{"id":2065,"date":"2023-05-11T12:02:27","date_gmt":"2023-05-11T12:02:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/employeesmatter.co.uk\/?p=2065"},"modified":"2023-05-11T12:03:08","modified_gmt":"2023-05-11T12:03:08","slug":"age-inclusivity-will-become-essential-to-our-society-and-economy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/employeesmatter.co.uk\/age-inclusivity-will-become-essential-to-our-society-and-economy\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Age inclusivity will become essential to our society and economy.’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Watching guests arrive at a family wedding last weekend, my daughter commented on the outfit that an \u2018old woman\u2019 was wearing. That woman was younger than me, it brought me up short, and it made me reflect, not for the first time, on the subjectivity of age. In my counselling practice I work with what I call \u2018older adults\u2019 (hell I even wrote a book about it!), but when we use a term like younger or older we tend to use ourselves as the yardstick. And this is where we come unstuck, because in that moment we are not respecting or acknowledging the person in front of us as a unique human being. We are looking at them through our own filter.<\/p>\n

Since 2020 the number of\u202fage\u202fdiscrimination tribunals rose by 74%1<\/sup>. As life expectancy has increased dramatically in recent years, the workforce demographics are changing too, at both ends of the scale: the number of people working 70+ has doubled in 10 years and the current school and university leavers are demanding very different working patterns and career trajectories.  And with research showing that diversity unlocks innovation and drives a 45% market growth2<\/sup>, being inclusive of all ages gets us ahead of the curve.<\/p>\n

But make no mistake, multigenerational-inclusivity is NOT about older people. Young adults are reporting worse mental health and wellbeing than middle and older aged adults, across longitudinal and post covid studies.3 <\/sup>How we live and work is changing, assumptions of life and career timelines can and are being challenged. We can all play a part for ourselves and for others \u2013 it doesn\u2019t start and end with HR policy but it is important to make adaptions.<\/p>\n

Here are a couple of quick wins you can make in getting this right within the workplace:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Review the language and images you are using to talk about career progression, recruitment and employee value proposition. Check it for assumptions, stereotype and ageism.<\/li>\n
  2. Build age and generational inclusivity into leader programmes, deconstruct belief systems that might be leading, indirectly to discrimination<\/li>\n
  3. Make progression and performance opportunities and conversations open, rather than linear. Leave room for people to be creative and to don\u2019t hold back enthusiasm! Encourage people to think proactively about their life stage and what they need from work\/career.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Being inclusive and respectful of all ages supports positive mental health, personal growth AND organisational success. With the dynamics of the workforce rapidly changing, age inclusivity will become essential to our society and economy. And we need to be ready.<\/p>\n

    Helen Kewell<\/em><\/p>\n

    1 People Management, June 2021
    \n2 Source: Harvard Business Revie, Dec 2013
    \n3 UK Government \u2018Age Spotlight\u2019 Nov 2021<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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