National Older Workers Week

This National Older Workers Week, we want to highlight the importance and value of older workers.

The Age UK North Tyneside Group is proudly an Age Friendly employer, and we work to harness the skills and experience of older workers to enhance our services. You can also read more about our experience with signing the pledge here.

Dawn McNally, the Group Chief Executive at Age UK North Tyneside, said:

“As a charity working for the benefit of older people in North Tyneside, combating ageism is something very close to our hearts. We’re delighted to be able to demonstrate our commitment to supporting older workers by signing the Age-friendly Employer Pledge.

“We’re proud to have many employees in their 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s. From carers to office staff to members of our Senior Leadership Team, there is no reason that age should exclude anyone from a role they’re capable of.

“By signing this pledge, we hope to demonstrate to older workers across the region that they are welcome at Age UK North Tyneside and EveryDay Care & Support. We also like to think we can serve as an example to other organisations in the region, and hope that they will follow suit in signing the Age-friendly Employer Pledge.”

Older workers have often been overlooked and experienced prejudice; however multigenerational workforces bring a wider set of experiences to any organization. We encourage other employers to become Age Friendly Employers by clicking here and signing the pledge. The pledge allows us to encourage career development at all ages as older workers fill those key skill gaps in the market.

Positive and inclusive hiring is especially important to us in the Age UK North Tyneside Group as we work towards our vision of helping create “a world where everyone enjoys later life”. It is evident our efforts have paid off with our diverse workforce.

Olga Storey, a 79-year-old care worker with our care provider EveryDay Care & Support explains better than anyone the benefits of working for an age inclusive organisation:

"I have been employed by EveryDay Care as a Support Assistant since the beginning of January 2023 and I must say that it has been an extremely enriching experience for me as an older employee.

What I love about working for EveryDay Care is the people I work with and knowing that, whilst there is an obvious obligation to follow the guidelines, there is still the freedom to create a way of working without the need to be micro-managed in the knowledge that there are always Line Managers on-call to guide you.

I have learned that EveryDay Care has a proactive approach to its employees’ well-being no matter their age. All employees are treated as equals."

It fills us with pride to hear such wonderful things about our organisation and efforts to make a more inclusive space for all workers. Too often negative stereotypes and attitudes, particularly when they are internalised, make older workers feel less confident and impede their performance. A more positive outlook that embraces the benefits of age diversity must underlie any work to tackle ageism at work. That means being aware of all the negative stereotypes that are embedded in our attitudes to hiring, managing, and promoting workers.

Find out more about the vacancies and volunteering opportunities across both Age UK North Tyneside and EveryDay to be part of a workforce that encourages career growth at all ages.