Third Age Workers
How to keep older workers
Older workers – over 50~65
More experienced, need to be used and take advantage.
Smart businesses are redesigning jobs to retain older workers and keep their years of experience, according to new research by the EEO Trust.
"Employers are making big efforts to retain skilled staff," says Dr Philippa Reed, EEO Trust chief executive. "Many tell us that they're ensuring older people get the training they need, reconfiguring roles to ensure people's skills and expertises are retained and mechanising manual jobs."
The research, called Older Workers: Employers Speak Out, is the result of 26 in depth interviews. It found that the perception of the age at which someone becomes an "older" worker has shifted from 40-45 years old in the 199Os to 50-55 and older in 2008.
"The research also found that employers value older workers' reliability, work ethic, expertise, institutional knowledge, stability and loyalty," says Dr Reed. "They also appreciate their ability to mentor younger workers."
Many employers already do their best to retain older workers by providing flexible working hours and redesigning roles, she says.
How to keep older workers: 1. Age-proof your organisation by identifying what you want to achieve, such as retention of skills and knowledge for competitive advantage. 2. Identify the current age profile of your organisation so that you know of retirement intentions and can effectively plan for succession. 3. To encourage job applications from older workers, consider different forms of flexible work arrangements including shorter weeks, extended leave periods and quality part-time work. 4. Ensure job advertisements and job descriptions do not refer to age in either words or images and do not directly or indirectly discriminate against older workers. 5. Commit at the top of your organisation at CEO and senior management level to ensure a business culture that values age and experience in the workforce.
Older workers – over 50~65
More experienced, need to be used and take advantage.
Smart businesses are redesigning jobs to retain older workers and keep their years of experience, according to new research by the EEO Trust.
"Employers are making big efforts to retain skilled staff," says Dr Philippa Reed, EEO Trust chief executive. "Many tell us that they're ensuring older people get the training they need, reconfiguring roles to ensure people's skills and expertises are retained and mechanising manual jobs."
The research, called Older Workers: Employers Speak Out, is the result of 26 in depth interviews. It found that the perception of the age at which someone becomes an "older" worker has shifted from 40-45 years old in the 199Os to 50-55 and older in 2008.
"The research also found that employers value older workers' reliability, work ethic, expertise, institutional knowledge, stability and loyalty," says Dr Reed. "They also appreciate their ability to mentor younger workers."
Many employers already do their best to retain older workers by providing flexible working hours and redesigning roles, she says.
How to keep older workers: 1. Age-proof your organisation by identifying what you want to achieve, such as retention of skills and knowledge for competitive advantage. 2. Identify the current age profile of your organisation so that you know of retirement intentions and can effectively plan for succession. 3. To encourage job applications from older workers, consider different forms of flexible work arrangements including shorter weeks, extended leave periods and quality part-time work. 4. Ensure job advertisements and job descriptions do not refer to age in either words or images and do not directly or indirectly discriminate against older workers. 5. Commit at the top of your organisation at CEO and senior management level to ensure a business culture that values age and experience in the workforce.