How is Schneider Electric tackling the issue of employing older people?
We started looking at the subject of older workers two years ago. In my view, this is one of the most complex subjects to tackle as part of a human resources management policy. Firstly, because it cannot be approached in the same way everywhere in the world. It’s a theme deeply marked by cultural and geographical differences. For example, in Japan, some people continue to work at the age of 80, whereas in China, people retire at 55; in the United States, it’s forbidden to talk about age in a professional setting, whereas in France we talk about it quite freely, although we can’t talk about ethnic statistics, because that’s forbidden in France, and so on. It’s a subject to be approached with a great deal of humility.
Secondly, the trend towards political correctness complicates matters still further. Today, particularly in France, we no longer speak of “seniors” but of “experienced workers”. This shows the extent to which vocabulary is evolving, often to avoid negative connotations, but it can also blur the debate.
How did the subject come up?
We became interested in the topic at a point when we had made several acquisitions, particularly of American companies.
