Tracey Roose chief executive of Age UK Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, has published an article for Civil Society about why her organisation has changed its thinking and recruitment practices towards older workers.
"There is a growing body of evidence about the benefits of greater diversity and inclusion, ranging from better financial returns to higher levels of innovation and more engaged employees. Therefore, we've looked at some of our practices in recruitment, training and retention. We have recently included training in neuro-divergent conditions as part of our induction process and following a team consultation.
We make a huge mistake if we don’t include older people in our workforces. They are often the glue that hold our communities together and create both financial value and social capital in many different sectors. Embracing, engaging and supporting our older population to age well, keep healthy, keep working and volunteering provides a real opportunity for charities to add value to their organisations. Bear in mind, many older people provide the backbone of informal care."
At SOPA we would welcome this shift of thinking within any organisation in Scotland not just the Third Sector.
