Age-friendly Employer Pledge culture toolkit
This toolkit has been created to help organisations look at their existing workplace culture and how this could become more age-friendly.
What does “age-friendly culture” mean and why is it important?
Culture is simply “how we do things around here”.
Culture is important because it determines how your work is delivered — it directly affects business success as well as employee engagement.
It’s how people interact and collaborate in your workplace, how decisions get made and how problems get solved.
It should reflect the values of your organisation, your purpose and your strategy.
All organisations have a culture, whether they have thousands of employees or just a few.
Age-friendly culture
An age-friendly culture is one where employees feel included and valued regardless of their age. People of all ages should feel valued and able to contribute at their best. That said, there are some specific issues affecting those in their 50s, 60s and beyond that need to be considered in order to establish a healthy culture.
We know that ageism exists in society and at work. It is the most reported form of discrimination in the workplace. It exists in how we recruit, how we support development and even how we socialise with each other. It ignores the wealth of experience older workers bring to the workplace.
This toolkit will help you think about the culture you have and the changes you might need to make to be more age-friendly.
Culture toolkit topics
The toolkit is organised by the different touchpoints that shape culture within an organisation. You can start anywhere that feels most relevant, or where you think you might make the biggest impact. There is a checklist that you can use as a diagnostic, and an action plan to help you think about your priorities and where you might start.
Explore the toolkit
To explore the issues, you can start by:
Watching
Watch this video for tips on how to support colleagues in their 50s, 60s and beyond as a line manager.
Watch the videoUnderstanding
Understanding how you, as an individual, can make your workplace more age-friendly
Read moreReading
Reading the case for older workers, which outlines the benefits workers in their 50s, 60s and beyond bring to the workplace.
Read moreFinding out
Finding out more about ageism in the workplace — what it is, how it shows up and the effect it has.
Find out more