NCVO joins Age-friendly Employer Pledge programme recognising the value of older workers

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), the umbrella body for the voluntary and community sector in England, has signed the Age-friendly Employer Pledge.

Established late last year by the Centre for Ageing Better, the Age-friendly Employer Pledge is a nationwide programme for employers who recognise the importance and value of older workers.

More than 150 employers have already signed the pledge, including Natural England, Oliver Bonas, Virgin Hotels, Zurich Insurance and Ipsos UK as well as government departments for Work and Pensions, Business and Trade and the Treasury.

NCVO joins 37 pledge signatories from the charity and voluntary sector, such as a number of RSPCA and Age UK local branches, the Fawcett Society and smaller charities such as Impact Initiatives.

The Age-friendly Employer Pledge was launched to help overcome ageism in the workplace as well as assist employers to resolve skills shortages and record vacancy rates.

The Centre for Ageing Better believes with an ageing population and ever longer working lives, workers in their 50s and 60s are key to filling these gaps.

By signing the pledge, NCVO has committed to taking at least one action a year to improve the recruitment, retention and development of older workers. Signatories also commit to identifying a senior sponsor for age-inclusion within their workforce and ensuring that age is specifically named within their Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policies.

“It is excellent to see NCVO join over 150 organisations in committing to improving work for people in their 50s and 60s and beyond.

“With an older population that is becoming both larger and more diverse, it has never been more important for organisations in the voluntary and community sector to be age-friendly. But physical, practical and emotional barriers mean that over 50s miss out on the benefits of getting involved with voluntary and community organisations all too often.

“Signing the Age-friendly Employer Pledge is a brilliant way for voluntary and community organisations to kick off their journey towards becoming age-inclusive and show that they recognise the importance of older workers.”

“We are delighted to be making this pledge to recognise and celebrate the wealth of knowledge and experience older workers bring to the sector.

“We will be working hard to listen and learn about what it means to be a truly age-friendly employer as we strive to continue building an inclusive organisation for all.”