Age is not just a number. It is a testament to a lifetime of learning, growth, and achievement. The over-60 workforce is not a relic of the past. It is a bridge to a wiser, more balanced future.

In an era that fervently champions youth empowerment, the invaluable contributions of older employees are often overlooked.

Despite the glossy HR brochures and the boilerplate declarations of "equal opportunity", ageism remains a stubborn and largely unaddressed bias in corporate South Africa. Older professionals, particularly those over 60, are routinely sidelined, not because they lack capability, but because they are misjudged. The stereotype of the older worker as slow, inflexible or technologically inept continues to shape hiring decisions and workplace dynamics, often unconsciously, but no less harmfully.

Organisations may claim they do not discriminate on the basis of age, but few take meaningful steps to counteract the deeply embedded assumptions that drive such exclusion. The result is a loss, not just of fairness, but of wisdom, resilience and strategic depth.

The under-appreciated value of workers over the age of 60

In today's fast-paced corporate world, where agility and disruption are prized above all, we risk overlooking one of our most valuable assets -- experienced professionals. While younger talent is actively courted, older workers are too often treated as expendable or irrelevant. This is not only unjust, it is hopelessly short-sighted.

Professionals over 60 bring a depth of experience that cannot be...