The Direction – June 2014
Note from our Director
Hello and Welcome to our June 2014 edition of ‘The Direction’. As you may have heard the recently announced budget changes includes increasing the retirement age to 70 from 2017 has highlighted the issue of our ageing workforce. Christina Willcox, our WH&S Specialist writes about embracing our ageing workforce in this issue of The Direction.
If you would like to discuss any of the issues covered in the newsletter or anything else please contact us on 07 3890 2066 or admin@hrbd.com.au.
G20 Public Holiday
There is an additional public holiday for those in the Brisbane area on the 14th November for the G20 Leaders Summit. This will help to minimise your risk.
HR Tip
Check what you are paying employees against their minimum award entitlement. You may be surprised!
Embracing our ageing workforce
Regardless of whether the retirement age is 65, 67 or 70 the reality of our ageing workforce is that employers can no longer ignore the importance of retaining and employing older workers.
While discrimination on the basis of age is unlawful, any jobseeker over the age of 45 will tell you that it well and truly happens, perhaps even that it is widespread. Some even argue that organisational change such as restructures and redundancies unfairly target older workers.
The impact of the increase in the average age of workers in this country to date has been subtle so far, perhaps making it easy for employers to select younger workers over their more mature counterparts, perhaps even without realizing that they are engaging in unlawful discrimination. Notwithstanding this, over the next ten to fifteen years there is going to be a significant increase in the average age of workers. Employers may begin to find their talent pools very limited if they fail to consider older job applicants, and age discrimination, whether intentional or unintentional, direct or indirect will be detrimental to business and economic productivity and performance.
So let’s examine some of the possible reasons why older workers are discriminated against. Most of the reasons I have heard of or encountered seem to be based on stereotypical attitudes towards older workers being physically slower, frail and less productive, being ‘in their twilight years’ or just passing time until retirement, having less mental acuity or being resistant to learning or change.
Evidence to support these presumptions or the conclusion that younger workers are always better is non-existent.
Age related degenerative changes, reduction in muscular strength and range of movement are frequently cited in terms of older workers being at a higher risk of injury than their younger counterparts. While these are legitimate health issues faced by some older workers and may be a problem where repetitive or extended periods of physical labour are required, Safe Work Australia data clearly shows that it is younger workers (15-24) who have a significantly higher frequency rate of injuries than any other age group. In terms of sick leave, ABS data shows that workers 45 years of age actually take less sick-leave than their younger counterparts.
With regard to ability to learn new tasks, mental acuity and response to change, again there is no actual evidence to support that these are a problem for older workers. In fact employers which activity employ and retain older workers overwhelmingly cite substantial work experience and maturity, conscientiousness, strong communication and networking skills and reliability as the attributes which stand out the most.
In terms of retaining and attracting older workers in the future, the key may be in offering employment which offers balance or flexibility such as working from home or working part time. Job design that embraces the positive attributes of older workers and addresses ergonomic considerations would also be of value. Effective risk management practices which eliminate workplace health and safety risks will benefit employers and workers of all ages, as will workplace health promotion initiatives.
Employers who retain and employ older workers appear to be the minority at this time, and it is evident that older workers can be overlooked in favour of their younger counterparts, for poorly considered reasons. The changing employment landscape, with its high proportion of older workers may bring the positive change of forcing employers to rethink, and hopefully abandon their pre-conceived notions concerning older workers.