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Employers Forum on Age announces winners of equality in workplace awards
The winners of the 2009 Employers Forum on Age awards were announced at a conference in February. The awards showcase the achievements of organisations that have taken a lead in promoting workplace wellbeing and age diversity in the UK.
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Awards were made in five categories to highlight the innovative ways in which companies have “promoted good practice directed at employees across the working lifespan, reminding us that all employees have an age”.
“Employee engagement and business results will be enhanced if life stage and age is taken into account in the employment relationship,” says the Employers Forum on Age. Entrants were judged on outcome as well as policies and on evidence that they have made a significant business impact.
Categories and winners
1. Health and wellbeing
Winner: First ScotRail introduced a people strategy that emphasised employee health and wellbeing, adopting a range of health measures and launching a number of wellbeing campaigns.
Highly commended: West Midlands Police aimed to provide a working environment that supports the wellbeing of all staff with a particular emphasis on the health and fitness of female staff and of police officers whose careers can span 30 years.
2. Innovation in flexible working
Winner: Centrica’s “work:wise” programme was designed to offer individuals, irrespective of grade or statutory requirements, greater control over their work-life balance, while achieving a more efficient use of office space.
Highly commended: McDonald’s set out to develop flexible working options by capitalising on one of its strengths as a business, recognising that nurturing a culture of flexible working benefits both the business and staff.
3. Innovation in attracting and retaining baby boomers
Winner: British Gas Service’s campaign to fully embrace anti-ageism legislation led to sweeping changes to its training and recruitment activities and introduced new contracts for staff who wanted to alter their working arrangements.
4. Harnessing the potential of Generation Y
Winner: Addleshaw Goddard explored how the world of work is changing by understanding the views and aspirations of Generation Y and what impact this will have on organisations within the legal sector.
5. Lifelong learning
Winner: McDonald’s developed a commitment to lifelong learning within the business by providing recognised qualifications, initially in basic skills, to all staff regardless of their age and experience.
Want to know more?
More details on the award winners are available at www.efa.org.uk/awards.
The Employers Forum on Age (EFA) is the “leading campaigner on age issues in the workplace”. The EFA is a forum of employers established 11 years ago because they wanted to eradicate ageism in the workplace. Since then it has helped provide advice, training and support for workplaces that want to eradicate age discrimination from their employment practices and help prepare them for all new legislation. To find out more visit www.efa.org.uk.