Melksham focuses on making work more age-friendly

As more and more of us either want or need to stay in work past the traditional retirement age, and business faces a looming skills shortage, just how can employers remove the barriers that prevent many older people from remaining in the workplace?

That was the conundrum facing a focus group of people either side of the “retirement line” in Melksham recently – part of a Lottery-funded nationwide project to enable older people to play a fuller part in society.

Melksham, along with London, was selected to hold one of two “mature conversations” on employment and retirement, while other groups met around England to talk on housing, care and digital inclusion. The findings will go towards a report being launched in Westminster this spring.

Organised by Melksham’s Brian Warwick and led by older people’s campaigner Tony Watts OBE, the group identified key ways in which employers can retain the skills and knowledge of older people for longer – by imaginatively tackling the challenges that many face… such as increased caring responsibilities, poor health, ageist recruitment policies and punitive tax policies.

“Millions of people heading towards retirement over the next few years are facing an uncertain future,” says Tony Watts. “In particular, poor private pension provision and changes in the State Pension Age for women mean that many face financial insecurity or even poverty. 

“Equally, there are many older people who have retained their health and energy and are just not ready to retire yet… but don’t want to be working at the same pace. That’s a huge economic resource the country does not want to lose.

 “At the same time, employers face a skills gap as the number of young people entering the workforce dwindles – and the prospect of economic migrants heading back to Europe. 

“The focus group applied their personal experience to propose practical ways to address the challenges. It is critical that older people themselves have a big say in determining the policies and strategies that shape their lives… and this project is doing just that.”

Brian Warwick said, “What came out of the discussions most strongly was that by putting in more ‘age-friendly’ employment policies, people of all ages would benefit. It’s not just older people that need more flexible hours to combine work and caring – that is a challenge for all age groups.

“We talked about mid-life reviews for older people heading into retirement where you can adapt a person’s working contract to meet their changing circumstances and aspirations… but we agreed that this is something that could benefit all ages. 

“Everyone in the room had either experienced ageist recruitment policies or knew someone who had – but young people are often discriminated against too. And there was complete agreement that by mixing people of all ages within a workplace, you get the very best out of them – because they have complementary assets.

“Good HR policies involves harnessing each individual’s skills and not worrying about their date of birth.”

One of the attendees was Louise Rendle, chief executive of the Wiltshire Service User’s Network. “I thought it was a really stimulating and enlightening discussion,” she says. “We rely on our volunteers to apply their experience and expertise and bring about real change in our health and social services – so I’ve seen first-hand how older people’s voices can make a massive difference.

“An ageing population can be seen as either a burden or a massive opportunity – and this project shows just how much older people can contribute if they are given the opportunity.”