The Age of retirement is over

EU rules aimed at outlawing age discrimination are behind the proposed scrapping of automatic retirement at the age of 65. This would give employees the right to continue to work past 65, putting further pressure on employers to manage an ageing workforce that is potentially prone to illness and disability. Tim Ablett, Chief Executive of FirstAssist, a leader in the provision of employee health and wellbeing solutions, is warning employers that now is the time to embrace services and procedures that proactively stimulate a healthy workforce of all ages.

This latest change in regulations and the demise of final salary pension schemes to fund ill health retirement, add to the building pressure human resources experts are already facing. Early this year the Health & Safety Executive placed responsibility for managing staff stress - the new major cause of short and long-term absence - firmly at the feet of employers. On 1st October the Disability Discrimination Act is extended to all employers requiring them to make reasonable adjustments in the workplace, or to work practices, to allow people of all abilities to be employed. In addition, the recent House Of Lords ruling Archibald v Fyfe Council has put a much higher duty on employers to make re-deployment following disability an employee’s right. Now, with staff being given the green light to work potentially into their 70s, and more than one in three of us experiencing some form of disability beyond the age of 50, businesses need to take responsibility for proactively managing the health and wellbeing of their workforce.

Tim Ablett, Chief Executive of FirstAssist comments, The prospect of an older workforce means employers need to take action now by investing in expertise to monitor and manage general staff wellbeing, their absence and where necessary, rehabilitation. The Government is keen to encourage workers to stay in employment for longer in order to relax the pressures on the state pension scheme. Businesses who recognise that investing in wellbeing improves productivity and profits will find that this enlightened self interest pays off even more as the average age of the workforce increases.

Staff absence management and positive health solutions have a big role to play in the future of healthy workforces. It is time to think about health promotion, active management of absence and return to work rehabilitation schemes. Those who lag behind on these issues and fail to embrace proactive approaches to wellbeing will face serious consequences and soon realise that non-compliance is not an option. With an ageing workforce, it is more important than ever for employers to manage the health of their staff, throughout their career cycle.

For further press information please contact Madeleine Roles or Justine Russell on 0208 977 9132 or email justine@harrisonsadler.com