Breakfast Briefing
TAEN - The Age and Employment Network and the Employers Forum on Age have campaigned vigorously for the abolition of the Default Retirement Age, and the Government has recently consulted on plans for its removal later this year. Organisations operating with a fixed retirement age have only a short time to review and amend their policies for managing older workers effectively without the backstop of forced retirement.
By contrast, compulsory retirement has been largely outlawed in the U.S. for more than 40 years and organisations there have acquired substantial experience in handling issues relating to the motivation and performance of older workers and devising more flexible working arrangements and retirement options.
This breakfast briefing, hosted by BT, provides an opportunity for you to hear first hand from Deborah Russell, the Director of Workforce Issues at the AARP, what UK employers can learn from the U.S. experience.
Location: BT Centre, 81 Newgate Street, London EC1A 7AJ
Programme:
08:15 Arrival
08:30 Welcome - Caroline Waters, Director, People and Policy, BT Group
08:35 Introduction - Denise Keating, Chief Executive, Employers Forum on Age
08:45 The Background to Age Discrimination Legislation in the US - Maeona Mendelson, AARP Executive Board Member
08: 50 The U.S. Experience of Managing without a Retirement Age - Deborah Russell, Director of Workforce Issues
09:10 Discussion chaired by Denise Keating
09:35 Summary - Chris Ball, Chief Executive, TAEN
The briefing is free of charge to members of the EFA and TAEN - a charge of £50 will be payable by non-members. Places are limited.
CLICK HERE TO BOOK (Do not use the booking form at the end of this page.)
Speaker biographies
Deborah Russell is the Director of Workforce Issues at AARP, the U.S.-based nonprofit organisation with nearly 40 million members that helps people 50 and older improve the quality of their lives (http://www.aarp.org/). Among their focus areas, AARP is heavily engaged in issues related to older workers in the labour market and they work closely with the employer community on these issues. Her responsibilities include working with the business community to create employment opportunities that are fair, flexible, and that capitalise on the wealth of knowledge and expertise mature workers bring to today’s workplace. As Director, Ms. Russell leads a team that focuses on issues affecting older workers by developing information, programmes, technical assistance, and practical research. In addition, she established the Best Employers for Workers over 50 award programme which recognises companies that demonstrate exemplary policies and practices for the 50+ workforce.
Maeona Mendelson, Ph.D., of Kailua, Hawaii, has been a member of AARP’s Board of Directors since 2006, and she chairs the AARP Foundation’s Board of Directors. Formerly President, Travel and Learn, an intergenerational study tour company. Professor-in-residence at Chaminade University of Honolulu to develop The Intergenerational Center. Former executive director of the Hawaii Intergenerational Network and adjunct professor at Hawaii Pacific University, where she taught program design for human services and intergenerational studies. Former adjunct professor, University of Hawaii. Former program director for the Hawaii Community Services Council and director of development and public relations for the YWCA.