A fifth of women would be willing to return to paid employment if they could work flexibly, research from the Equal Opportunities Commission suggested. Currently around 2 million women stay at home to care for families and households. If employers were to offer more flexible working patterns, this could boost Britain’s workforce by over 400,000 people.
The government needs to provide more incentives to reduce absence from the workplace. A study, commissioned by Norwich Union Healthcare, estimated the cost of absence to the national economy (£13.2bn a year), and examined its effects on other stakeholders, including the NHS and the incapacity benefit budget. It suggests that the introduction of fiscal incentives such as matched funding or tax credits could encourage employers to offer services that allow their staff to return to work quicker after sickness or injury.
Ageism in the workplace became illegal on September 29, with the introduction of new employment rights that cover all workers over the age of 16. The new law will:
Ban discrimination in terms of recruitment, promotion and training
Ban unjustified retirement ages of below 65
Remove the age limit for unfair dismissal and redundancy rights
Introduce a right for employees to request working beyond retirement age and duty on employers to consider that request
Introduce a new requirement for employers to give at least six months notice to their employees about their intended retirement date so that both can plan better.
BT has launched a programme, Work Fit – Positive Mentality – to improve the mental health of its 104,000 employees, in partnership with two charities – MIND and the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health. Contact; BT www.bt.com
M&S has won the 2006 Award for Overall Best Private Sector Organisation from the Employers Forum on Age, in recognition of its work towards eradicating age discrimination in the workplace. Contact; Katy Pratt, M&S 020 8718 8132 www.marksandspencer.com
B&Q has won the Age Positive Retailer of the Year award in the People in Retail Awards, run by the Retail Bulletin. B&Q was recognised for encouraging people of all ages to join the company. Almost a quarter of its staff are over 50, and a fifth are under 24. Contact; B&Q 0845 609 6688 www.diy.com
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