Third Age Employment Network conference speech highlights that people are prevented from working as long as they wish due to barriers in workplace.
- Third Age Employment Network conference speech highlights that people are prevented from working as long as they wish due to barriers in workplace.
New research from Norwich Union reveals that nearly two-thirds of 45-54 year olds worry they will be prevented from working as long as they choose because of barriers in the workplace.
Norwich Union asked people what factors they thought would stop them working as long as they liked. Their responses were:
- Compulsory retirement age at work (13%)
- Employer culture does not support older workers (22%)
- No part-time flexibility (17%)
- No job opportunities for older people (12%)
Lack of job satisfaction in older workers prompts those who can afford it, to take early retirement. But many people want to continue to work past 65 as they enjoy the mental stimulation and social interaction at work. Therefore acceptance of older employees in the company culture is paramount.
Norwich Union is currently focussing on age diversification amongst its employees, and is reviewing recruitment practices to attract older workers and offer a flexible and attractive working policy to these new workers. New policies ensure that older workers feel valued and confident that they can continue working for as long as they wish, in order to afford a comfortable retirement.
This recruitment drive demonstrates Norwich Union's commitment to its customers and improving their experience of the company. The average age of a Norwich Union customer is 50, and older employees will help to build a more personalised and experienced approach. Knowledge, experience and commitment, all common traits of older workers, will help to give depth to our customer's experience.
Sandy Wilson, head of HR policy and reward at Norwich Union, is speaking at the Third Age Employment Network conference this afternoon. He will encourage employers to take steps to ensure that employees want to stay in work longer.
He explains, “Promotion of a culture that embraces and values the knowledge and expertise of older workers is key to putting the retirement decision back into the hands of employees.
Norwich Union is already working to improve its stance on age diversity. Its aim is to enrich our working environment by creating a workforce that is more flexible, more creative and more reflective of our customer base. From the products that we offer, to our HR policies, we want to ensure that our employees and customers have the power to make their own retirement decisions.”
Ends
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Notes to Editor
For more information concerning the research or for a copy of the speech given by Sandy Wilson, please contact the Norwich Union Press Office on the numbers above.
Norwich Union
Norwich Union is one of the UK's biggest insurers. It is a leading provider of life, pensions and investment products and one of the largest Financial Adviser (FA) providers. IFAs provide over 70% of the company's long-term savings business in the UK.
Norwich Union has strategic alliances with building societies and other leading UK brand names including CIS and The Royal Bank of Scotland Group. Norwich Union's news releases and a selection of images are available from Aviva's internet press centre at www.aviva.com/media .