The Centre for Ageing Better has launched a nationwide programme, the Age-friendly Employer Pledge, to improve workplaces for older people.
Anchor, England’s largest not-for-profit provider of housing and care for people in later life, is one of the first organisations to sign the pledge. It will work with the Centre for Ageing Better to further improve its recruitment, retention and development processes, to support people aged 50 and over.
As a result of its commitment to EDI, Anchor was awarded ‘Silver Status’ in the 2021 Inclusive Employers Standard and has a range of colleague networks for under-represented groups and individuals.
The organisation’s EDI Annual Report also shows that the completion of colleague diversity data has risen from 76% to 81%. And this year’s colleague survey saw Anchor improve its colleague engagement score and achieve an 86% positive response to the question: “I believe Anchor respects individual difference”.
Anchor’s commitment to its EDI agenda also includes launching more learning and professional development opportunities, making various improvements to its recruitment processes, and working to embed EDI across the organisation. Joining the Age-friendly Employer Pledge further extends its commitment to creating an age-friendly workplace.
Sarah Jones, Chief Executive at Anchor, said: “We’re really pleased to have signed up to the Age-friendly Employer Pledge. We are committed to being inclusive for all and are working hard to enable all colleagues to reach their full potential and feel valued at Anchor.”
Dr Carole Easton, Chief Executive at the Centre for Ageing Better, said: “The current labour shortage has been called the most urgent problem facing the UK economy with its impact driving up prices, wages and inflation. Workers in their 50s and 60s are a key but currently overlooked solution to resolving the UK’s employment crisis.
“Older workers can bring much-needed skills and experience to an organisation. Businesses with a 10% higher share of workers over 50 than the average are 1.1% more productive – and multigenerational teams are the most innovative.
“We are delighted that Anchor has joined the growing number of organisations committing to helping their older workers to prosper by signing our Age-friendly Employer Pledge.
“The pledge has been designed to support businesses to go on a journey at a pace that works best for each organisation. By taking manageable and measurable steps, each employer will learn over time what steps are needed to make the biggest difference in their organisation.”
