Read about the government's plans to encourage businesses to retain, retrain and recruit older workers.
]]>Today as Business Champion for Older Workers, I have published my independent report to Government – ‘A New Vision for Older People: Retain, Retrain, Recruit’. The report calls for action to ensure all members of our society, of whatever age, receive the support they need. It sets out how business, Government, individuals themselves and the media can do more to support older workers and improve perceptions of the over 50s.
Background of the Report
We are all aware that as a country we are facing substantial demographic change. The figures are stark – by 2022, there will be 700,000 fewer people aged 16 to 49 in the UK workforce but 3.7 million more people aged between 50 and State Pension age.
Working life today is very different in many ways from how things used to be in the 1950s. For example, the way women are treated has improved enormously with greater gender equality.
But while the drive for gender equality has made great progress, the same cannot be said for another area of workplace discrimination – the negative attitudes towards older workers.
I know from the vast amount of correspondence I have received that age discrimination at work remains a real problem for many. All too often, when it comes to your career, once you reach your fifties or sixties, you are considered “past it” – or less use. We need to permanently shift these attitudes in all parts of society.
The Future
My vision is for a future where every older person who wants to work, can work. In this future, flexible working and phased retirement are the accepted and indeed expected norm.
I want Government, employers and individuals to carefully consider my report and take action to help see the UK lead the world in redefining later life working. The right response will benefit us all.
Dr. Ros Altmann
Government’s Business Champion for Older Workers
The way we view retirement is changing. Millions of over 50s have reconsidered their options and now plan to retire later, according to a recent poll.
With an ageing population and people living longer, healthier lives, many people can benefit from working longer. This could be a significant boost to their income, as well as to the economy.
Businesses are starting to realise the potential of employing older workers too. McDonald’s is one such employer. It welcomes older workers and has done research to prove that having employees of mixed-ages on a team improves customer satisfaction at its stores.
I recently visited one of its restaurants, and met a number of older employees. In the UK, McDonald’s employs around a thousand people who are over sixty.
How McDonald’s has adapted
Some of these people wish to work flexibly but may only be able to work limited hours. For these people, flexible contracts allow them to juggle work with their other responsibilities, such as caring for family members at home. But the company benefits too.
What older workers bring to the workforce
The McDonald’s managers explained how older workers bring so much extra to the workforce. ‘They have a strong work ethic and are reliable, diligent employees.’
Apparently, the older staff members also help other workers too. One manager told me ‘when we have older people in the restaurant, they are often a mother or father figure to the youngsters. They have a quiet word with the younger ones about what to say to management, how to take pride in the job, the importance of being on time etc.’
Interestingly, many older staff who join McDonald’s have already retired, but decide they just want to come back and do some work – they are some of the most dedicated workers because they have chosen to work even though they could have stopped.
Syed is a great example of this. He is 79 and continues to work at McDonald’s. He told me that he gave up work when he reached the retirement age of 65, but decided to go back after three years off – and he still very much enjoys what he does.
Older workers benefit the economy
This is all very inspiring, and we need to dispel any myths that over 50s will soon be too old to work, because the traditional stereotypes of people of this age group no longer apply.
Enabling older workers to get into and stay in work can be essential for their finances later in life, but it also matters to our whole economy. This is an issue of national importance and will affect us all.
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Some of this activity is from central government, such as https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/help-and-support-for-older-workers/help-and-support-for-older-workers. However, many other websites are created by older people themselves. They have often faced difficulties in the jobs market and want to use their experiences to help.
I have been really excited to see the entrepreneurial spirit of older people and the excellent range of resources they have built. I will highlight just 2 of those that I have seen, amongst the many websites aiming to help people looking for work in later life and smooth the frictions of the labour market.
The first one is www.matureworkerswelcome.org.uk
This site was brought to my attention last week by its owner. His ambition is for the site to be an ongoing resource which over-50s can turn to when jobseeking. It would help them identify larger firms which, as the site implies, are welcoming to mature workers. There is a lot of potential with this approach, and the website is off to a positive start with lots of links for jobseekers to explore.
The next site is www.retirementreinvented.com
The 3 older workers behind this website have been developing it for 9 years. From our conversations they explained that most of the interest from site visitors was in relation to the jobs page, as well as their listings of non-executive directorships. These are positions that would not necessarily appeal to all older jobseekers, but their inclusion does demonstrate the breadth of guidance offered online.
There are also some commercial sites that claim to cater specifically to the older jobseeker, such as:
Without passing judgement on them, it is heartening to see the interest in this agenda and see businesses responding to a clear need and consumer demand.
I am unable to highlight all the resources that are available online. However, the fact that so many such sites have been developed by older people themselves confirms that the stereotypical view of older people being technologically unaware is way out of date.
If you are looking for a new employment challenge, I do hope that you will find some of the sites useful.
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Last July I was appointed as the Government’s Business Champion for Older Workers. This role was created in recognition of the specific challenges faced by older people in the labour market.
As Business Champion, I have had the opportunity to explore the many barriers faced by older workers. As well as this, I have heard of the benefits to business arising from a multi-generational, age diverse workforce.
My role involves engaging with businesses, members of the public, and private and voluntary organisations. Within these conversations we aim to identify important areas that could clarify thinking and practice for later life employment.
Due to our ageing population, businesses and individuals of all ages need to be aware of the specific challenges faced by older workers. They should also be aware of the opportunities to benefit from their ongoing participation in the labour force. The economic implications of this agenda are truly profound - national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would grow by a massive 1% if everyone in the UK worked for just one extra year.
However, I want to stress that this is not about making people work until they drop, or about forcing anyone to work more. Rather it’s about enabling those who want to work longer to do so. This means ensuring that they are treated fairly by employers and giving them the best chance to continue working if they want to.
This week I am hosting the second meeting of the Working Group I’ve established. This includes employers, older worker representatives and organisations who are dedicated to helping older workers within the labour force.
We are discussing measures that businesses can take to ensure that they retain, retrain and recruit older workers. This will enable them to accommodate their differences and recognise the potential they have. Flexible working is also a major issue, since many people would like to work part-time, instead of full-time in the run-up to retirement.
It has so far been a pleasure to hear from so many informative and interested people from businesses, charities, think tanks and members of the public. Further to this, I hope to use this blog as a platform to engage with you all.
Dr. Ros Altmann
Government’s Business Champion for Older Workers