Age at Work Wales

About Age at Work

We are all living for longer, which means that the majority of us are likely to be working for longer too. In Wales, one third of the workforce is aged 50 or over and by 2023, half of all adults in the UK will be over 50 years old.

Both your customers and your workforce are ageing. So, recruiting, retaining and retraining older individuals in the workplace is essential for businesses and the wider economy. Businesses need to take action now to prevent early exit from the workplace, support later life working and make the most of benefits of intergenerational workplaces.

Business in the Community Cymru in partnership with Age Cymru (and counterparts in Northern Ireland and Scotland) are delivering the Age at Work Programme, funded by the National Lottery Community Fund. We can support businesses to create workplaces where older workers can thrive.

The Age at Work programme aims to:

  • Encourage and support businesses to be more age-inclusive in retaining, retraining and recruiting older workers
  • Raise awareness of the impact of an ageing workforce and the need for an age-inclusive agenda in government, business and wider society
  • Support more older workers (aged 50+) to remain in or return to work to continue to earn, stay connected and develop new skills

All aspects of the Age at Work programme are free of charge to all businesses thanks to funding from the National Lottery Community Fund and the programme offers a range of resources and tools to help support businesses to become more age inclusive.

Support available for employers through Age at Work

Age-Inclusive Business Review

This is a free, online, self-assessment tool to help identify gaps and highlight strengths in relation to being an age-inclusive and age-friendly employer.

The questions in the Review are best completed by an HR or Diversity and Inclusion representative in your organisation. It will take approximately 25 minutes to complete, and you will receive bespoke age-inclusion recommendations for your organisation.

Questions and associated recommendations fall under four key themes: Financial Wellbeing; Health and Wellbeing; Work-life Balance; and Workplace Practices (ie recruitment, retention, retirement, training.)

By developing an effective age-inclusive action plan, your business and its workforce can benefit from a better work-life balance, increased retention, enhanced staff engagement and more satisfied and productive workers. Click here to access and complete the Age-Inclusive Business Review.

Age-Inclusive Learning Network

The Age-Inclusive Learning Network brings professionals in Wales with an interest in age inclusion together online, to learn from each other, share best practice, make new connections and to hear from a topic expert speaker covering issues that include recruitment, retirement and ageism.

There are a range of upcoming workshops available and participants can register below for one or more sessions. All organisations participating in the Network are asked to complete the Age-Inclusive Business Review in order to get the most from the sessions.  If you have any questions, please contact age@bitc.org.uk.

 

Mid-Career Reviews

We can deliver in-house Mid-Career Review Webinars to your staff over 50 which give them an opportunity to consider aspects of their finances, health, wellbeing and work, and provide practical tips and advice to help them make informed choices that will build a positive future in work, in their personal life and beyond . Contact Age at Work Wales Programme Manager Jill Salter to schedule in sessions for your workforce. Click here to find out more.

Age-Inclusive Employer Toolkit

This PDF Toolkit is a guide for employers on how best to support employees over the age of 50 and is split into four helpful sections: Financial Wellbeing, Health and Wellbeing, Work-life Balance and Workplace Practices. Although primarily developed for workers over 50, the Toolkit contains recommendations for good practice that can be utilised and applied to all staff, regardless of age.

If you would like a FREE copy of the Age-Inclusive Toolkit, please complete the form below and your download will automatically start on submission. A Welsh language version is also available.

How we support individuals over 50

Mid-Career Review Webinars

Business in the Community’s Mid-Career Review Webinars offer an opportunity for people 50+ to reflect on their current circumstances for work, health and finances. They can help attendees make informed choices to create a more positive future in work and in outside of work.

Mid-Career Review webinars are run regularly online and anyone over 50 (employed or unemployed) can sign up themselves. These sessions give attendees an opportunity to consider aspects of their finances, health, wellbeing and work, and provide practical tips and advice to help them make informed choices that will build a positive future in work, in their personal life, and into retirement.

Click here to see a list of upcoming Mid-Career Review Webinars and to sign up.

For further information about the Mid-Career Review webinars, please email age@bitc.org.uk. 

 

Not based in Wales? Click on the region below to find out what support is available in your area, and how we can help.

Age at Work is not delivered in England by Business in the Community, but we can support your business to respond to our ageing population and the needs of older workers in other ways. Learn more about Business in the Community’s work on age nationally.