CHAMPIONS HUB – A RESOURCE CENTRE FOR MEMBERS ONLY

Champion Age Diversity

 

Champions for Older Workers

Baroness Ros Altmann

“Champion Age Diversity” is a great opportunity for employers to demonstrate their support for a balanced and age diverse workforce.”

WELCOME to Champion Age Diversity membership! We designed ‘Champion Age Diversity’, under the custodianship of Prime Candidate, which now resides as the employability division of The Age Diversity Forum. The Forum is the global hub for age diversity in the work-place, and is a practical approach to ensure that organisations achieve the benefits and values of an age diverse work-force.

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The business case for diversity is more prominent, but unfortunately, there continues to be challenges in breaking down barriers of age bias in the employment arena. Whether that is in the form of: negative bias, unconscious or otherwise; a lack of opportunity for employers to access key skills and talent; poor retention and retraining programmes; or for policy support requirements. The Champion membership can support and drive strategy and values for all organisations.

We are raising the awareness of the values and benefits that an age diverse work-force can bring to organisations, of all size and sector. More companies now recognise the improved performance impact, and are seeking to establish themselves as a committed employer for diversity, demonstrating those values, both for their internal landscape, as well as to external partners and wider communities.

Such values are highly prized, and now sought after in how business is transacted. Employers are fast becoming aware of the opportunity to trade and procure, coupled to social awareness. As a social enterprise, we offer a further route for organisations to demonstrate their attitude towards corporate social responsibility.

We are the only organisation offering a practical approach to meet the challenges, and achieve the values of an age diverse workforce, whilst providing a deeper and broader platform for change. As it is for LGBT, gender and BAME, it is wrong, unjust and illegal to discriminate against age. Join our Champion advocacy and achieve the values and benefits of an age diverse work-force for your organisation, and you will also be making a difference to address the global age diversity challenges.

Champion Age Diversity Members

Champion Age DiversityOur members support age diversity in the work-place, working with us to set the standards to address widening participation and inclusion.

By providing an influential voice for members, through our policy and campaign activity, we ensure that the needs and views of an age diverse work-force are heard by government, policy makers, and other relevant organisations – together with our members, we work to bring continuous improvement to removing barriers to employment.

Champions membership is achieved by organisations who commit to behaviours, actions and values, that engage an age diverse workforce through policy and governance for retention, retraining and recruitment.

 

Become a Champion – What you have to do

To become a Champion and take advantage of the member benefits, including the use of the Champions mark, we ask organisations and employers to commit, meet, and be accountable to a number of criteria and behaviours, ensuring your organisation:

  • has a clear age-diversity employment policy that is set out in your governing documents
  • seeks to retain an age diverse work-force, giving balance to technical and life-skill attributes
  • invests in your recruitment strategy to ensure you are able to access all demographics when considering the search to fulfil a new vacancy
  • will provide training, up-skilling and redeployment opportunities for all employees, whatever their age
  • facilitates an improved culture of awareness, to encourage all staff to integrate and recognise the range of values provided across all employees

Champions are very important to the employment cycle and economic success, and come in different shapes and sizes: they are local councils, private sector organisations, umbrella and trade organisations, charities and many, many others.

If you are already a ‘Champion’ in practice, and meet the above criteria, then join the ‘Champions’ membership to galvanise further support and awareness for the values and attributes that you benefit from now.

If you are not following the Champions guidelines at the moment, but want to seize the opportunity to realise the added value benefits provided by age diversity, then join the membership and go shoulder to shoulder with like-minded organisations.

How members benefit

Champion Age Diversity

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The Age Diversity Forum is the central hub to enhance and sustain impact through improved awareness, engagement and coordination of widening participation, and diversity and inclusion information and initiatives. Through events, on-line and digital networks, we enable members to share challenges and opportunities, so they may become more effective and improve awareness across all sectors.

 For our members we:

  • Regularly engage with Government and decision makers to ensure the views of older workers are heard in the age diversity agenda
  • Represent the views of multi-generational work-force employers to influence policy
  • Address widening participation, diversity and inclusion issues from early contact through to employment, retention, redeployment and outplacement
  • Work with other sector bodies on relevant issues for age diversity
  • Campaign on age diversity issues to achieve positive change

With our members, we aim to facilitate an improved awareness and understanding of barriers to broader participation, to actively promote culture change through membership, collaboration, events, workshops and forums. We address factors to widening participation and diversity and inclusion challenges, from early contact, through to employment, retention, redeployment and outplacement.

We appreciate the support of our Champions, as it is an investment in the future development to overcome inclusion challenges, whilst providing a sustainable and long-term benefit to all members. Every member has an important role to help break the barriers of age in the employment environment.

We recognise that each Members needs can vary, therefore, membership can be applied with great flexibility, with benefits and values being attained in different ways.

To give some direction, here are the ‘standard’ benefits to be achieved as Champion Age Diversity members:

  • Demonstrate adherence to age inclusion legislation
  • A member’s icon to display Champions status
  • Gain reputational advantage
  • Demonstrate inclusion commitment to employees
  • Being involved in policy and campaign work to help grow the Champions awareness
  • Access to our Information & Support Service
  • Support for policy integration
  • Use of the Champions mark on your job adverts, company website and promotional materials
  • Branding and sponsorship opportunities across our websites, communication channels, publications and social media
  • Sign-posting to other specialist services, including training and employability skills
  • Sharing best practice and know-how
  • Access to a programme of support, including webinars and networking events
  • Regular communications and opportunities to highlight your organisation in our media, including Blogs and Newsletters
  • Further opportunities to share your experiences by hosting and speaking at our events
  • Access to other specialist services, including in-house support, research consortia and graduate apprenticeships

Become a ‘Champion’ and use the members mark to demonstrate your awareness and understanding of the values of an age diverse work-force. Showcase your age diversity status and encourage others to adopt the same, beneficial best practices.

An attention to age diversity, uniquely, also provides inter-sectional access to other diversity and inclusion agenda, including gender, disability, LGBTQ, BAME, returners to work and local communities. More businesses and organisations are now planning their strategies for sustainability and growth, recognising the benefits and values gained from diversity in the work-place.

Use your Champion membership to support your Diversity and Inclusion outlook and contribute to your corporate and social responsibility programmes. Create a culture that is valued by your employees, and external partners. Doing the right thing improves performance for everyone.

Become a Champion – Join now

 

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