<h3>The ageing population is a rare mega-trend for the UK due to its impact on society.</h3>

The Opportunity of hiring over 50s into your workplace

<p>&nbsp;<img src="https://www.bluearrow.co.uk/-/media/bluearrow/recruitment-solutions/industry-insights/harnessing-the-opportunity-of-hiring-over-50s-into-your-workplace/body-image/image-for-over-50s-page-revised.png?h=200&amp;w=700&amp;hash=B0D5ED0DB14B85F65D2EEB5203007FCB" alt="image revised">&nbsp;</p>
<p>Talent shortages leave organisations needing to find ways to reach new talent communities. The growing over 50s population provides the opportunity to welcome new yet experienced talent into the workplace.</p>
<h3>How can employers become an age-friendly employer?</h3>
<p>1. Internal Review</p>
<ul>
<li>Know your data. How many over 50s are in your organisation?&nbsp;How many over 50s have you hired in the last 12 months?</li>
<li>Look at your recruitment processes and infrastructure through an over 50s lens. Make sure your reward and benefits support over 50s as well as younger people.</li>
<li>Pivot your Talent Attraction strategy towards over 50s. This includes developing your job adverts, job descriptions and application process.</li>
</ul>
<p>2. Training</p>
<ul>
<li>Train teams on Conscious Age Inclusion.</li>
<li>Educate staff on this mega-trend and what it means to them. Offer guidance on managing multi-generational teams to maximise performance.</li>
<li>Look to offer apprenticeships and graduate training to those of any age not just to &lsquo;early careers&rsquo; applicants.</li>
</ul>
<p>3. Flexibiity</p>
<ul>
<li>Offer job shares, part-time roles and flexible work opportunities to offer a greater work-life balance. Older workers may well have children, grandchildren and elderly parents to support.</li>
<li>Consider seasonal opportunities offering employment for a few months of the year rather than every month.</li>
</ul>
<p>4. Recruitment</p>
<ul>
<li>Change your focus on previous experience and focus on soft skills, behaviour, motivation and cultural fit criterion.</li>
<li>Mirror your customer base in your staff base. As the population is ageing, so too are your customers and they want to talk to people who truly understand their needs.</li>
<li>Consider how you target over 50s.</li>
</ul>
<h3>How can businesses harness the benefits of a diverse workforce?</h3>
<p>A study by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development<sup>3</sup>&nbsp;on managing an age-diverse workforce found that age diversity is seen as positive for both the organisation and the individual with three main benefits:</p>
<p><img src="https://www.bluearrow.co.uk/-/media/bluearrow/recruitment-solutions/industry-insights/harnessing-the-opportunity-of-hiring-over-50s-into-your-workplace/body-image/image-for-over-50s-page.png?h=200&amp;w=700&amp;hash=4ADD2BC93C836AE2F5F050D9B8A15EB2" alt="image"></p>
<h3>References:</h3>
<p>1. Centre for Economics and Business Research</p>
<p>2. ONS/55/Redefined&rsquo;s Unretirement Uprising report</p>
<p>3. CIPD Managing an age diverse workforce</p>

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Benefits

<h3>Establishing your commitment to inclusivity</h3>
<p>As many businesses start to discuss and promote their equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) efforts, ensuring that neurodiversity, in all forms, is included is essential. Customers and candidates now look to businesses as a morale entity and so having these commitments is necessary for all workers to feel comfortable and free to work within your space without judgement.<br><br></p>
<h3>Setting guidance&nbsp;</h3>
<p>Neurodivergence looks different for everyone, and finding a way of working will depend on the individual. However, ensuring that you&rsquo;re setting the right guidance in place for a job role is essential. Cutting out ambiguity is key; from rules around safety, to work processes and approaching decisions around deadlines can be helpful to reduce confusion and anxiety. It is important to remain clear and concise with your communications and offer further clarity for difficult processes.<br><br></p>
<h3>Create breakaway spaces</h3>
<p>Work environments can be particularly overstimulating &ndash; especially in louder environments such as warehouse, manufacturing, and construction sites. Offering breakaway spaces for individuals to claim some respite from the noise, lights, and busy atmosphere can help your neurodivergent workforces. These can be quiet spaces for individuals to work without added distractions or time to decompress. It is important that workplaces prioritise wellbeing, including taking breaks.<br><br>Recruiters can work with employers to establish neurodivergent-friendly workspaces and gather feedback from candidates on their requirements for making breaks effective.<br><br></p>
<h3>Equipping line managers</h3>
<p>Whether your workers are onsite or offsite, line managers need to be equipped to manage the diverse needs of neurodivergent workforces. Ensuring that your line managers are trained in, and have a thorough understanding of, neurodivergence means that they can better manage, lead meetings, talk about performance, and more. Whether it is adjusting communication style or ensuring thoughtful scheduling, your managers should be equipped with the skills and understanding to provide a comfortable and confident workplace for all.&nbsp;<br><br></p>
<h3>Make reasonable adjustments&nbsp;</h3>
<p>Adjustments might be necessary to support and encourage a neurodiverse workforce. Individuals with autism may have their own needs that can be accommodated even in busy and unpredictable working environments. Some workers may benefit from fixed work hours, a personal workstation, or additional breaks. Recruiters can work with your business to highlight individual requirements and offer reasonable suggestions for how to meet them.&nbsp;<br><br></p>
<h3>Improve policies</h3>
<p>When it comes to supporting your neurodivergent workforce, you need to have the policies and standards in place. Anti-harassment and -bullying policies are necessary for the protection of all workers but ensuring that specific procedures are in place to protect your neurodivergent workforce can give candidates confidence in your commitment to diversity and inclusion. These standards and policies should be regularly reviewed and updated.&nbsp;<br><br></p>
<h3>Begin the conversation&nbsp;</h3>
<p>Open conversations around autism and other neurodiverse conditions foster empathy and enable colleagues to better support each other. Your business can deliver training to help raise awareness in the workplace and provide information on services and resources your neurodivergent workforce can access.&nbsp;<br><br>By working with a trusted recruitment partner, your business can better understand the challenges that neurodivergent people face in the workplace and deliver approaches which improve the comfort, productivity, and wellbeing of all employees.&nbsp;<br><br>Looking to strengthen your EDI policies and improve your workplace for a neurodivergent workforce? <a href="https://www.bluearrow.co.uk/our-branches/">Contact a Blue Arrow specialist today</a>.&nbsp;</p>

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How to Support Neurodiversity in the Workplace

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<p>We welcomed the Government&rsquo;s recent change to allow businesses to transfer up to 50% of their unused levy to one or more different employers. It was our plan to donate a portion of our levy to support a charity providing education and employment support for young people who are neurodivergent. However, the rules of the Levy make it unfeasible to support certain types of programmes.</p>
<p>Under the rules, this means that many organisations cannot take full advantage of funding available and so an apprenticeship programme is unattainable and impractical for many people with neurodiverse conditions. For example, the charity to which we hoped to gift our levy helps young people with autism into work via Supported Internships &ndash; a structured, work-based study programme for 16 to 24-year-olds with SEND, which has an education, health and care (EHC) plan. The core aim of a supported internship study programme is a substantial work placement, facilitated by the support of an expert job coach, but as it is not classed as an apprenticeship, the Apprenticeship Levy cannot be used to fund it. Similarly, traineeships and many more diverse routes into training are excluded from the funding.</p>
<p>In this open letter to the Government, we call on a change to the funding rules so that more people with neurodiverse conditions can boost their skills, gain work experience and successfully enter the UK workforce.</p>
<h4 class="MsoNormal"><strong>Why neurodiversity needs greater focus </strong></h4>
<p>The UK economy hinges on productivity and the optimum number of people being in work. Government departments, charities and businesses are working together to close the unemployment gap. It is important that supporting people with disabilities into the workforce is part of the solution, and efforts need to reflect people who are neurodivergent too.</p>
<p>In Q2 of 2023, the UK disability employment rate was 56.3% compared to 82.5% for non-disabled people[1]. For people with neurodiverse conditions, the employment rate is even lower. For example, just 3 in 10 (approx. 33%) of autistic people of working age are in employment[2].</p>
<p>The Buckland Review of Autism Employment, backed by the government and published in February 2024, called for businesses and government to work together over the next five years on initiatives aimed at &ldquo;significantly improving&rdquo; the autism employment rate. Adapting the rules of the Apprenticeship Levy could help to train autistic people and those with other neurodiverse conditions for skilled jobs, helping to shrink the disability unemployment gap.</p>
<h4><strong>Changes we would like to see to the Apprenticeship Levy</strong></h4>
<p>The Buckland Review found that autistic people receive a third less pay than non-disabled people, on average, and face a wide range of barriers to work. These barriers include unfair hiring practices, unclear processes and outdated attitudes by employers. We see similar challenges in the Apprenticeship Levy rules.</p>
<p>The minimum entry requirements vary depending on the level of apprenticeship but often reflect general education attainments, typically (A-C GCSE grades) in English or Maths, which are often not attained by people with neurodiverse conditions, stemming from a lack of targeted support, an unsuitable learning environment and incompatible assessments.</p>
<p>Funding from the Levy must be used for an apprenticeship programme only, many of which are delivered over 12 or 18 months, often not conducive to learning for people with neurodiverse conditions. They may need greater flexibility in their schedule, meaning less time or additional time to adapt to learning and working environments, and more support in managing their tasks to meet deadlines.</p>
<p>Restricting the funding to apprenticeships alone could mean that people in more mature age brackets miss out from support to build their skills for the workforce, particularly those with neurodiverse conditions. An estimated 15&ndash;20% of the world&rsquo;s population presents a form of neurodivergence, but many people are undiagnosed, including mature unemployed people who have experienced challenges in many work environments[3]. Mature adults would benefit from the upskilling and support to employment from programmes such as traineeships, Supported Internships and Adult Education Budget courses that appeal to their learning and lifestyle needs. Widening the Apprenticeship Levy Gifting rules to these types of courses will help to reach people of all ages with neurodiverse conditions, further spreading the value of the Levy. &nbsp;</p>
<p>We are calling on the Government to address these three areas so that businesses can draw on the funding to design neurodivergent-friendly apprenticeships. Fundamentally, the Levy programme needs to be designed more strategically to align with national skills shortages, rather than local needs, and in collaboration with charities and interest groups that represent the communities struggling to gain access to work. Doing so will increase the impact of the Levy on both communities and the UK employment rate. &nbsp;</p>
<h4><strong>Benefits of apprenticeships for neurodivergent-inclusion</strong></h4>
<p>Between 2014 and 2022, disabled workers left the workforce at nearly twice the rate (8.9%) of non-disabled workers (5%)[4]. As well as supporting more people with neurodivergent conditions into employment, apprenticeships can help them stay employed by offering a more supportive and holistic transition into the workforce.</p>
<p>A rethinking of what constitutes an apprenticeship could result in programmes being tailored to people&rsquo;s differing learning requirements and provide a structured way to balance learning, working and relaxation, helping people develop skills in time management and understand their own needs.</p>
<h4 class="MsoNormal"><strong>Opportunities for businesses through inclusion </strong></h4>
<p>Having a neurodiverse condition is classified as a disability under the Equality Act 2010, meaning employers are required by law to make reasonable adjustments within the workplace. Despite the law, a recent CIPD report highlighted that only 60% of those surveyed say that neuro-inclusion is a focus for their organisation[5].</p>
<p>Apprenticeships are only one way for businesses to widen opportunities for people with neurodiverse conditions.</p>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;"><br clear="all"><hr align="left" size="1" width="33%">
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title="" href="#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 116%; font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">[1]</span></span></span></a> <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/the-employment-of-disabled-people-2023/employment-of-disabled-people-2023"><span class="cf01"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; color: blue;">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/the-employment-of-disabled-people-2023/employment-of-disabled-people-2023</span></span></a></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title="" href="#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 116%; font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">[2]</span></span></span></a> <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-review-to-boost-employment-prospects-of-autistic-people"><span class="cf01"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; color: blue;">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-review-to-boost-employment-prospects-of-autistic-people</span></span></a></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn3" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title="" href="#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 116%; font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">[3]</span></span></span></a> <a href="https://dceg.cancer.gov/about/diversity-inclusion/inclusivity-minute/2022/neurodiversity"><span class="cf01"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; color: blue;">https://dceg.cancer.gov/about/diversity-inclusion/inclusivity-minute/2022/neurodiversity</span></span></a></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn4" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title="" href="#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 116%; font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">[4]</span></span></span></a> <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/the-employment-of-disabled-people-2023/employment-of-disabled-people-2023"><span class="cf01"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; color: blue;">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/the-employment-of-disabled-people-2023/employment-of-disabled-people-2023</span></span></a></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn5" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title="" href="#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 116%; font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">[5]</span></span></span></a> <a href="https://www.cipd.org/globalassets/media/knowledge/knowledge-hub/reports/2024-pdfs/2024-neuroinclusion-at-work-report-8545.pdf"><span class="cf01"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; color: blue;">https://www.cipd.org/globalassets/media/knowledge/knowledge-hub/reports/2024-pdfs/2024-neuroinclusion-at-work-report-8545.pdf</span></span></a></p>
</div>
</div>

<p class="MsoNormal">For many people, the controversial Apprenticeship Levy and subsequent apprenticeship programmes have been vital in their route to employment. Yet a significant portion of people in the UK of working age are being left out &ndash; people with disabilities, and in particular, those with neurodiverse conditions.</p>

An open letter calling on a more neuro-inclusive Apprenticeship Levy

<article class="blog-article">
<div class="blog-article-body">
<h3>Why is menopause awareness important in the workplace?</h3>
With women over 50 currently shown to be the fastest growing sector of the working population, it is inevitable that your organisation will likely have employees working through their menopause transition.
<p>The menopause can cause physical and emotional changes and create temporary difficulties which may have an impact on performance at work.</p>
<p><img src="https://www.bluearrow.co.uk/-/media/bluearrow/recruitment-solutions/industry-insights/how-to-accelerate-a-menopause-support-strategy-in-the-workplace/blog-body/image-1-mp-revised-ba.jpg" alt=""></p>
<p>With recruitment costs of up to five times an employee&rsquo;s salary<sup>3</sup>&nbsp;, plus the value existing employees bring to the business, there are significant benefits for employers to actively support staff during this natural process.</p>
<h3>How can employers become a Menopause-friendly employer?</h3>
<p><strong>1. Build awareness and understanding.</strong></p>
<p>Invest in training for your staff and managers on supporting those going through the menopause, including how to manage and conduct sensitive conversations. This will help to attract and retain good talent within the business.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>Appointing a Menopause Champion within your senior team, could help drive positive change within the business.</p>
<p><strong>2. Review existing policies through the lens of menopause</strong>.</p>
<p>Create a policy, guidance documents or a toolkit to ensure that existing policies are menopause-friendly and don&rsquo;t directly or indirectly disadvantage someone due to menopause. This would include reviewing absence policies, performance management processes and flexible work requests.&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>3. Collaborate with other employers and share best practice.</strong></p>
<p>Don&rsquo;t try and reinvent the wheel as you&rsquo;ll be able to learn from other businesses in your sector. Use your network to find out what others are doing and share the good work you are implementing to help improve awareness.</p>
<p><strong>4. Workplace adjustments.</strong></p>
<p>Make reasonable adjustments for those going through the menopause such as offering desk fans to help with hot flushes, allowing flexible start times to help with fatigue, allow working from home - subject to a risk assessment, quiet spaces to allow the management of stress and anxiety and regular 1-to-1 meetings to discuss symptoms. Consider it like any other medical issue that may require temporary changes to enable them to continue to work effectively.</p>
<h3><strong>Resource Links</strong></h3>
<p><strong>*</strong>For further help with training your staff to support those experiencing menopause symptoms visit The Menopause Charity or the&nbsp;British Menopause Society.</p>
<h3><strong>References:</strong></h3>
<p>1. Fawcett Society</p>
<p>2. British Menopause Society</p>
<p>3. Employee Benefits News</p>
<p>*A cisgender person has a gender identity that matches their sex assigned at birth.&nbsp;</p>
</div>
</article>
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The Opportunity of hiring over 50s into your workplace

The ageing population is a rare mega-trend for the UK due to its impact on society.

How can employers become an age-friendly employer?

How can businesses harness the benefits of a diverse workforce?

References:

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