SPOTLIGHT ON... Supporting older (50+) workers
Published: 2 May 2018
Find out what IHW is doing to champion and support workers aged 50 and over
The UK population is ageing and by 2020 it is estimated that a third of British workers will be over the age of 50.
Increased life expectancy will require people to plan their careers and retirement differently, and many will wish or need to remain in paid employment for longer. However, older workers face significant challenges and barriers in the workplace, including:
- outdated stereotypes, including unhelpful assumptions about ability and aspirations;
- unconscious bias, with a potential impact on access to career development opportunities, training, mentoring etc;
- balancing working life with a possible increase in caring responsibilities (children, grandchildren, other dependants, and "sandwich caring" - combining looking after children with caring for older or disabled loved ones);
- age-related health issues and co-morbidity.
IHW activities and initiatives
An Athena SWAN 50+ Workers Group has recently formed within IHW, co-chaired by HEHTA's Janet Bouttell and Nicola McMeekin, with the aim of encouraging and enabling working in later life. The group is at an early stage, but we expect our focus and activities to include:
- canvassing older workers' opinions on areas of interest or concern;
- identifying potential sources of discrimination or disadvantage for 50+ staff;
- considering ways in which to challenge stereotypes, raise awareness of issues that specifically affect this staff group, and ensure that IHW is a supportive environment for older workers.
If you are interested in joining this group, please email ihwadmin@glasgow.ac.uk
University of Glasgow links
- GU Age Equality Champion
- Dignity at work and study policy
- Flexible working policy
- Pensions information
External links
- How employers can support the growing band of older workers (Personnel Today 2018)
- Five stereotypes about older workers debunked (The Conversation 2018)
- Fuller working lives: a framework for action (Dept for Work and Pensions 2014)
- Sandwich caring (Carers UK 2012)
50+ workers in the news
- Over-50s "need more support" as they work longer (BBC 2018)
- Greater support needed for older workers as number of over 50s reaches record 10 million (Centre for Ageing Better 2018)
- What if we have to work until we're 100? (BBC 2018)
- Yes, older workers need new skills - but they need respect more (Guardian 2017)
- More than a million over-50s out of work in "unacceptable" waste of talent (The Independent 2018)
First published: 2 May 2018
