Age-friendly Employer Pledge
Sign up to the Age-friendly Employer Pledge and show you recognise the value of older workers.
Creating a more inclusive workforce
The Age-friendly Employer Pledge is a nationwide programme for employers who recognise the importance and value of older workers. Employers commit to improving work for people in their 50s and 60s and taking the necessary action to help them flourish in a multigenerational workforce.
The job market is changing and employers are facing huge challenges. There are skills and labour shortages with vacancy rates at record highs. Workers in their 50s and 60s are key to filling these gaps. Yet employers are missing out on all that older workers can offer.
More people are working later in life, but older workers often face prejudice and are overlooked. Employment rates drop after the age of 55, and over half of people have stopped working before state pension age.
Yet we know multigenerational workforces drive productivity and innovation.
Who's the pledge for?
The Age-friendly Employer Pledge is a nationwide programme for employers who:
- recognise the importance and value of older workers
- are committed to improving work for people in their 50s and 60s (and beyond)
- are prepared to take action to help them flourish in a multigenerational workforce
Signing up to the Age-friendly Employer Pledge shows your commitment to older workers.
Join these organisations
The pledge
As an Age-friendly Employer, we will...
- Identify a senior sponsor for age-inclusion in our workforce – and publicly state our commitment to the pledge
- Ensure that age is specifically named within our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policies
- Take action to improve the recruitment, retention and development of workers over 50 from one of the following areas:
- Create an age-friendly culture
- Hire age-positively
- Be flexible about flexible working
- Encourage career development at all ages
- Ensure everyone has the health support they need
We will commit to take action in at least one area every year and will report back on our activities and achievements annually.
We recognise the importance of older workers and aim to provide an inclusive environment to all our colleagues, regardless of their age or background.
We work hard to live up to our organisational values in our polices and culture – this means fostering a welcoming, warm and inviting place to work for all, regardless of age.
As an organisation the makeup of our volunteer and staff base includes people of all ages. We are proud of our commitments that support our older workers.
The Age-friendly Employer action framework
Becoming an Age-friendly Employer is a journey. By signing the pledge, you are not committing to changing your whole organisation overnight. You are committing to take one action – big or small – every year, to improve the recruitment and retention of older workers.
Click on the buttons below to view some of our suggestions for getting started. You can also view our full framework.
Analyse your workforce data by age
If you want to know where you should start, your data will tell you where your biggest challenges are. Are older applicants less likely to get to interview? Are your staff in their 50s and 60s accessing training and development? What is your average age of exit? Your own data will give you a starting point for your journey.
Look at your job ads
Our research shows that making job ads more appealing to older workers does not deter younger workers. So avoid terms like ‘recent graduate’, and add a diversity statement that includes age-inclusivity.
Welcome flexible work for any reason
We know that flexibility is the key factor that attracts workers in their 50s and 60s, and it enables people to stay in work. Flexible work supports older workers with caring responsibilities and to manage their health – but it can also give space to get other things out of life. If a job can be done flexibly, it can be done flexibly by anyone.
Provide a holistic 'MOT' to staff in mid-life and beyond
Don’t limit career development conversations to younger workers – and don’t wait too long to talk about pensions. The mid-life MOT provides a framework for structured conversations with staff in their 40s, 50s and beyond about their future – at work, and after.
Have open conversations about menopause at work
Menopause symptoms – and the inability to talk about them – push too many women out of work. Provide training to staff of all ages and genders about the effects of menopause and how they can be managed. Small adjustments can make a big difference.
Case studies
What happens next?
If you'd like to find out more about the pledge and start the journey of becoming an Age-friendly Employer, read our FAQs or register your interest by filling in the form below. This doesn't commit you to anything, it just means that a member of our team will be in touch to arrange an introductory call.
When you're ready to sign the pledge, the process is easy and open for all organisations. Once signed up, you can enjoy benefits like a communications pack to help you spread the message including a badge, as well as regular newsletters with tips, guidance and inspiration.