Ards and North Down Borough Council in Northern Ireland has become an age-friendly employer as part of its continued commitment to being an age-friendly borough.
The age-friendly employer pledge, which was established by the Centre for Ageing Better, helps employers to recognise the importance and value of older workers and to promote physical and social environments that support healthy and active ageing, and a good quality of life for older people. It is a commitment to improve work for people aged over 50 and take action to help them flourish in a multigenerational workforce.
By signing the pledge, the council has committed to take at least one action a year to improve the recruitment, retention and development of older workers. These include identifying a senior sponsor for age-inclusion, ensuring age is specifically named within its equality, diversity and inclusion policies, creating an age-friendly culture, hiring age-positively, being flexible about all types of working, encouraging career development at all ages and ensuring everyone has the health support they need.
Councillor Jennifer Gilmour, Mayor of Ards and North Down, said: “The adoption of the age-friendly employer pledge is both a statement and recognition of the council’s commitment to people of all ages that our borough should be ‘A Great Place to Live and Grow Older’. Our ageing population brings opportunities and challenges so it is essential that all organisations, especially those that make decisions on behalf of the public, ensure that environments are created to allow people to flourish as they age. We all want to live healthy, active and engaged lives.
“We hope the adoption of the pledge will set an example to other businesses in the borough, and officers will be encouraging other employers to consider signing the pledge as one of the proposed actions in the age-friendly strategy and action plan.”