Ageing employees could be given advisory responsibility to allow them to extend their working lives and reduce the physical demands placed upon them, it has been suggested.
Pensions Management executive editor Charlie Thomas explained that with the default retirement age due to be scrapped in October 2011, employers could benefit from innovative approaches to utilising older workers' experience.
"It will become increasingly difficult for employers to get rid of more mature employees, but one solution could be to offer consultative or advisory roles," she said.
Ms Thomas added that a new law will ensure that from 2012, UK businesses will be obliged to automatically enter members of staff into some form of pension scheme, although individuals will have the right to withdraw if they wish.
Bosses seeking advice on how to prepare for the man-management challenges thrown up by incoming government legislation should consider participating in the Talent Management and Leadership Development Summit 2010 next month.
Posted by Hayley Edwards
“It will become increasingly difficult for employers to GET RID OF MORE MATURE EMPLOYEES” …
That nasty little comment says it all. There isn’t any reason why most older employees shouldn’t continue along their present career path (few non-manual jobs require standards of mental and physical fitness that older people can’t meet). Perhaps Charlie should re-read the laws making it illegal to practise workplace discrimination on grounds of age or (irrelevant) disability.
Why are employers so negative with more mature candidates? generaly i dont think men suffer the ageist as much as women. They are perceived as being behind the times? or perhaps its because they dont look as good? beleive me its a big problem in central London
I’m always finding ways of helping my employees to work in a way that suits them.
My concern is that they are not overworking or working too long. I have people from 14 to 84 involved in my organisation and some of the oldest are the most dilligent.
I don’t see why there is such discrimination.
This is an absolutely astounding thing to say and Charlie Thomas should hang her head in shame. Imagine if she had said that since equal rights legislation it had become increasingly difficult for employers to get rid of black, gay or disabled employees…
Discrimination, in whatever guise, is discrimination and has no place in a civilised society.