Age

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Beyond Compliance
The Employment Equality (Age) legislation which came into force last October has encouraged employers to look at their people management and employment practices in a new light.

Legislation
The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations make age discrimination illegal in all employment sectors and in vocational training. These pages outline the key features of the new legislation, what it means for NHS organisations and the support provided by NHS Employers.

Evidence based practice
NHS Employers is working with organisations that are researching the theme of age diversity in the workforce. We provide updates on findings and on work in progress on collaborative projects that may be used to inform practice.

What NHS Employers is doing
With an ageing population and new legislation all employers need to review the way they deal with age discrimination within the workplace. This page provides background information and outlines NHS Employers response.

Age diversity reference group
The Age Diversity Reference Group was set up in February 2005 to oversee and steer NHS Employers' age diversity work.

Age profiling
These 'e-tools' are provided by NHS Employers to assist organisations in developing their strategies to promote Age Diversity in the workforce. They are not intended to substitute for a proper appraisal of workforce demand or labour market analysis. They offer a basic starting point for assessing aspects of the age profile of the people in the orga

Returning to work
Attracting, recruiting and retaining staff and volunteers or encouraging people to return to work at all stages of their career is key to providing high quality healthcare services.

The business case for age diversity
The business benefits of a mixed-age workforce are now widely recognised. There is clear evidence that both staff turnover and absenteeism are reduced and that motivation and commitment are improved in organisations employing people of all ages.

Discrimination of older workers
The Department for Work and Pensions has commissioned research to see if there was any evidence that age and deterioration of the body and mind were linked in those reaching 65 years.

Discrimination of younger workers
Stereotyping on the basis of age is also unhelpful for younger workers. Age at Work, a study by the Employers Forum on Age found that more teenagers than people in their fifties were put off applying for a job because of their age.

Approaches to workforce ageing
One of the popular workshops at the recent NHS Employers Annual Conference and Exhibition in October 2007 covered approaches to workforce ageing. Dr Andrea Winkelmann-Gleed from the Working Lives Research Institute outlined the study that is underway across European member states to identify creative approaches to workforce ageing.

The Heyday Challenge
The Advocate General has announced that UK national legislation that allows employers to retire employees at 65 or over, is not in breach of European law. This page has more details on Heyday and next steps.

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Last reviewed 9 Aug 2008

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