Many Generation X employees complain that they have encountered overt discrimination and bullying in their companies. However, the problem is much broader and is not limited to what is visible at first glance. Today, the phenomenon of the ‘silent extinction’ of Generation X is becoming increasingly apparent on the Polish labour market. What does this mean in practice?
Generation X faces many challenges in today’s labour market. This is the result of stereotypes and prejudices about this group of employees. One of the most entrenched beliefs is that mature people cannot keep up with technology. Common simplifications equate youth with energy and maturity with passivity. Another commonly held belief is that older employees show lower commitment. Such stereotypes act as a filter – they place older employees in a worse position from the outset, regardless of their actual skills or potential. This is clearly visible in recruitment practices, i.e. how recruiters approach different age groups.
“Job advertisements most often use phrases such as ‘dynamic team’ or ‘energetic start-up’. These phrases implicitly suggest that the ideal candidate is in their twenties or thirties” emphasises Magda Pietkiewicz. “As research by the Polish Economic Institute shows, age is still a barrier at the recruitment stage. In a controlled correspondence experiment, in which comparable CVs of 52-year-olds and 28-year-olds were sent out, the applications of younger people were given preference. The difference was already apparent at the first stage of selection, even before anyone had spoken to the candidate. This is hard evidence that the number we enter in the age field can become an implicit reason for rejection” she emphasises.
The spiral of exclusion
However, the phasing out of Generation X is not limited to being overlooked in recruitment. Representatives of this generation are also less likely to be sent to workshops or training courses. Of course, this may be partly due to the offer available on the market – most courses are designed with younger audiences in mind. A review of OECD data confirms that this phenomenon is systemic. In all countries belonging to the organisation, there is a clear gap in access to training for people aged 45+. This means that mature employees have significantly fewer opportunities to participate in development programmes.
An additional concern is that Generation X representatives are less likely than their younger colleagues to be considered for promotion. Analyses by PeopleScout show that people aged 45+ are promoted up to 30% slower than millennials. This is also confirmed by employees’ perceptions. Most of those surveyed by the Włączeni Plus Foundation believe that mature people do not have equal opportunities for promotion.
“Generation X employees, even if they have the motivation and health to work at full capacity, are often automatically typecast as slow, conservative and less flexible. Their commitment declines and they may experience burnout more easily. They are often affected by so-called loyalty fatigue – fatigue caused by the dissonance associated with the simple calculation of ‘am I getting as much from the organisation as I give to it’. Sometimes they leave the organisation in search of a better place for themselves. Unfortunately, they do not always find it” comments the creator of the Enpulse platform.
“I can see from the data and conversations with employers that some people aged 45-60 choose self-employment not out of a love of entrepreneurship, but out of pure necessity – because they feel that the ceiling is low in full-time employment. Others opt for a major career change or even take a step backwards: they seek calmer roles outside the mainstream market after years of working without real appreciation. At ZUS, we emphasise that the market needs experience and diversity. That is why we encourage employers to open up promotion paths for mature professionals and employees to take advantage of skills development programmes. This pays off for everyone: companies, people and the system” says Paweł Jaroszek, Vice-President of ZUS for Finance.
Organisational memory
EU and OECD data show that seniority – the time we spend with one employer – increases with age. Young adults (e.g. around 20 years of age) spend about 3.3 years in one workplace, while in the group of mature employees it is as much as 7 years. This longer tenure is ‘organisational memory’: a set of unwritten rules of cooperation, contacts with customers, knowledge of what worked in the past and what ruined projects. When companies let such people go, they lose out.
“Experience is not something that can be replaced overnight – it cannot be replaced by a new, young employee or artificial intelligence. AI can support analysis and automate routine tasks, but it cannot recreate relationships, industry context and intuition built up over years. Young people, on the other hand, need to get up to speed, settle in and and begin developing their expertise in a given industry. These processes take time and energy, which affects the stability and continuity of teams and increases costs” says Magda Pietkiewicz. “The eRecruiter website reports that in Poland, the recruitment of specialists and managers in Poland takes an average of 35 days. While the period may appear short, the price an organisation has to pay for these five weeks of absence can be really high. Estimates show that replacing an experienced employee may cost the organisation from 30% up to even twice their annual salary, once recruitment, onboarding and productivity losses are taken into account. Based on the national average, this is currently between PLN 27,000 and PLN 216,000 gross” she calculates.
Say no to stereotypes
Employers should adopt a more evidence-based view of Generation X. Why? First of all, the stereotypes circulating about people aged 45+ do not stand up to reality. Generation X is comfortable using digital solutions – they shop online, use electronic banking and watch television on the internet. Many studies confirm that their potential in terms of using new technologies is the same as that of young people. The only difference is their learning style. The issue of productivity is similar. The OECD Employment Outlook report from 2025 indicates that companies with a more balanced age structure – i.e. where there is a similar percentage of younger and older employees – are more effective.
“One of the most harmful myths about Generation X is their allegedly low level of engagement. International research and analysis show the exact opposite. Very often, it is people aged 50+ who have a higher level of work engagement than younger people. Actual engagement is not determined by age. Respect, a sense of justice and a bond with the company – these are the real motivators. So let’s be clear: whether an employee gives their all is not determined by their age, but by the environment we create in the company” emphasises Magda Pietkiewicz.
Inclusivity should be something natural
Promoting age diversity as a business goal rather than a ‘soft addition’ should be a priority for companies today. Firstly, it is pure mathematics – the average Pole is getting older, which means that candidates aged 45+ will increasingly dominate recruitment processes. Secondly, discrimination in recruitment, promotion or assignment to key initiatives is a real business risk. Thirdly, ‘quiet fading’ is just as unethical as discrimination or mobbing.
“Many studies confirm that teams work better when they are diverse and that diversity is appreciated and nurtured. Here, a huge burden rests on leaders and managers, who, instead of discriminating, must learn to harness the potential that lies dormant in employees aged 45+” she points out. “Inclusiveness should be something natural, not a privilege that has to be fought for. We should focus on fostering cooperation rather than creating unnecessary divisions. This means consciously involving mature employees in development through mentoring, shadowing, younger-older duos, or parallel expert paths alongside managerial ones. Companies that do this today will gain a competitive advantage for years to come – in the most valuable currency: experience, stability and employee loyalty” concludes Magda Pietkiewicz.
Sources:
https://pie.net.pl/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/PIE-Raport_Ageizm_2021-ostateczna_v.3-red..pdf
https://www.oecd.org/en/about/directorates/directorate-for-employment-labour-and-social-affairs.html
https://erecruiter.pl/raport-candidate-experience-2023.pdf
https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/topics/talent-acquisition
https://ssgk.stat.gov.pl/Wynagrodzenia_i_swiadczenia_spoleczne.html
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Magda Pietkiewicz is an HR expert and the creator of Enpulse, a platform designed to measure and build employee engagement. For more than 20 years, she has been gaining experience and skills in business, developing innovative projects in cooperation with major international and local brands. She is the co-owner of Zmotywowani.pl, an HR consulting company with over 10 years of experience, of which Enpulse – an employee engagement platform – is a part. Magda holds an MBA in Business Management from Oxford Brookes University.
Enpulse is a modern tool for companies that want to understand and strengthen employee engagement. The platform combines opinion research with intelligent data analysis to identify what truly drives motivation and team performance. Based on the results, Enpulse provides organizations with clear recommendations and ready-to-use solutions that support leaders in making the right decisions and building a healthy workplace culture.
