Trafford Council has announced that it is going further to support workers of all ages, as it commits to a new scheme that benefits older employees.
By signing the Age-friendly Employer Pledge – which is a nationwide programme to improve recruitment, retention and development of older workers – the council is committing to recognising the wealth of skills and experience that older workers can bring to an organisation.
More than a hundred employers have signed the pledge already with these including charities, public organisations, and major companies, with Trafford Council becoming one of the first authorities in the North West of England to do so.
Some of the other public sector organisations that have signed the scheme include:
- The Department for Work and Pensions
- North East Combined Authority
- Manchester City Council
- Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board
- London Borough of Havering
- Dorset Council
This also comes as the council currently has almost a hundred members of staff that are over the current state pension age of 66- with the average age of the workforce being 47 years. Alongside this, 35 of all the new starters that the council have recruited in the last two years have been aged between 60 and 81 when they joined the organisation.
Run by the Centre for Ageing Better, the Age-friendly Employer Pledge is specifically aimed at improving work for people that are in their 50s, 60s, and above, with this bringing a commitment to being prepared to take action so that they can flourish in the ‘multigenerational workforce.’
Councillor Catherine Hynes, Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Leisure, Arts, Culture and Heritage at Trafford Council, said:
“I’m delighted that we are stepping up to this challenge.
“By getting involved, we are demonstrating our support for employees of all ages in the workplace and committing to taking at least one action a year to improve the way we recruit, manage and support older workers.”
Image credit: iStock
Video Credit: Centre for Ageing Better
