This
award recognises organisations that can demonstrate commitment to achieving age
positive practices in the workplace. The judge looked for examples of best
practice in the various stages of the employment process from recruitment and
selection, training and development, through to promotion, redundancy and
retirement.
Category
judge
Robert
Taylor is a director of Age Concern Cymru and a trustee of Age Concern England.
His background includes social and youth work and in 1982 he took the post of
director of South Glamorgan Care for the Elderly. Over seven years he built the
organisation from two to 50 staff and established the first Hospital Discharge
Service, the first Coldline older persons winter helpline and support service,
and the first carers information service in Wales. In 1989 he moved to Age
Concern as deputy director, and since 1991 he has held the post of director. He
regularly represents the views of older people in Wales.
Inkfish
call centres (Nottingham)
The
team
No.
in HR team 5, total number in HR 12, staff responsible for 552 in Nottingham
Ruth
Ebbern-Robinson, Call Centres HR manager
Allie Granger, HR adviser
David Colley, HR assistant
Ian Smith, Age positive representative
Natalie Coulton, HR recruiter
John Whittaker, Senior HR adviser
Sharon Brosnan, HR recruiter
Inkfish
Call Centres HR Team
About
the company
Inkfish
Call Centres is a subsidiary of Domestic & General Group, a provider of
breakdown cover and services for domestic electrical equipment. It has call
centres in Brighton, Slough, Redhill and Nottingham offering information,
sales, internet and technical support lines, market research, lead generation
and overflow facilities. Employs 1,400 people.
The
challenge
To
increase staff diversity and attract and retain higher numbers of older workers
who bring experience, loyalty, and reliability.
What
the company did
–
Asked temporary recruitment agencies to meet and beat a 10 per cent target of
mature workers
–
Redesigned recruitment material, PR and interview methods to appeal to older
candidates and reduce levels of age bias at interviews
–
Provided confidence-building induction training and support prior to call
handling
–
Designed flexible working packages
–
Recruited 10 mature advisers, appointed a ‘mature workers ambassador’, and
proper mechanisms for older worker feedback
–
Introduced annual health checks
Benefits
and achievements
–
Regular feedback on staff satisfaction and business performance
–
Staff can work beyond the state retirement age if they are fit to do so
–
All Inkfish call centres are now targeting mature workers
–
Empathy with callers has increased
–
Older workers bring a positive work ethic and are loyal
–
They have had a positive influence on younger staff members
Robert
Taylor says: "Inkfish has demonstrated a commitment to work-life
balance and equality of opportunity for all its staff. With non-discriminatory
policies and practice in place and a clear strategy for achieving an
age-diverse workforce already well developed, Inkfish has shown age is no
barrier to finding employment and job progression in its workforce."
ASDA
The
team
No.
in HR team 3 plus the HR managers in stores, total number in HR approx 500,
Staff responsible for 120,000
Philip
Horn, Head of resourcing
Duncan Forbes, Resourcing manager
Angela Martin, Resourcing manager
Sally Hopson, Director of resourcing & development
Betty-Ann Kiddhunter, Greengrocer
Lloyd Belle-Nevis, Asda handyman
Dawn Pitchford, Claire Fuller, Jessica Kellman Resourcing managers
Resourcing
Team
About
the company
Asda
was originally formed by a group of farmers from Yorkshire and became part of
the Wal-Mart family in 1999. It now has 259 stores and 19 depots across the UK,
employing 122,000 people in total. Â
The
challenge
To
increase the number of staff aged over 50 from 15,993 (15.4 per cent of staff)
to 20 per cent by the end of 2003. Achieving a diverse workforce would reflect
business philosophy and underpin the company’s values. It would also ensure
staff were representative of the customers they serve.
What
the company did
–
Introduced Asda Goldies, a store campaign on the benefits of working for Asda
–
Promoted Grandparent Leave (unpaid week off for birth of a grandchild) and
Benidorm Leave (three months unpaid January-March)
–
Briefed target and initiative to whole company at conference and in-store
briefings
–
Produced potential recruit toolkit
–
Appointed greeters for candidates in stores and held events from tea dances to
open days
–
Rewarded stores that went that extra mile
Benefits
and achievements
–
Increased older staff by 3.5 per cent to 18.9 per cent in just one year
–
Reduced staff turnover and absence
–
Built real team spirit in communicating the message into stores
–
Raised profile of commitment to diversity
Robert
Taylor says: "Asda has committed time, effort and enthusiasm to
achieving a corporate approach to promoting age diversity across the company.
The targeted campaign to recruit older workers is supported by age-friendly
policies and a commitment to diversity from the top down and across all stores.
Its success in attracting high numbers of mature staff speaks for itself."
Barclays
plc
The
team
No.
in team 5, total number in HR approx 800
Staff responsible for approx 74,400
Charlotte
Sweeney, Diversity manager
Stuart Stephen, Pensions director
Ann Elliott, Resourcing & learning director
Karen Caddick, Head of HR policy
David Weymouth, Chief information officer
Equality
and Diversity Team
About
the company
One
of the UK’s largest financial services groups, Barclays operates in 60
countries. It has been involved in banking for 300 years and employs 74,700
staff globally.
The
challenge
In
2001, Barclays put equality and diversity at the heart of its business
strategy. But, like others, it had lost many older workers in rounds of
redundancies in the 1990s, compounded by a reduction in the number of external
recruits. Barclays wanted to attract older staff and make HR aware of issues
involved, review retirement and recruitment policies, raise age diversity
issues among staff and customers, and develop a Modern Apprenticeship scheme to
attract younger people.
What
the company did
–
Announced right to request flexible work
–
Reviewed all HR policies to ensure no age bias
–
Gave staff right to work until the age of 65
–
Raised age diversity awareness levels
–
Identified factors that were an issue for different age groups
–
Introduced long-service awards
Benefits
and achievements
–
Barclays now employs more people over 55 than under the age of 20
–
Over 55s up by nearly 400 in two years
–
More than 170 16 to 19-year-olds participated in Barclays’ Modern
Apprenticeship scheme
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–
Barclays became an Age Positive Champion for the Government initiative
Robert
Taylor says: "Barclays has spent several years reviewing and
developing its strategic approach to achieving an age diverse workforce. As
part of its wider commitment to diversity in the workplace, its age strategy is
targeted at both ends of the workforce age spectrum (16-20 and 50+) and
includes targeting of people aged 65 and over."
