Our youth-focussed world overlooks the talent and experience of older workers, but right now we need them more than ever before
Not long before Covid kicked off, I spent some time with a very amiable pension advisor who kindly pulled together several pensions I have during my unremarkable but transient career. I’ll be honest: the whole process bored me rigid; I did nothing with his advice, though five years later and at 53, I get those days when it all seems a bit too much, and I threaten to pick up the phone to him again and work out exactly the best time to retire. What does the future, if any, in the industry hold for those coming towards the latter stages of their career?
This landscape is pretty familiar to me – for 13 years in heading up small consultancy businesses, I’ve been trawling the market, ready to pounce on folk my age and older to do assignments. Now, I’m in that territory myself, and it’s made me reflective, mainly as the transport industry, in particular, is at a crossroads – enormous challenges ahead, franchising in bus and ‘nationalisation’ planned for the rail sector. If ever there was a time to persuade those approaching retirement age not to call it a day, it’s now, but a lot depends on the optics. It’s not fashionable to admit to looking back and wanting to benefit from the wisdom of those who have seen and done it in previous eras. Surely those at the helm of our sector can’t be so short-sighted and shut the door on those approaching their twilight years just because it’s not cool to do so? We shall see.
In my time hanging around with so-called old timers, I’ve been overwhelmed by many – their energy, work rate, sincerity and uncomplicated approach, and having no scruples to shed the status they enjoyed in the corporate world and politely take orders from clients
In my time hanging around with so-called old timers, I’ve been overwhelmed by many – their energy, work rate, sincerity and uncomplicated approach, and having no scruples to shed the status they enjoyed in the corporate world and politely take orders from clients. These same individuals tend to work not because they need the money but more to keep their minds active to remain relevant and contribute to an industry they adore. Despite their age, they go out of their way to gen up on latest trends and approaches, dream up new innovative approaches and research the sector. They aren’t prepared to rest on their laurels or their past, but realise it’s about being progressive and in touch with market needs. It’s been a privilege to work with these folk.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, I’ve watched some formerly senior bigwigs flounder on leaving their cosetted corporate environment, where they were fawned upon by their large teams and surrounded by bag carriers and executive assistants. I’ve seen, albeit with a little sense of tittering mirth, struggle to come to terms with situations where they have to write their own reports, master the art of PowerPoint slides and take orders from a junior manager barely out of their twenties. These same people also have an exalted opinion of their financial worth – baulking at day rates below £1,000 and seldom, if ever, contemplating whether a client can genuinely afford them or if they provide value for money. They then expect to get paid reasonably instantly or spend an assignment chasing more work or providing reports so superficial and littered with errors you wouldn’t let them anywhere near presenting to the client.
For those who don’t necessarily want to get their hands dirty, a non-executive director role holds more appeal. Again, I have seen some utterly brilliant NEDs, but also be careful of someone who tells you that they want to do something “more strategic, benefiting youth with my experience” – which, for me is code for laziness, interjecting and probing to feel superior and relevant but not taking accountability. Sometimes, I question the value that non-executives bring to the table.
It sounds like I’m not making a particularly compelling case for the widespread use of former corporate bigwigs intent on semi-retirement or a spell out of the hot seats. My musings above are generally rare, but they are red flags. That’s why – dare I say it – employing a contracting consultancy, such as that run by yours truly (!), is always worthwhile as we have years of experience.
I genuinely believe that, more than ever, the industry needs old-timer consultants
Looking forward, I genuinely believe that, more than ever, the industry needs old-timer consultants. Bus franchising and rail restructuring are complex, and they need objective, fresh-thinking from those detached from the rigours of the ‘day job’ and internal corporate politics. In particular, they need very detailed knowledge of local, regional, and national market trends over a lengthy period of time and of the various nuances, as well as what worked and didn’t work in previous eras.
The older I get the more dumbfounded I am at how many folk can’t relate to key events that have shaped the history of our sector, but then I realise that it’s hardly surprising given that the vast majority of those in the industry either weren’t alive at the time or were too young to remember! That’s old age for you! I spoke at a Network Rail Strategy Team Awayday a few months ago, and only three hands in 120 went up when I asked who was around at the time of privatisation. The same hands stayed up and joined by no others when I enquired who was on the scene when Hatfield and the subsequent gauge corner cracking occurred, and then by the time we talked about the demise of Railtrack and creation of Network Rail only two more piped up. Four more were around when the Strategic Rail Authority shut its doors for good, and many hadn’t even heard of this organisation. Incredible.
We shouldn’t underestimate the value of consultants nor neglect them. Many are sole traders, and a few struggle to sales pitch, relying on consultancies such as my own, which is fine. Coming from a sector where let’s be honest, genuine commercial roles are more scarce than in other industries, there are few folks with a background in sales, and the concept of ‘bringing home the bacon’ to generate income for themselves is alien for most. The transport consultancy sector could benefit from some kind of industry body, where consultants can network with each other, maybe benefit from back-office support services, as well as receive training and development. Consultancy can be a lonely place.
The industry also doesn’t help consultants, and as I’ve said before, they are often treated like something caught on the back of a shoe
The industry also doesn’t help consultants, and as I’ve said before, they are often treated like something caught on the back of a shoe. It can be an absolute minefield trying to navigate IR35 employment legislation and procurement processes, including completing onerous policies to become an approved supplier, getting Purchase Orders, or understanding how to be paid. Invoices occasionally get ignored or, in some exceptional cases, you can be treated with disdain for chasing. Work is often completed and the fruits of the labour take over six months to enjoy, so payment can be slow.
Sometimes, companies don’t make it easy for themselves to get value out of consultants. Assignments can be embarked on and then priorities shift, clients lose interest, people move on and sometimes reports aren’t read or acted on. The best jobs are those when the client is with you every step of the way, engaging meaningfully, challenging positively and acting with conviction to address recommendations and keep consultants on standby should they require further assistance. When there are clients that are apathetic, I wonder if they realise how fortunate they are to be working with a consultant who was literally a household name back in the day and with such a wealth of experience?
This comes back to my original point around the role of those approaching or at retirement age at a time of deep and profound structural change within public transport. The paucity of rounded figureheads and senior leaders is something I have lamented in previous articles, partly brought about because of the more fragmented nature of the sector in the past two decades. This has reduced the scale, scope and diversity of opportunities for those at the top to garner the experience of their predecessors. The more templated, constrained nature of the rail industry, with its micro-management from the regulatory bodies and within the owning groups hasn’t helped. So too, the demise of proper development programmes and succession planning (HR departments, once again, have, with some exceptions, been underwhelming) has also been a factor.
All this means that those hugely experienced folk in semi-retirement/consultancy roles now are a scarcer commodity and should be valued highly. Their scarcity is also partly because – and this sounds anecdotal as no survey has, to my mind, been produced – more talent has been drained from the industry at an earlier age than in previous eras. This is partly because of a disillusionment with big businesses being so fixated on youth, such that many middle-aged folk no longer feel valued and are pushed out or seek to leave earlier in their career than previous generations would have done. The ‘compromise agreement’ culture, as a quick way of exiting folk when their face doesn’t fit or during circumstances such as franchises changing hands, means many are in a position, from a financial perspective, to take full or partial retirement earlier or perhaps they’ve been so affected by their exit that they don’t want to work in the corporate world again.
Where’s this all leading, and why is it relevant right now? I believe that we are at a watershed point with the looming structural challenges in bus and rail, coupled with the need to somewhat reinvent ourselves to keep abreast of societal changes affecting demand for public transport. The latter might lazily cause decision-makers to feel that those leaders associated with ‘yesteryear’ cannot contribute in terms of helping plan for the future in a markedly different landscape to that which existed in their pomp and prime. However, with experience comes an ability to take a reflective step back, a strategic overview and objective view, gathering research to form a picture and best inform those setting policy going forward. In terms of setting strategy, they will be able to point to success and mistakes made in the past – some of which they may have been culpable of presiding over themselves, but in doing so, they can describe and relate to the pain and consequences more authentically and with the greatest impact.
The industry has some big decisions to make very soon, so why wouldn’t it involve the widest range of expertise, irrespective of age?
The industry has some big decisions to make very soon, so why wouldn’t it involve the widest range of expertise, irrespective of age? I seem to recall the Strategic Rail Authority recruiting many talented 50- and 60-somethings as employees and consultants as it sought to transform the sector, recognising the value they could bring – maybe GBR will do the same, too?
Finally, I have a wish for the sector as we embark on the journey to come: respect those approaching or at retirement age. It makes me wince to see how disingenuously and loosely the term ‘dinosaur’ is used to chide elder colleagues—often, you only need to name someone, and just because they might be male and over 55, the term ‘he’s a dinosaur’ is used. The disrespect towards experienced consultants makes me despair.
For now, my overriding request is that the industry, in its desire to be seen to be dynamic, diverse, innovative and forward-thinking, doesn’t lose sight of its own experienced baby boomers and beyond that still have a massive contribution to make. They might not make glamourous headlines or be a marketer’s dream, but the industry needs all the help it can get right now and can’t afford to turn its nose up at us old-timers. The stakes are too high, and besides, the thought of trying again to fathom out how pensions work is, in my case, too tedious and complex a task to contemplate. It’s simpler to carry on working and making a nuisance of myself to the younger generation if anyone will have me!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Alex Warner has over 30 years’ experience in the transport sector, having held senior roles on a multi-modal basis across the sector. He is co-founder of recruitment business Lost Group and transport consultancy AJW Experience Group (which includes Great Scenic Journeys). He is also chair of West Midlands Grand Rail Collaboration and chair of Surrey FA.
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