Tel: 01753 870664 | Email: Thames Valley Executive Job Club Network

Employers Information

All websites open in the same browser window.

  1. Do you need sources of advice about the age legislation or information about the merits of employing an age diverse workforce?
    Several organisations offer very useful advice about age and employment, how to attract an age diverse workforce and about the 2006 age legislation. These include:
    1. The Age and Employment Network, formerly the Third Age Employment Network - aims to promote an effective job market which works for people in mid and later life, for employers and for the economy.
      Web: www.taen.org.uk
    2. Employers Forum on Age is a network of leading employers who recognise the need to attract and retain valuable employees – whatever their age.
      Web: www.efa.org.uk
    3. Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development is the professional body for those involved in the management and development of people.
      Web: www.cipd.co.uk
    4. acas: arbitration, conciliation and advisory service which aims to improve employment and working life through better employment relations.
      Web: www.acas.org.uk
  2. Do you need help with finding experienced managers and technical staff?
    There are five executive job clubs in the Thames Valley – Aylesbury, Bracknell, Gerrards Cross, Newbury plus Windsor and Maidenhead. Each is made up of experienced team leaders, managers and professionals who are looking for work immediately. Send the executive job club details of your vacancy and they will forward it to their current members, free of charge. The jobseeking manager will get in touch with you direct if they would like to find out more about your vacancy.
    Contact details:
    1. www.careersspringboardaylesbury.org.uk – for Aylesbury and North Bucks
    2. www.careersspringboardbracknell.org.uk – for Bracknell
    3. www.careersspringboard.info – for Gerrards Cross and South Bucks
    4. www.careerswestberks.org.uk – for Newbury and West Berks
    5. www.executivejobclub.org.uk – for Windsor and Maidenhead
  3. Do you need support for your staff during redundancy?
    1. The executive job clubs listed above run weekly meetings for jobseeking managers, team leaders and professionals which would be invaluable for staff seeking help and support during redundancy.
    2. Funded by the South East England Development Agency, the Redundancy Support Unit team offer advice and guidance to small, medium and large companies experiencing redundancy or about to make redundancies. They will co-ordinate a range of help.
    Telephone 01483 446056 if you are involved in making redundancies in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire or Oxfordshire.
  4. Do you want to advertise your vacancies free of charge?
    At Jobcentre plus you can advertise your vacancy free of charge www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk. Your vacancy will be displayed on touch screen Jobpoints in over 1000 jobcentre plus offices and on one of the largest job websites in the world.
  5. Reasons why older workers are good for your business
    Experience counts in a recession
    ............10 reasons why older workers are good for your business
    1. Employing older workers will increasingly be key to business success.
      Between now and 2015 there will be fewer school leavers and the number of 35-45 year olds will fall by 130,000 in the South East, but the number of 45-65 year olds will grow by 124,000: see diagram overleaf for longer term trends. (Source: “Opportunities for Older Workers”, South East England Development Agency). By the early 2020s one in three workers will be over 50. (Source: The Age and Employment Network).
    2. Older workers are valued and often preferred by employers.
      A survey of 70 UK employers reported that older workers were valued for:
      • Reliability, loyalty and motivation.
      • Skills, knowledge and experience.
      • Ability to cope with pressure.
      • Empathy with colleagues and customers. (Source: “Employer Responses to an Ageing Workforce”, Centre for Research into the Older Workforce). Other reported attributes of older workers include: dedication, punctuality, flexibility, honesty, attention to detail, organisational skills, confidence, maturity, setting a good example, communication skills, customer service. (Source: Institute on Ageing, University of North Carolina).
    3. Older workers are a source of creativity and innovation.
      80% of the most workable and worthwhile new production ideas come from employees aged over 40. (Source: FGI, Inc. (2000) American Business and Older Employees: Full Report. AARP). Work at the Cambridge Medical Research Council and neural imaging show that the brain activity of older people is as robust as that of younger people. (Source: Dispatches, Channel 4).
    4. Older workers are less often off sick, have lower absentee rates and stick at jobs longer than younger workers.
      B&Q report that absenteeism is 39% lower amongst their older workers.
      Nationwide’s annual turnover is 4% for older workers compared to 10% for younger workers, leading to a saving of £7 million a year in recruitment costs. (Source: Age Concern).
    5. Employing older workers is cost effective - saving time and effort in recruiting and training new staff - while making people redundant is expensive.
      A survey of 70 UK employers has reported savings in recruitment and training costs. (Source: “Employer Responses to an Ageing Workforce”, Centre for Research into the Older Workforce). The cost of making people redundant averages over £16,000 in direct costs plus indirect costs such as loss of productivity: (Source: Chief Economist, Chartered Institute of Personel and Development, quoted by The Age and Employment Network).
    6. People in their 50s and 60s normally still have a third of their lives to live and, if recruited at that age, are long term assets. People recruited by Nationwide in their 50s and 60s stay for an average of 13 years. (Source: Age Concern).
    7. Employers find that upgrading older employees’ skills leads to improved motivation, greater flexibility and increased productivity.
      Responses from 350 employers have pointed to these positive effects. (Source: Research to Get Results for Older Workers, A4E/Centre for Research into the Older Workforce).
    8. Training older workers is good value for money and a good investment.
      While older workers take longer to absorb new material, their better study attitudes and accumulated experience mean lower training costs. (Source: FGI, Inc. (2000) American Business and Older Employees: Full Report. AARP).
    9. Ageism is the most commonly experienced form of discrimination.
      One in five people over 50 have experienced age discrimination in the workplace. (Source: Centre for Research into the Older Workforce).
    10. Leaving the workforce prematurely penalises people for the rest of their lives.
      A man leaving work five years early loses on average £1,700 a year for the rest of his life (Source: Age Concern). “In the last major recession, it was older workers who experienced the greatest difficulty in being re-employed, the longest unemployment and the highest levels of psychological stress. Many never got back into work and were unemployed for 10-15 years before reaching pension age.” (Source: Professor Alan Walker, University of Newcastle, speaking at Fairness in an Ageing Society Forum).

Back to the top

Related Links