DRAFT
Equality & Diversity Challenge Unit Project
Valuable or a drain: perception of employment for 50+
Final Report
Contents
Summary 3
Introduction 3
Context 3
Method 4
Findings 5
Practitioner Resources 8
Appendix 1 - Face to Face interview notes 9
Appendix 2 - Summary Questionnaire responses – Employers 17
Appendix 3 - Summary Questionnaire responses – Individuals 23
Appendix 4 – References/Links 34
Summary
A partnership of organisations supporting those distanced from the labour market in Reading carried out an ethnographic study to explore perceptions of employing individuals aged 50+. The stratified sample elicited feedback from 77 people representing those individuals and employers. Tools were developed to help practitioner’s better support individuals. The key finding of the research was that habitus of employers and individuals perceptions as employees are both positive and negative. This research was funded by the Equality and Diversity Challenge Unit.
Introduction
Reading Borough Council, Bracknell Forest Council, Job Centre Plus, Reading UKCIC and Graft Thames Valley are all organisations who support the over 50s into employment and are trying to develop a wider understanding of 50+ employment issues via disseminating resources for a range of practitioner e.g. advisors, teachers and HR staff, that challenge negative perceptions of 50+ employment.
Context
The 2011 Census estimates the population of Reading at 155,700. This a 9% increase on the 2001 census figure of 143,096 and a 2% bigger change than the one between 1991 and 2001 when there was 7.1% increase in the Reading population.
Reading's population has increased in ethnic diversity. 25.3% of the population is now currently 'non-white', a 12.1% increase since 2001. Reading continues to have the second highest proportion of non-white ethnic groups in the South East after Slough. 85.5% of resident’s are in good health.
Professional occupation types have shown the most significant increase since 2001 census 24.5% of the Reading Population employed in this sector, well above the regional and England percentage of 18.7% and 17.5% respectively. Managers, Directors and senior officials have reduced by 6% for Reading and by similar levels in the South East & nationally. Service occupations have increased and administrative occupations decreased. Other occupation types are reasonably static compared to 2001 census results. Reading’s employers are predominantly Micro and Small employers.
Job density levels indicate there are sufficient jobs for the local population.
Method
18 Face to Face interviews were carried out by three partners: Graft Thames Valley, Reading UKCIC and Bracknell Forest Council. 9 electronic surveys were completed by other companies. 52 Individuals who were unemployed or who had recently gained employment aged 50+ completed a questionnaire electronically or in hard copy. Job Centre Plus was an essential partner in reaching individuals and capturing their responses. At least 19 individual responses were from JCP clients. Four 50+ unemployed individual’s undertook work experience placements with Reading and Bracknell Forest council’s. Case studies were gathered and capitalised upon when opportunities arose.
The ethical statement was “The data gathered in this questionnaire shall remain completely anonymous; no information about the respondent is collected. Honest responses are fundamental to this project. We encouraged respondents to be as open as possible. The purpose of the questionnaires was to find out what perceptions really are. We hope that this research can inform future practice and or research.”
Findings
Employers
From the employers surveyed two thirds feel there are barriers to employing staff aged 50+. These perceived barriers are often attributed to adaptability and re-training to maintain their competitiveness against younger rivals.
Most acknowledge that staff aged 50+ could be better at handling conflict or difficult situations.
Many felt that staff aged 50+ would be more motivated and could make good mentors or role models.
More than half felt their responses would be different for staff aged 60+ and 70+, citing health or physical strength as a concern.
Individuals
From the individuals surveyed two thirds feel there are barriers to employing staff aged 50+.
Most felt better able to handle conflict or difficult situations, were adaptable, were more trustworthy and that their interpersonal skills were better. They felt more motivated and reliable, and that they would make good mentors or role models.
Two thirds felt that they would have more IT training needs.
Most felt that valuable experience was often overlooked.
Work Placements
8 Week work experience placements were offered. The intended benefits to participants were:
· Development of IT skills including: inputting of data, use of excel for collation & analysis of responses
· Development of administration skills including: completing questionnaires with others or being interviewed as part of the in depth face to face interviews
· Development of presentation skills including: participation in workshops and disseminating results
· Developing resources including: working with others, sharing ideas and team working
Hazel: at interview this lady was excessively nervous and was absolutely desperate to get back into work. She had been out of work for 10 years and is 60+. Her nerves and lack of confidence really was a barrier to gaining work. Once she started the placement we saw a completely different individual. Hazel has a strong background in administration and was very quickly an asset to have around. She was proactive, seeking out jobs to do if one hadn’t been allocated, and looking to support all areas of the reception / admin placement role. At the end of the placement she was ill for a little while but rapidly quickly found an admin role for a laundry company. It isn’t what she wants to do in the long term but it is a real job where she can build on the confidence she was struggling with before her placement.
Vincent: an unassuming, quiet gentleman who took on the tasks allocated in a quiet, conscientious way. He marked initial assessments for English and maths. He helped to set up filing for an Ofsted folder, typing up policies / procedures. He contacted learners to ask them to collect their portfolios. He made labels to make portfolios clearly and easily identifiable. He completed tasks with minimum direction, independently fulfilling tasks. He checked if he had questions. He used his initiative when completing tasks to improve the quality of the tasks. He had a very positive attitude and was patient. He undertook a range of tasks very graciously. He has one week left on his placement which was extended due to ill health and he has applied for jobs whilst on placement. We are very hopeful that he will find work after his placement.
A Case study:
At a recent interview day, a member of the research team encountered the following:
Application forms:
1) Even though there was no date of birth on the application forms, a member of the short-listing panel had written the applicant's age at the top of each application form and photocopied these "age added" forms for the interview panel (calculated roughly from the dates of GCSEs or GCEs).
Discussion amongst the interview panel of six after interview included:
1) Possible lower levels of stamina of the older candidate in terms of his age compared with the younger candidate.
2) The possible lack of willingness of the older candidate to work long hours compared with the younger candidate in terms of his age. The term "winding down to retirement" was used.
3) The possible lack of willingness of the older candidate to undertake further training compared with the younger candidate.
4) The possible lack of flexibility of the older candidate to adopt newer ways of working compared with the younger candidate.
5) How many years there may be before the older candidate’s retirement.
The younger candidate was chosen in favour of the older candidate and, although the discussion was wider than the topics above, it is fair to say that the age factor dominated the discussion.
Links to wider studies
The Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) and Age UK published a “Best Practice Guide for Recruiters” June 2015. The document calls for a greater commitment from recruiters and some of its recommendations mirror our findings. These are summarised as:
· It’s about individuals not stereotypes
· Be mindful of the language used as it may put off older applicants
· Age is not an indicator of ability
Statistical evidence published by Business in the Community (BITC) in October 2014 also suggests that older workers are disadvantaged:
· one-third (33%) of unemployed people aged between 50 and 64 started their own business, compared with a quarter of those aged between 30 and 49 and 8.6% of those aged between 16 and 29;
· among those 50-64-year-olds who moved out of unemployment, 16.3% found a place on a government employment and training scheme, in contrast to 11.1% of those in the 16-24 age group and 12.7% of those in the 30-49 bracket;
· unpaid work for a family business is reported at higher levels (10.6%)among the 50-64 age group;
· health and illness concerns restrict the opportunities that older workers are able to pursue; and
· other disincentives to return to work may also exist when people receive income from benefits or pensions and a return to work would negatively impact their finances
A larger DWP study exploring attitudes towards employing older people also produced comparable findings;
“Among those currently unemployed or not working, 50 per cent agreed that it was difficult to get another job. Furthermore, 51 per cent agreed that age affected their confidence in applying for jobs and 57% agreed that they felt employers were not interested in hiring them because of their age (49 per cent of women and 68 per cent of men). Thirty nine per cent agreed that applying for jobs was difficult because their skills were out of date.”
In a recent CIPD survey, workers were asked to identify the benefits of working within an age-diverse team. They cited having different perspectives, knowledge sharing, new ideas and improved problem solving as major advantages.
The report also indicates there is no correlation between age and performance.
Practitioner Resources
Age is one of the major hurdles that hinder successful searching for jobs; however more evidence exists to disprove outdated stereotypes and challenge unconscious bias and age discrimination.
Other non-age specific barriers include low skills, or qualifications, long-term health conditions, disabilities and combining work with caring. Many over 50s are affected by some or all of these factors, with older women particularly at risk.
Awareness of age friendly employer policies could be helpful:
· Flexible working
· Flexible/phased retirement
· Home working
· Health and wellbeing provision
· Free/subsidised medical care
· Pre-retirement training
· Family care leave
· Gap breaks
· Hot-desking
· Flexible job design policies
· Financial planning guidance
· Return-to-work options for retirees
· Offer insurance provision (to cover long-term health and sickness, disability absence and rehabilitation)
· Support networks for the retired
Particular characteristics of older workers which businesses value highly include:· experience of work and life experience
· loyalty
· reliability
· good time management skills
· patience and calmness under pressure
· ability to engage well with other people
· strong customer service empathy
· ability to mentor younger staff
Appendix 1 - Face to Face interview notes
Company 1
Company 1 is a small printing company that has operated in Reading for over 50 years. They currently employ 100% staff over 50 – however, they have not recruited for over a decade and many staff have become over 50 whilst in their employ. Company 1 is very pro employing an older workforce. If there were two equal candidates for a role and one of them was over 50 they would probably appoint the older person. However, they would not discriminate in favour of someone over 50 – they would appoint the best person for the job. Company 1 is concerned that younger applicants may be joining the business as a stepping stone to bigger things in their career – whilst in this company’s experience older people tend to stay longer giving better staff retention – this company has not recruited for over a decade. Company 1 thinks that people over 50 have the relevant life experiences to handle conflict and difficult situations diplomatically – even if they did not agree with a colleague they would manage the situation without causing embarrassment to others. This company feels that there are no age limits for recruitment if the person can do the job they say that ‘it’s what’s in the head that counts’.
Company 2
Company 2 is a small business that provides administration services to the wider business community including telephone handling and call centre support – as such the business is heavily reliant on IT. The company employs a mixed age workforce and has a robust induction and training process. As each new client they support has a unique requirement, staff are regularly required to be trained in both new client requirements and the IT process that will support the new client business. Company 2 does not see any significant differences between employees who are over 50 and those under 50. They feel that across the age range there is a mix of people that are good at some things but not at others and there is no specific thing they could single out for employees over 50.
Company 2 feels that people over 50 are less stressed about work – generally speaking they are at a time of life when financial commitments (mortgage, children etc.) are easing, giving them the option to choose the job they want to do rather than a job that pays well. As a result over 50’s in Company 2 show good commitment, team working, motivation and reliability – they have chosen the job they want, if they became uncomfortable in that job they would leave.
When asked about the IT training needs of over 50’s, Company 2 saw no difference between them and under 50’s. They described the IT requirement within the company as a ‘wave that is getting bigger’ and, recognising this issue, they only expect staff to be trained in IT that is relevant to their particular role – e.g. they don’t expect call centre staff to understand and engage in social media. Where training is required Company 2 find over 50’s as adaptable as any other age range within the business and cited the rise in Silver Surfers as proof of the over 50’s ability to adapt to technology.