What matters: age or ability?

Age is a label

It's probably existed as long as people have: the battle between generations. We all grew up in a certain period. And that's made us into who we are now. At the same time, every person is unique, with qualities that belong to them. Yet we judge each other mainly on the generation we come from, instead of looking at the person themselves. That leads to thinking in terms of us versus them – which doesn’t get us anywhere. We should be moving forward together.

Your contribution counts, even if you’re getting on in years

The age at which we call someone 'old' has gone up quite a bit over time. We're all living longer and staying fitter. Because of this, the age at which we stop working has gone up too. Looking at it that way, it's strange to say that older colleagues are worth less because of their age. It’s much more useful to look at someone's talents and contributions.

Customers do see it

First, we need to get rid of some stubborn and old-fashioned ideas. Like that seniors don't want to learn anything, are always sick and can't keep up. Nonsense, of course: all prejudice. Older people can definitely learn something new, they just focus more on what really matters. They also want to be able to apply it right away. And about being ill? People above 55 actually call in sick less. When it comes to health, lifestyle has much more impact than age. And lifestyle doesn't depend on your date of birth. Customers also often prefer help from older employees: they’re more approachable, more patient and communicate more easily.

Gratitude and keeping knowledge

ABN AMRO's diversity and inclusion policy starts with the question of how generations can strengthen each other. And that's badly needed, because in the coming years, many baby boomers (born between 1945 and 1960) and Gen X'ers (born between 1960-1980) will stop working. More so than there are young people joining.

We think it's important to guide and assist this large group toward the end of their careers, so they can enjoy their retirement feeling good. We also show how grateful we are for all the work these employees have done for the bank. Additionally, we try to transfer knowledge to the next generations. With that, we aim to make ABN AMRO futureproof. That's important, because otherwise this knowledge disappears from our organization forever.

Staying in touch

It's not just our older employees who are vulnerable to negative opinions about age. The same goes for our older customers. So, we do a lot to make sure they are and remain financially independent. These people were used to going to a bank branch their whole lives. More and more of those are closing, because we bank online nowadays.

To keep helping older customers personally, we've set up a special seniors program. This allows them to get financial help from a Help with Banking advisor Banking Help Advisor or ask questions about banking through the Help with Banking Line Banking Help Line. In this way, personal contact with ABN AMRO stays possible. On the other hand, we educate young people. Especially about fraud via computer or mobile phone, like money laundering, as that particularly targets youngsters.

As a bank, we want to stay in touch with all generations. By thinking carefully about what customers at a certain age want and find important, we can often help everyone. No matter when you were born.