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Investing in Experience

investing in experience
Transcript of Investing in experience video

Our population is ageing

Australia’s ageing population presents both an opportunity and a challenge for workplaces. The Intergenerational Report 2010 highlighted that as the population ages, the proportion of people working is expected to drop. This will put pressure on our economy and our health systems.

The Government’s response to our ageing population is to focus on active ageing and participation, investing in skills and infrastructure, and promoting a longer productive working life.

With workplaces centre stage to keeping people in employment healthy and productive, integrated workplace strategies are needed in order to realise the productivity benefits of four generations at work, and remove barriers to workforce participation for older people who want to work.

Work ability and ageing—Framework for action

In 2012, the APS Secretaries Board endorsed the APS 200 Project: Work Ability and Ageing Framework for Action to help the APS address the challenges of an ageing workforce through integrated strategies in workforce planning, health and safety, skills and human capital development. This framework will help organisations improve workforce participation, increase productivity and tackle the barriers to a longer productive work life.

Reinforced by leadership commitment and underpinned by ongoing engagement and learning, the four main elements of the Framework for Action are the priority areas where opportunities for change can occur.

  1. Workforce planning and development. Understanding the demographic profile of the agency’s workers, and recognising that the tension between work and life differs with age, is essential to attracting, engaging and retaining a multigenerational workforce.
  2. Front line confidence. Building the capability and confidence of managers to better manage older workers, and better match workers with opportunities.
  3. Work design. Needs to be fit for purpose. Good work design will facilitate recruitment, retention and the return of older workers and minimise obstacles in their path.
  4. Health and wellbeing. Getting the relationship between health and work right is critical. Organisations need to capitalise on the role of the workplace in keeping people in employment healthy and productive.

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Leadership commitment—continued commitment of leaders to good practice in managing workplace age diversity Workforce planning and development—better understand our workforce and turn demographic risk into oppurtunity Front line confidence—build age management skills and confidence of fron line managers Work design—use opportunities and incentives to improve recruitment, retention, and return of older workers to the workforce Health and Wellbeing—link upfragmented work health programs for greater impact, understanding and promotion of the health benefits of work Engagement and learning—support an informed, adaptive and competent workforce across all ages Improved engagement and participation to lift productivity

Explore each element of the framework to access Investing in Experience: Working for today and tomorrow guidance material and resources available to address the challenge of an ageing workforce.

Investing in experience

Comcare is responding to the issue of workforce ageing by working collaboratively to develop practical resources. These resources will  enable workplaces to encourage people of all ages to participate to their full potential.

Investing in Experience: Working for today and tomorrow provides practical advice and resources to help workplaces and workers benefit from the four generations working alongside each other for the first time. It focuses on a number of dimensions we must consider and address together to create productive, age inclusive workplaces.

Additional information 

APS 200 Resources

Last updated: 31 Jul 2014