Is your business adapting to the demands of an ageing workforce?

I recently read an interesting FT article, ‘entitled ‘The Silver Economy: companies train to deal with dementia’ which discussed the demands of an ageing workforce on the HR function.

It’s great news that big businesses such as Marks and Spencer, Waitrose and EasyJet, have all joined a government backed campaign which encourages companies to train employees on how to work with customers who may be suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

This initiative raises the question as to whether or not HR functions will reconsider their position in respect of employees who may be themselves be suffering from dementia (or are caring for someone that does)? After all, as people work until an older age, more and more will develop Alzheimer’s while at work – this could lead to dementia becoming one of the biggest challenges facing employees from an ageing population.

Jeremy Hunt, the UK Health Secretary, is now pushing big companies to sign up employees for dementia awareness training. Dementia charities list the reasonable workplace adjustments employers could make to support employees extend their working life. We have seen how disability legislation has protected employees suffering from a number of ailments, and advice is suggesting that Alzheimer’s and dementia are likely to be included in the list of illnesses for which companies will be required to make workplace adjustments.

Author

Barney Ely

Director at Hays

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Barney is Director at Hays Human Resources, the leading UK HR recruiting experts, leading a team of 80 HR recruitment consultants in 40 locations across the UK.

Barney also has operational responsibility for Hays offices across the South of England, with responsibility for teams placing professionals in over 20 industry sectors, from accountancy and finance to construction, IT, marketing and education. Across many of these sectors, Hays also has further teams dedicated to public services, not-for-profit, executive and international recruitment

Barney is an active partner to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), sitting on the CIPD People Management Awards panel.

Barney joined Hays in 1993 as a business graduate and has spent much of his career recruiting for blue-chip organisations and SMEs.