Page 125 - increasing-the-value-of-age-guidance-in-employers-age-management-strategies

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

Challenge 10
Guidance is seldom provided as an individualised, non-directive, adaptable
service. In the cases studied guidance is made available for older workers, but
not as a dedicated activity; it is more frequently a discrete element in standard
human resources polices, such as yearly appraisal talks with the manager, and
not provided in a neutral, ethical and non-directive way. Guidance is not always
explicitly available, tends to be weakly signposted and follows a generalist
approach, not making an identification of the needs of workers across the
lifespan. In many cases the employee has to request guidance, since it will not be
offered by the organisation.

Challenge 11
Guidance usually does not follow on a life-span approach. Both previous
challenges reflect insufficient consideration of the changing needs and roles of an
individual across the duration of his/her active life. In most cases analysed for this
study, guidance is linked to a specific moment in time. Although employees may
benefit from guidance activities on turning points in their career (as when they are
approaching retirement), these activities are provided on an ad hoc basis. In
general, there is a lack of structural approach to the development of employees’
careers, which accounts for the change in their skills, attitudes and expectations.

Challenge 12
Guidance is not always embedded in the work processes and management of
firms. Beyond the occasional character of guidance provision, commitment is
needed to embed guidance in the work process of the organisation. Direct
supervisors tend to play a key role in the provision of guidance to employees.
Access can be limited, if the direct supervisor is not aware of his own role in the
provision of guidance and/or is not aware of the other possibilities offered through
the age management strategy. This is why guidance must be structurally
embedded (and signposted) throughout all layers of the organisation, especially
for the direct supervisor.

Challenges 13
The development of career management skills is often overlooked. Approaches
most used in age management strategies are career development through
training and lifelong learning, mostly aimed at job-related skills; the career
development of the individual is strictly understood within the walls of the
organisation. Some career management skills are overlooked with this type of
approach: increasing access to labour market information, external learning
opportunities; development of self-awareness regarding skills, attitudes and

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