Are older workers Fit for Work?Presented by Amy Kelly13th May 2015

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Introduce Fit For Work

• Dame Carol Black’s 2008 review of the health of the British population

• Key Points• Voluntary and Confidential • Support Employers, Employees and G.P’s

• Service1. Advice Line and website 2. Assessment with a Health Professional 4 weeks absence Identifies obstacles Individualised Return to Work Plan Fit Note

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How to Refer to Fit for Work

• New Service

• Being rolled out across the nation in phases • 1. NOW – Sheffield G.Ps - soon to start a pilot of Sheffield

employers • 2. Autumn – Nationwide G.P’s and employers

• Any Questions?• We will give you a pack of information about the service at the end.

• Myth busting• Why work in “retirement” • The obstacles• Support available• A New Vision for Older Workers by Dr Ros Altmann CBE

• At the end of the session we will hand out a reference list if you would like more information

• A copy of the presentation will also be found on the University website.

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Meet Dania Maxwell

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91-year-old McDonald's worker is lovin' it

• Dania Maxwell works 6 days a week at McDonald’s in Naples.

• Works 3 hours per shift

• 91 years old

• Recruited at 80 years old

• She does it because she says “It keeps me younger working here”

So, what do you think about Dania?

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Discussion Stereotypes and discrimination against older workers

• It is amazing but…….• We need to ask ourselves – was our reaction influenced

by societies norms.• Did we react because of the fact that she looks old? • Or because we were told her

age? • Would it have been fairer to react based her functional

ability, that we can’t really know from looking at this picture or the information I have given you.

• Are we prejudice too?…………• Do we think that this next slide is ok?...........

What do you think about this image?

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Busting Some Myths

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Busting the Myths

Myth 1 New career ambitions are for young people

Reality 3 out of 5 retirees start a new line of work, and are 3x more likely to be entrepreneurs

Myth 2 Older people cannot make a long-term commitment

Reality In fact, younger recruits often leave to climb the career ladder

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Busting the Myths

Myth 3 Takes jobs away from the younger generations

Reality Prospects actually improve for younger generations and has in some cases even increased their wages

Increased spending power creates more jobs

As skills are generally different, older workers are not easily substituted

Myth 4 Older people are not as productive as younger people

Reality 20% higher performance in the MacDonald's that employ older workers

B&Q Macclesfield experiment. Staffed entirely by over 50’sOutperformed other stores in practically every respect: customer service, short-term absenteeism, staff turnover, sales

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So, why is work good for older workers?

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Why is work good for you the individual?

• 17% fewer major diseases and less likely to undergo “functional decline”

• Financial freedom

• Sense of identity, social roles and status.

• Avoids social isolation

• To give back to society

• Sense of achievement

• Balance between work, leisure and routine

Benefits for Business

• The majority of older workers are just as productive as younger staff (at least up to age 70)

• Retention of experience and firm-specific knowledge

• National skill shortage.

• Lower staff turnover which saves recruitment and training costs of £6000

• Less short term sickness and fewer accidents.

• Customers want an age-diverse workforce as the customer base ages

• Higher customer satisfaction levels which drive higher profits

• Improved staff morale

• Mentoring the younger staff

Benefits for the economy

• Higher national income, production and growth.

• Improved intergenerational cohesion

• Lower benefit spend and pensioner poverty

• Reduced health spending

The Economic Hard Truth (A New Vision for Older Workers: Retain, Retrain and Recruit Dr Ross Altmann CBE, 11th

March 2015 – Finance, pensions specialist)

• UK population by 2022 50 to 65 years = by 3.7million 16 to 49 years = by 0.7million

• Immigration of 200,000 a year will not fill this gap

• Either more over-50’s will work longer or we face economic decline

• National Institute of Economic Research found that if everyone were to work one year more Gross Domestic Product would increase by 1% (£18 billion)

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Obstacles for older workers

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What do you think?

Obstacles to later life working

• Age discrimination and unconscious bias • Feeling it is “wrong” to work longer – due to social norms.

• Policy makers have feared being accused of making people work until they dropped.

• Lack of confidence

• Internet access

• Long-term health conditions and disabilities

• Combining work with caring

• Lack of cohesion across Government Departments

• Jobcentre Plus incentive structure that does not monitor work with older claimants.

• Inadequate up to date qualifications as older workers are overlooked for training opportunities

Women face particular challenges • Lower pensions, from working part-time and lower wages

• Combining work and caring • Limited promotion prospects from 45yrs. (55yrs. for men)

• Difficulty returning after long periods out of the workplace.

What do employers have to do?

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The Law

• Equality Act (2010)

• Human Rights Act (2010)

• Health and Safety at Work Act

• Statutory right to request flexible working

• Abolition of the Default Retirement Age.

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ONLY IF ASKED Equality Act (2010) • Brings together a series of laws • fair and equal treatment to achieve equal opportunities for

all• Don’t have to be registered disabled

Criteria: • physical or mental impairment impacting on daily activities

for >12 months • special rules for fluctuating conditions• Some conditions are automatically included HIV, Cancer,

MS

What support is available?

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Things that are currently being done or about to be done:

• A Nationwide Disability confident campaign

• • Assistive technology

• Access for Work

• Guidance Toolkit

• Public Health England

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So…………. what are the solutions?

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What could be done?

• A New Vision for Older Workers March 11th 2015 by Dr Ros Altmann CBE (Business Champion for older workers)

• She says that we need to:• Retain• Retrain• Recruit

• She also identified the opportunity for Self-Employment as older entrepreneurs are more likely to succeed

The Key Recommendations are:

Retain

• Major research project• National Campaign• National Insurance relief• Older Workers Champion• Age and skills audit • Flexible working, family crisis leave and gap

breaks• Saving for care costs, to allow family to continue

working

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The Key Recommendations are:

Retrain

• Apprenticeships for older workers

• Mid-life Career Reviews

Recruit

• Penalties for breaking the law

• The National Careers Service should reintroduce a later life strand

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Can you think of any other solutions?

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