Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) could benefit from employing older workers because of their attitudes to work and their experience, a new study claims.
Research by the Centre for Research into the Older Workforce (CROW) suggests that many employers have a positive attitude to recruiting and retaining older workers, though some are more reluctant to recruit people after the age of 50.
The Employer Responses to an Ageing Workforce study, published by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), also reveals that many bosses prefer older employees to younger ones, as they tend to have better attitudes to work and greater experience.
Many workers over the age of 50 claim that they would like to stay in work longer, on a flexible or part-time basis, but bosses are often reluctant to hold "complicated and potentially embarrassing conversations about retirement".
Professor Stephen McNair, director of CROW, suggested that many managers "were avoiding discussions about flexible working and extending working life, and imposing a compulsory retirement age to avoid the risk of disputes", missing out on significant economic and other benefits.
The Department of Work and Pensions recently suggested that small businesses should review age policies carefully to recognise the "cost and practical benefits" of employing older staff. Smaller firms are particularly likely to retain older people after they pass the State Pension Age.
