Research by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) found that just 11 per cent of managers in the education sector consider their organisation well-prepared to cope with an ageing workforce, despite the impending abolition of the default retirement age of 65, and the fact that a third of the population will be over 50 by 2020.
More than a third of respondents to the study, including those working in nurseries and schools, said they felt that recognition of ageing workforce issues is non-existent within their setting, with a lack of supportive policies in place and inadequate training or support for staff managing older workers.
Forty-two cent of managers said they were unaware of their organisation's retirement policies and more than a third of respondents said that their workplace is not age-diverse, even though 89 per cent regarded the knowledge and experience of older workers as beneficial.
CMI's director of policy and research Petra Wilton warned that the education sector was unprepared for the impact that an ageing population would have on operations. She said employees aged over 50 will feel undervalued and will be less likely to work beyond the normal retirement age unless action is taken.
In the report the CMI makes a number of recommendations to senior staff working in the sector, including ensuring that managers are up to date with changes to retirement policies, and providing adequate training on how to handle age-related issues.
Jacqui Mann, (pictured), managing director of HR 4 Nurseries, said, 'An ageing workforce should not be seen as a negative thing. Older workers have years of valuable skills and experience which employers should be encouraging them to share with the younger workforce. It's important that line managers are trained so that they do not discriminate against any staff on the grounds of age and that all employees are given equal opportunities within the organisation.
'With the phasing out of the default retirement age, we will all soon be working alongside employees of a variety of ages, so let's learn from each other and embrace it.'
FURTHER INFORMATION
To read the full report, 'Managing an Ageing Workforce', visit www.managers.org.uk/ageing
