United Kingdom: Major HR Group Issues Guide for Managing Older Workers

The UK's Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has practical guidance designed to help employers respond successfully to the talent management challenges and opportunities they will face over the early decades of the 21st century. According to CIPD, the guide--"Managing a healthy ageing workforce: A national business imperative"--should help employers to use older workers to fill the coming gap between the estimated 13.5 million jobs that will be created over the next 10 years and the only 7 million young people available to fill them by revisiting their workforce planning strategies to accommodate this major change.

In particular, CIPD suggests that HR should take the lead on this issue and work in partnership with line managers and senior colleagues to secure the best results. Dianah Worman, the CIPD’s diversity adviser, said:

Organisations that respond appropriately to the challenges of an ageing workforce will gain a significant competitive edge, both in terms of recruiting and retaining talent, but also through supporting the well-being and engagement of employees of all ages.

CIPD worked with the Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives (SCHWL) at NHS Health Scotland to produce the new guide. It provides practical and simple guidance to help slow starters catch up and for those already engaged with the agenda to improve the way they respond to it. Basically, it takes an organization through a three-step process:

• building the business case,
• addressing the myths, and
• talent management.

Source: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development News Release (March 8, 2012)