Three British companies, BT Group, Centrica plc and Domestic & General Services Limited, are amongst the winners of the prestigious AARP International Innovative Employer Awards for age-friendly employment practices this year.
The British firms were amongst ten employers from four different countries that were selected for their ground-breaking workplace policies and practices. These include Adecco Employment Services Limited (Canada), BMW and SICK AG (Germany), Housing and Development Board and the National Healthcare Group (Singapore).
The AARP is a US-based, non-profit organisation representing nearly 40 million older Americans. Its International Innovative Awards programme is designed to promote innovative human resource and workforce practices around the world. Key areas for consideration include: recruiting practices; opportunities for training, education and career development; workplace accommodations; alternative work options, such as flexible scheduling, job sharing and phased retirements; employee health and retirement benefits and retiree work opportunities.
The awards were presented to representatives from the British winners at a reception, co-hosted by TAEN and the AARP, in London on 21 September.
Explaining the rationale behind the awards, Thomas C. Nelson, the AARP’s Chief Operating Officer said that it focused global attention on the need to retain mature and experienced employees to keep a competitive edge in today’s marketplace.
He added: “It appears the recession has deepened the impact of damaging stereotypes. Fortunately, our winners today have shown us a better way. Instead of being trapped in narrow thinking, they’ve given us a window and a way to success. They offer a roadmap to a modern workplace that is fair and flexible, a workplace that recognises the contribution of experienced workers.
“These employers have shown us that demographic changes are not a cause for complaint. They’re a call for creative thinking and effective planning to make sure that the changing composition of the workforce works to the best advantage of individual workers, individual organisations and the overall economy.”
Angela Eagle, UK Minister for Pensions and the Ageing Society, also attended the ceremony and gave a short speech. She told the audience that the Government was committed to increasing employment opportunities for older people. Having tackled age discrimination in the workplace, the Government’s Equality Bill now before Parliament will make it unlawful to discriminate against people on the basis of their age when it comes to the provision of goods and services.
She welcomed the awards, and congratulated the winners, saying: “It is timely to recognise the outstanding achievement of these employers who are already taking advantage of the wealth of skills and experience older workers have, and encourage more employers to follow their example.”
For the past two years, since the International Innovative Employer Awards inception, TAEN has worked closely with the AARP to promote them in the UK and to encourage British employers to enter and apply.
Read the joint AARP/TAEN press release here.