstream society (Smith, 2000, p.102). These stereotypes are likely to find their way into the workplace environment (Macrae, 2005, p.40). This will pose a large challenge to the management as ensuring employee cohesion is an imperative part of streamlining employee performance with the production goals of the corporation in question. The management must therefore step in and ensure that the workforce is stereotype free (Suan, 2005, p.80). One way of doing this is by ensuring that the younger employees accept the Silver-Surfers and view them as equally worthy employees who deserve respect (Cruver, 2002, p.66). There are also ethical issues that arise from hiring the Silver-Surfer age demographic that management has to take care of. As discussed earlier, this is an age demographic with a higher need for medical attention than the other is. The number of days in which employees are absent will also be much higher when it comes to this age demographic compared to other age groups (Bonhoeffer, 2001, p.138). These are ethical issues which management has to deal with. There should be a mechanism put in place to ensure that the Silver-Surfers receive the medical attention that they need while at the workplace. There should also be an emergency response team on standby ready to deal with any arising health related issue. Management must also be liberal as far as employee absenteeism is concerned especially in this age group. This means that the management must be accommodative of the physical conditions of these workers. Thus, any employee seeking absenteeism and presents a legitimate reason for this absenteeism should be considered by the management (Aras, 2009, p.79). The management should not be discriminative of this age group critical of their frequent absenteeism requests. The management should factor in the various medical appointments that people in this age demographic have in order to sustain their lives (Waters, 2008, p.62). Thus, management should understand that these particular employees are rather delicate in comparison to other employees and are in need of special considerations. Reference List Aaker, D. A., 2000, Developing Business Strategies. New York: Wiley. Aras, G., 2009, Global Perspectives on Corporate Governance and CSR. Farnham: Gower. Bonhoeffer, D. , 2001, Ethics. New York: Macmillan. Bratton, J., and Jeffrey, G., 2000, Human Resource Management Theory and Practice. 2nd ed. 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