Seniors at work: committed but invisible employees?

Today, we talk a lot about QVCT, of well-being at work, meaning, recognition... But there is a category of employees that we still don't talk about very much: seniors or those over 55. However, they are there, fully invested, often Experienced, sometimes Discreet, but for all that, no less Affected. And the numbers of our Mental Health Barometer & QVCT 2025, conducted with IPSOS, confirm it: seniors remain committed... but feel less and less considered.

A real paradox: on the one hand, a real involvement in the work, on the other hand, a persistent feeling of invisibility, of stagnation, even of injustice. It's not a question of age, it's a question of place. What space are we giving them? What recognition do we give them? What desire do we give them to project themselves into the company?

Through the results of our barometer, we want to share a Practical insight into the mental health of seniors at work, without dramatizing, but without detour either. Because the subject is not an inevitable result of age: it is a question of corporate culture, inclusion, and perspectives. Above all, it's a great opportunity to take action.

Differences that are not misleading: seniors perceive a lag in their treatment and recognition at work

Our 2025 Barometer reveals a clear signal: employees over 55 rate their quality of life and working conditions on average 7.5% below the national average (53.83/100 against 58.21). A gap that, taken in isolation, could seem modest. But that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Behind this overall score, several specific indicators show a feeling of exclusion or, at best, of being at a distance.

The”place given to employees” reached only 49.94/100 among seniors, compared to 54.64/100 for all working people. One difference of -8.6%, which reflects a feeling of non-listening and of recognition at half-mast.

Côté inclusion and equality, same observation: 59.31/100 among those over 55, compared to 64.12/100. There too, -7.5% gap between seniors and the general population.

These figures do not indicate a lack of interest among seniors in their work, they especially highlight, a lack of consideration perceived. Less solicited, less visible in team dynamics, less represented in decisions, they sometimes have the feeling of working alongside the collective project, without always being fully included.

Professional development: an impression of “stopping” at the end of a career

The second striking indicator is training and skills development. Employees over 55 give a score of 50.49/100, compared to 55.09/100 for the rest of the working population. This represents -8.3% difference, a strong signal.

What does that tell us? Not necessarily that they refuse to learn or train (far from it), but that they feel that they are no longer invited to do so. As if, after a certain age, we were closing the door to prospects for evolution, increases in skills or changes in trajectory.

“The relational skills acquired with experience are of less interest to employers than technical skills, in particular the mastery of digital tools, which contributes to this feeling of being left out.” Camy Puech, CEO & Founder, @Qualisocial

It's a common blind spot: we value past experience without always investing in future experiences. Result: seniors feel a form of Professional stagnation. And when you stop learning, sometimes you end up disengaging.

Despite everything... the commitment of seniors is holding up

And yet. What is striking about the results of our barometer is that The commitment does not waver.

Côté concentration, those over 55 get a score of 64.58/100, or just 0.8% less than the national average.

For involvement, they show 62.99/100, with an equally moderate gap of -3.3%.

In other words: Despite a feeling of being left out, seniors remain mobilized. They are there, present, focused, involved in their missions. This is not a “default” commitment, it is a strong sign of commitment to a job well done, to their role in the team, and to the company as a whole.

The message behind these numbers is powerful: it's not about reigniting an extinguished flame. It is still there. But if nothing is done to feed it, the risk is real: divestiture progressive, loss of meaning, loss of skills... and that would be a loss for everyone.

“The rapid development of automation and artificial intelligence could restore the importance of human and relational skills, and offer seniors new opportunities for engagement and Recognition at work.” Camy Puech, CEO & Founder, @Qualisocial

Invisibilizing seniors means taking a risk... for the whole company

Not hearing the discomfort of employees over 55 is letting a form of silent imbalance take hold. Risk is not only individual discomfort. It is a global impact on the organization: loss of collective energy, weakening of the intergenerational link, obstacle to the transmission of knowledge... and in the end, loss of performance.

When an employee no longer feels considered, he does not necessarily leave the company, but he gradually withdraws from the game: fewer initiatives, less participation, less projection into the future. We then talk about” passive disengagement“, a phenomenon that is difficult to detect, but very real.

And that disengagement can last a long time. Because with the gradual decline in the retirement age, A 55-year-old employee sometimes still has 10, 12 or even 13 years to spend with the company. We are therefore not talking about the end of the course to be supported politely, but about a long time to value, energize and fully invest.

It is also an employer image issue: companies that do not value their experienced employees are exposed to a Reputation of “youth”, perceived as unfair, even disqualifying, in a world of work that wants to be more inclusive. And that's a shame, because experience is not a burden, it's a lever.

Finally, there is the cost of not acting. In the long term, a QVCT perceived as unequal can fuel Turnover avoidable, a deteriorated internal climate, and difficulties in recruiting senior profiles. Conversely, integrating all generations into a common dynamic of well-being and recognition means playing collectively, sustainably.

Taking concrete action: what if we changed our perspective?

What the figures show us is not a crisis of seniors at work, but a opportunity for reinvention. Because the levers are there, at your fingertips: listening, recognizing, inclusiveness. There's no need to upset the entire organization: it's often aboutadjust, of re-engage in the long term, and especially of Give voice to those who are no longer heard enough.

A few simple and effective ways to try tomorrow

• Rethinking the professional interview to make it a real time of exchange, not a simple assessment.
• Involving seniors more in team decisions, transversal projects, transmission roles.
• Valuing acquired skills, even informal, through mentoring or reverse tutoring.
• Offer realistic perspectives, even for a short time: short training, new projects, organizational flexibility.
• Combating age stereotypes, sometimes well-established, through awareness-raising campaigns or intergenerational exchanges.

And according to our barometer...

To optimize the engagement of seniors, the study identifies three key levers:

• La pride with respect to the work done;
• The full use of skills ;
• The ability of employers to Encourage a positive work environment.

At Qualisocial, we support companies in this dynamic. Thanks to our listening devices, our co-development workshops, our QVCT barometers and our actions targeted at the end of career trajectories, we help teams to find a balance between generations, to create a fairer work climate, and to make inclusion... a reality!

To conclude: make age a collective asset!

Just because you're 55, 60 or 62 doesn't mean you're less likely to get involved. The data from our 2025 Mental Health & QVCT Barometer prove it: seniors are still fully committed. What they are waiting for is to be reached out to them again. Not out of charity, but out of trust and recognition.

Revaluing their place means strengthening cohesion. It means focusing on experience, without giving up on innovation. It's choosing a company that really listens to all their voices.