What it means to be an age-friendly employer as The National Lottery Community Fund signs nationwide pledge

Fiona Joseph, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Manager, shares the importance of The National Lottery Community Fund signing the Age-friendly Employer Pledge - a nationwide programme for employers who recognise the importance and value of older workers.

“We’re proud to have signed the Age-friendly Employer Pledge, joining over 250 organisations that are committed to improving work for people aged 50 and over and taking the necessary action to help them flourish in a multigenerational workforce.

“We first heard about the Age-friendly Employer Pledge from a colleague working with the Centre for Ageing Better. It struck us as exactly the kind of initiative we’d want to be involved in, as an organisation committed to equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

“In our recruitment strategy we positively encourage older people to apply to the Fund, and around 37% of our current workforce is aged 50 and over, which we’re very proud of and see as an asset.

“Signing the pledge has offered us an opportunity to learn from the talents of older people in the workplace, and to harness the benefits of intergenerational working.”

The Age-friendly Employer Pledge requires commitment to a specific yearly action to promote an age diverse workforce – “We consulted our in-house staff panel, the EDI Colleague Forum, then convened a small working group to consider what actions we’d like to take. Together, we decided to appoint Age Inclusion Champions at the Fund.”

Age Inclusion Champions will promote the value of an age diverse workforce by:

• Signposting colleagues to current wellbeing resources
• Identifying learning and development opportunities for colleagues
• Listening to older colleague experiences and feedback to the EDI Colleague Forum and People Team to aid continuous improvement
• Assisting with office-based age-friendly events
• Supporting colleagues who are retiring.

“We hope colleagues will benefit from having a point of contact to explore age-related issues, and have opportunities to celebrate the joys of ageing well.

“Research from the Centre for Ageing Better shows there are significant inequalities in how people from different groups experience older age. We are looking at age through an intersectional lens and hope we will learn from our colleagues in the organisation about the experiences of older people who are for example, from an ethnic minority background, have a disability or health condition and who are LGBTQ+.”

Lisa Wells, Funding Officer and member of the EDI Colleague Forum, shares the role this network had in signing the pledge: “The EDI Colleague Forum is actively involved in the promotion of a more diverse and inclusive culture at the Fund.

“As an older employee, I have a particular interest in how the Fund can support people at this time stage, in terms of work-life balance, ongoing skills development, retirement planning and overall health and wellbeing.

“I have supported many age-related grants, the most recent being Age@Work which works with older people and employers across Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland to promote the value and contribution of age in the workplace.

“I’m delighted the Fund is committing to a similar initiative by signing up to the Age-friendly Employer Pledge, which will support the organisation to celebrate the skills and experience that older people bring to their role and support them to flourish as part of a multigenerational workforce.”

As an Age Inclusion Champion, Lisa will promote the value of an age-diverse workforce.

“I firmly believe that nobody should be defined by their age and I am confident that the pledge will help to ensure that everyone has their contribution recognised and valued whatever their age or position at the Fund.

“The pledge will also highlight the importance of people making informed choices about working patterns, retirement planning or the support needed to continue in work for as long as they choose.”

Stephen Gould, another Funding Officer and Age Inclusion Champion, said: “I think the Fund is starting from a strong position in relation to age inclusion but I’m very encouraged that this further commitment to becoming an age-friendly employer has been made.

“Age diversity in the workplace presents huge advantages. A blend of younger and older colleagues working alongside each other can lead to productivity, mutual support and problem solving, drawing on both experience and new perspectives.

“Age Inclusion Champions will have a vital role to play in supporting colleagues with a range of age-related matters as well as highlighting improvements which can be made and celebrating successes.”

Fiona Joseph adds: “To other organisations considering the pledge, I’d say go for it. It’s a vehicle to explore issues facing older employees – whether that’s career planning, financial matters, loneliness, relationships and age discrimination. Signing the pledge will underline your commitment to understanding the needs of older workers, and hopefully eradicate ageism at work.”

Find out more about the Age-friendly Employer Pledge on the Centre for Ageing Better’s website.