Page 106 - increasing-the-value-of-age-guidance-in-employers-age-management-strategies

Increasing the value of age: guidance in employers’ age management strategies

Some countries have a harder entrepreneurial culture, more focused on the
organisation and less on the individual. In such cases, guidance activities tend to
play a much more instrumental role, in which the needs of the individual are
secondary or absent. The national context and culture can be a barrier in
implementing (guidance in) age management. This seems mostly to be an issue
in the eastern EU Member States.

6.3.2.2. Same strategy, different goal
Some age management strategies have different goals but use the same
guidance instruments and methods. This is a positive indication for the
transferability of the activities. For example, a mentoring programme can be
aimed at:
(a) stimulating knowledge transfer;
(b) offering career opportunities to older employees;
(c) helping new employees in getting to know the company and the work
process at a faster pace.

Most cases have only one of these goals as a central aim of the strategy, but
all of them are reached. This shows the broad potential of one approach, and the
possibility for positive unforeseen side effects of policy.

6.3.2.3. Enabling and restrictive laws and structures
Several specific national laws and structures have an effect on the transferability
of practices. In many cases certain guidance activities may not be relevant or
have little applicability.
For example, some cases have a programme aimed at informing and
advising an employee about the process and income-effects of retirement.
However, this type of activity is less relevant in countries where the pension
scheme is simpler and the employees themselves can easily judge the effects.
This type of information and advice is essentially beneficial in countries where the
pension scheme is relatively complex.
In other cases, guidance activities are linked to the introduction of flexible
working times for older employees. Some also use financial stimuli to promote
participation in a specific programme. These types of activities and stimuli are not
always allowed in other organisations or countries due to collective labour
agreements which may prohibit or limit the introduction of flexible working
arrangements or financial stimuli.
Some cases have a financial framework to fund training activities for
individual employees. These are organised at national or sector level and funded
by the government or by employers and employees who pay a certain

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