Researchers at the University of Birmingham hope to improve employment prospects for people over 50 by educating employers
Ageism and discrimination against older workers is still a problem, according to a new study out of the United Kingdom.
Researchers at the University of Birmingham said more understanding is needed by bosses to help workers over the age of 50 back into work. They’ve put together a list of guidelines to help change employers’ perceptions about older workers and improve employment prospects for this age group.
Tony Maltby, of the university's Institute of Applied Social Studies, said “new” industries, such as call centres, can be too youth orientated and often alienate older workers. This is just one of the points, alongside training, job matching and recognizing the value of older workers, to feature in a new 'What Works?' list of practical policy-focused interventions that will be circulated to employers and other agencies, including job centres.
The Forward project examines employability issues and looks at ways of improving employment prospects for people over 50. The project aims to help change employer's attitudes and perceptions about older workers, particularly those from small and medium enterprises (SMEs). It also aims to combat the current harmful effects of ageism and seeks to encourage equality of opportunity.
Why employers discriminate against older workers
Maltby said employers often discriminate against older workers for various reasons, from concerns over health to training issues and that these preconceived ideas need to be addressed.
"Despite the great strides being made, our research shows that ageism still exists at work — even though the experience and many other qualities of the over 50s often makes them better employees,” said Maltby. “Older workers missing out on employment opportunities and employers are losing out on this valuable resource, simply because of misconceptions about this age group."
In order to help employers find out what works for older employees, Maltby's team trained a group of researchers over the age of 50. Not only did this empower and involve this often overlooked group, but this also meant they could relate to interviewees. Researchers were involved in the design, development and implementation of the project. This included discussion groups with older people to give voice to their concerns, raise barriers to access, retention and progression and encourage the development of a range of practical activities.
"It is generally much harder for people over 50 to find employment — as is starting to become apparent following the recent MG Rover redundancies," said Maltby. "This research is designed to help dispel the myths surrounding older workers and encourage employers to work alongside this group to everyone's advantage. I'm confident this will open employers' eyes to the value of the over 50s, though there is still a long way to go until equality of opportunities exists in the workplace for this age group."
The Forward project is a European Union funded project, and a collaborative joint initiative between various organisations, including Birmingham city council, Third Age Employment Network, Age Concern Birmingham and Birmingham and Solihull Learning and Skills Council. It is part of the Equal GB Community Initiative Program which tests and promotes new means of combating all forms of discrimination and inequalities in the labour market.
From now through to November 2005, the research team at Birmingham University will be rolling out its 'What Works?' list hoping to persuade local policy makers of the benefits of employing the over 50s in the face of the evidence about future skills shortages.
It is hoped to be able to follow up this work with a new project focusing on work-life balance issues and the over 45s, sometimes called the “pivot” generation, as they balance caregiving to both younger and older family and friends and employment.
Case study: Anthony Gough
The following is a case study provided by the University of Birmingham:
Former automotive worker Anthony Gough was part of the innovative team of researchers who participated in the Forward project. Like many of the other researchers and interviewees involved in the study, Gough represents a core group of retired workers who are currently seeking employment.
Gough took early retirement, at the age of 63, from an automotive company in Coventry. He planned to fill his time with his family and complete those little outstanding jobs around the home.
Three years later, and Gough is in a similar situation to many retired people. While he loves being at home, he wants to stimulate his mind and is now seeking employment to suits his skills and expertise.
"I have a very open mind and I'm very flexible - I don't want to be too specific," he said. "But I don't want to go down the stereotypical route of stacking shelves: I want to use my mind, so something along the lines of customer relations would be ideal."
But even with his qualifications, more than 20 years' managerial experience, impressive employment history and his enthusiastic approach, Gough is still having difficulty finding employment:
"I can see an almost in-built suspicion from employers when looking at people in the 45 plus group - and it's not very encouraging. This can be due to a variety of reasons and I think it can also be quite intimidating for employers to recruit someone who is older and often more experienced than them," Gough said.
Gough was delighted to be part of Maltby's research team as it enabled him to build on his existing skills and provided him with the intellectual stimulation he desires:
"This was an educational experience and I found it most empowering to make full use of my expertise. It also enabled me to develop new skills, which is something older workers are more than happy to achieve," Gough said. "The interviewees were also able to relate to the researchers as we could empathise with them and I feel this added extra weight to this project. I just hope this research helps change the views of employers and enables the over 50s to fully participate in the work environment."
As part of his job seeking, Anthony has now registered with Dinosaurs Unlimited, a recruitment agency which specializes in finding employment for the over 50s.
"I remain optimistic about my job seeking, and I hope that soon I will join the growing workforce of older employees," he said.
Researchers at the University of Birmingham said more understanding is needed by bosses to help workers over the age of 50 back into work. They’ve put together a list of guidelines to help change employers’ perceptions about older workers and improve employment prospects for this age group.
Tony Maltby, of the university's Institute of Applied Social Studies, said “new” industries, such as call centres, can be too youth orientated and often alienate older workers. This is just one of the points, alongside training, job matching and recognizing the value of older workers, to feature in a new 'What Works?' list of practical policy-focused interventions that will be circulated to employers and other agencies, including job centres.
The Forward project examines employability issues and looks at ways of improving employment prospects for people over 50. The project aims to help change employer's attitudes and perceptions about older workers, particularly those from small and medium enterprises (SMEs). It also aims to combat the current harmful effects of ageism and seeks to encourage equality of opportunity.
Why employers discriminate against older workers
Maltby said employers often discriminate against older workers for various reasons, from concerns over health to training issues and that these preconceived ideas need to be addressed.
"Despite the great strides being made, our research shows that ageism still exists at work — even though the experience and many other qualities of the over 50s often makes them better employees,” said Maltby. “Older workers missing out on employment opportunities and employers are losing out on this valuable resource, simply because of misconceptions about this age group."
In order to help employers find out what works for older employees, Maltby's team trained a group of researchers over the age of 50. Not only did this empower and involve this often overlooked group, but this also meant they could relate to interviewees. Researchers were involved in the design, development and implementation of the project. This included discussion groups with older people to give voice to their concerns, raise barriers to access, retention and progression and encourage the development of a range of practical activities.
"It is generally much harder for people over 50 to find employment — as is starting to become apparent following the recent MG Rover redundancies," said Maltby. "This research is designed to help dispel the myths surrounding older workers and encourage employers to work alongside this group to everyone's advantage. I'm confident this will open employers' eyes to the value of the over 50s, though there is still a long way to go until equality of opportunities exists in the workplace for this age group."
The Forward project is a European Union funded project, and a collaborative joint initiative between various organisations, including Birmingham city council, Third Age Employment Network, Age Concern Birmingham and Birmingham and Solihull Learning and Skills Council. It is part of the Equal GB Community Initiative Program which tests and promotes new means of combating all forms of discrimination and inequalities in the labour market.
From now through to November 2005, the research team at Birmingham University will be rolling out its 'What Works?' list hoping to persuade local policy makers of the benefits of employing the over 50s in the face of the evidence about future skills shortages.
It is hoped to be able to follow up this work with a new project focusing on work-life balance issues and the over 45s, sometimes called the “pivot” generation, as they balance caregiving to both younger and older family and friends and employment.
Case study: Anthony Gough
The following is a case study provided by the University of Birmingham:
Former automotive worker Anthony Gough was part of the innovative team of researchers who participated in the Forward project. Like many of the other researchers and interviewees involved in the study, Gough represents a core group of retired workers who are currently seeking employment.
Gough took early retirement, at the age of 63, from an automotive company in Coventry. He planned to fill his time with his family and complete those little outstanding jobs around the home.
Three years later, and Gough is in a similar situation to many retired people. While he loves being at home, he wants to stimulate his mind and is now seeking employment to suits his skills and expertise.
"I have a very open mind and I'm very flexible - I don't want to be too specific," he said. "But I don't want to go down the stereotypical route of stacking shelves: I want to use my mind, so something along the lines of customer relations would be ideal."
But even with his qualifications, more than 20 years' managerial experience, impressive employment history and his enthusiastic approach, Gough is still having difficulty finding employment:
"I can see an almost in-built suspicion from employers when looking at people in the 45 plus group - and it's not very encouraging. This can be due to a variety of reasons and I think it can also be quite intimidating for employers to recruit someone who is older and often more experienced than them," Gough said.
Gough was delighted to be part of Maltby's research team as it enabled him to build on his existing skills and provided him with the intellectual stimulation he desires:
"This was an educational experience and I found it most empowering to make full use of my expertise. It also enabled me to develop new skills, which is something older workers are more than happy to achieve," Gough said. "The interviewees were also able to relate to the researchers as we could empathise with them and I feel this added extra weight to this project. I just hope this research helps change the views of employers and enables the over 50s to fully participate in the work environment."
As part of his job seeking, Anthony has now registered with Dinosaurs Unlimited, a recruitment agency which specializes in finding employment for the over 50s.
"I remain optimistic about my job seeking, and I hope that soon I will join the growing workforce of older employees," he said.
