Why recruiter Matthew Vohs has set up a new service to encourage age diversity in the workplace

Matthew Vohs is a fashion industry veteran turned specialist retail recruiter. He established his own agency Vohs and Co 10 years ago with his partner Nicole to support the needs of fashion, retail, lifestyle and luxury businesses.

While workforce diversity is top of the agenda for businesses these days, one area Vohs felt has been overlooked is age diversity. To answer this, he has established a new platform, O50C, to help employers appreciate and make the most of the potential and under-utilised talent available to them in the over-50 age group, while helping those in that age group continue to enjoy fulfilling careers.

Before we get on to the subject of your new age diversity platform, can you please tell us a bit about Vohs and Co and what the business does?

Vohs and Co is a recruitment agency established in 2013, we started with just myself and my partner Nicole Vohs , we both had come from the fashion sector so if felt opportune to start the business supporting the fashion retail sector working with large retailers including M&C, Primark, Next and many others as well as high street suppliers. The agency started working outside of fashion working with shop fit organisations. In 2020 we pivoted the business gravitating towards the luxury and premium sector, being a member of Walpole, we started to working with many fellow Walpole members and diversifying into travel and hospitality and other sectors.

What are the key shifts in fashion retailers’ approach to recruitment in the post-pandemic era?

There is no doubt that pandemic has had an impact towards recruitment remote work and hybrid work models. The pandemic accelerated the adoption of remote work, and many companies may continue to offer remote or hybrid work options. This shift can widen the talent pool as geographical limitations become less significant, allowing employers to recruit from a more diverse range of locations.

Similarly, there has been and emphasis on digital skills with the increased reliance on technology during the pandemic leading to a greater demand for candidates with digital skills in industries such as e-commerce and digital marketing.

There is also the importance of sustainability and ethical practices in the fashion sector. Brands may seek candidates with expertise in sustainable design, responsible sourcing, and supply chain management to meet consumer demand for eco-friendly products.

Fashion shows and industry events shifted to virtual formats during the pandemic. This trend could continue, leading to a demand for candidates with experience in organizing and managing digital events and virtual showrooms.

Fashion brands may invest in technology and innovation to enhance their operations and customer experience. Candidates with skills in fashion technology, data analytics, and artificial intelligence could be sought after this together with consumer behaviour analysis is crucial for fashion companies and as such, we have seen a huge demand for CRM and loyalty opportunities develop as retailers and brands wish to understand shopping patterns from their customers.

In terms of diversity in a more general sense (such as gender and race), how do you feel retail has progressed in recent years?

I think there has been a fantastic response and action taken to improve diversity within the workforce – and rightly so. I think the gender equality with the board room and mid management help pave the way for a more diverse and balanced workplace come into place in the early 90's creating a variety of experiences and perspective from both genders, with this in place there has been a positive result in terms of the financial results in comparison with a less fluid gender diversity. I think we can say the same for LGTBQ+ and BAME and how this has harboured a much more inclusive workforce showcasing trust, belonging and respect amongst colleagues, as diversity has become the norm across gender and race so too has the focus shift from individual capabilities and achievements to that of gender or race based assumptions.

Matthew Vohs

Much has been made of attracting new talent to the industry, but it is surprising, isn’t it, that less emphasis has been made when it comes to retaining more experienced talent?

Yes and no... typically the hiring managers and companies are always looking a 'fresh approach' to candidates and the position they wish to be filled and in the past, it has been the principle that if you are young then it must mean you are fresh, hungry and motivated – we know this isn’t always the case and this principle often finds the age diverse candidates frustrated and overlooked as a strong candidate be it for promotions, sideways move or retained within their organisation. This also leads to a destabilising effect for the organisation within their work force, one of constant worry and angst for the age diverse employee.

Why do you think more experienced staff get so overlooked and are the younger generation responsible for this the culture change?

I think sometimes employees feel that age diverse candidates are overlooked due to them being a) over qualified, b) too mature 3) archaic within their work 4) unable to process at as fast a rate to that of a younger candidate and 5) resistant to change.

There has been a lot of hype around Generation X, Z and Y – positive hype and rightly so – but possibly over hyped. I am not sure... sometimes the work ethics of this younger generation are so far removed from the a business owner’s principles that the younger generation sometime comes across as almost entitled. I think the pandemic has exasperated this with the working from home and freedom that this had bestowed on that age group. As is always the case, once anything become the normal that is more favourable to someone – it can be hard to reverse the situation.

Tell us about your new recruitment platform and how do you intend to attract the talent and encourage retailers to look at this pool of people?

At O50C we want to change the way age diversity is approached within the workforce, across all sectors and industries. As we mentioned earlier Diversity & Inclusion has come a long way within other areas but less so with age. We strongly believe that age should never be a barrier to professional growth or opportunity. By championing age diversity, we strive to create a world where everyone, regardless of their age, can thrive and succeed together.

O50C aims to offer a bespoke search tailored to the client across all sectors and industries – nationwide. As a client, you can take comfort knowing that we never use a one-size fits all model.

Our team carries out bespoke searches for candidates that will not just meet their age diversity recruitment requirements, but candidates that will have the relevant expertise, knowledge and experience for your specific job. Right for the job.

For candidates we are going beyond traditional recruitment services and offer comprehensive workshops, training programmes and bespoke packages that equip our candidates with the skills needed to succeed in today's dynamic job market. For supposition, where does a 52 year-old candidate who has been recently been made redundant after 12 years in the same job go? It can be overwhelming both in terms of the effect redundancy has on an individual whilst equipping themselves to move forward and find a new position, so we are offering CV structure, understanding Linked-In and interviewing support to our candidates that need the support and guidance.

What do you feel has driven this change within age diversity?

Frankly speaking it's been a matter of time. The age workforce across the UK is growing much more for a variety of reasons:

a) people are living longer
b) people need to work as the cost-of-living crisis deepens
c) the government is looking to raise retirement age from 65 so there will be no choice unless you are financially secure.

Notwithstanding the above there are positive reasons that grow from this situation:

a) People actually want to work longer – a 50-year-old is not what a 50-year-old used to be a decade ago. People want to work to maintain the balance within their lives
b) government reverses the economic situation as if people remain on the payroll there is NI and PAYE contribution.
c) organisations are now actually wanting age diverse candidates for the very reason we talked about earlier – to balance out the younger generation with life skills and experience
d) organisations also favour the age diverse candidates as they are deemed more reliable in terms of character and taking fewer days off for personal reasons - they are in a different stage of life.

Employers strive greatly to create cultures that are appealing to Gen Z candidates, who have very different attitudes to work that prior generations, how can they create a culture that is welcoming to more mature employees and foster harmony across the workforce?

Building an age diverse workforce in an on-going process and requires dedication and effort from the company. It’s critical to embed the principles of age diversity into the culture from a top-down perspective and create as a norm within the values and practices of an organisation – similar to our feeling towards other diverse sectors. Leadership needs to recognise and celebrate contribution from all employees regardless of their age celebrating inclusion.

Companies need to offer an age diverse recruitment process, this is where 050C can really assist the organisation by using our agency to search relevant candidates that meet their Corporate Social Responsibilities – entrusting us to ensure that candidates are not discriminated and meet all criteria including relevant skills, experience and knowledge for the job role. Organisations can conduct relevant training and development suited to the age diverse candidate. Addressing age bias and stereotypes that fall into the workplace can promote inclusivity as well as involving older employees in the decision-making process and /or having them in the age diversity steering committee.

Here at O50C we have employees that range in age from 24 years old to 57 years old – the diversity across that age spectrum add so much to our work force its really highlights our strap line, workforce diversity = positive disruption.

Main image: Alamy