
Most UK employers ‘failing to act on ageism’
The gap between perception that an employer is age inclusive and proactive action on...read more
Saga, the organisation for over 50s, has announced a new grandparent leave policy.
Saga has announced a new grandparent leave policy, allowing staff a week of paid time off from work to celebrate the birth of grandchildren.
Saga says that its policy is a first-of-its-kind move for a major UK business. Employees’ grandchildren will also have access to Saga’s onsite Apples nursery.
Saga says the leave policy recognises the role of grandparents to their families and society. It was launched following staff consultation and research involving 2,500 people over 50. That research showed that a quarter of working grandparents said they found it “difficult” to balance work with childcare commitments.
Academic research also found that grandparent involvement is strongly associated with child wellbeing and that grandparents may be under-recognised in the policy agenda. Age UK says two out of five (40%) grandparents over 50 provide regular childcare for their grandchildren while the rising retirement age means more grandparents will be in work for longer.
Jane Storm, Chief People Officer at Saga said: “This is about helping new grandparents celebrate a special moment and play a role in their growing families from day one. And it’s also a symbol of how important older workers are to their companies and to society. Working life is getting longer, but the first question many people over 50 still hear is ‘when are you going to retire?’. We want to change that mindset and show that age is no barrier to continued professional success.
“As a purpose-led business we have a responsibility to build a representative, multigeneration workforce fit for the future, that serves the needs of our customers. Our customers are mostly over 50 and we want to have more colleagues here that reflect the community we serve. We also think this idea should be a key attraction for retention and recruitment.”
The Government has announced a package of support for older workers, including work coaches for the over 50s. read more
Laurence Gouldbourne talks to workingwise.co.uk about his working life, from working in job centres and the Crown Prosecution Service to leading... read more
Looking out for the mental well-being of your employees should not be a temporary Covid thing. The Covid impact is lasting in any event, but mental... read more
A new white paper from WMPeople.co.uk focuses on emerging practice related to hybrid working and is based on an employer roundtable discussion in late... read more