Demographic Change in the Electricity Industry in Europe

Toolkit on promoting age diversity and age management strategies

Introduction

The Toolkit gives practical guidance and examples of good practice approaches taken by electricity companies to address demographic change. The Toolkit is targeted to the social partners, human resource managers and decision makers to assist them in developing comprehensive and practical approaches to workforce change in the electricity industry in order to promote age diversity. This is underpinned by EU equality legislation that makes discrimination against an older worker illegal. Promoting age diversity within the context of anti-discrimination can have positive business benefits for electricity companies. There is also a business case for age diversity in that it can help companies to recruit from a wider pool of talent, while also benefitting from the creativity and innovation that comes from a diversity of age groups working together.

Age management is a comprehensive approach to tackling demographic change in the workplace and promoting age diversity. The most effective approaches to age management are those that are integrated, comprehensive and preventative, that anticipate problems and barriers, and that focus on a life-cycle approach to the working lives of all age groups. As a result the Toolkit focuses on how all employees can reach their potential and how companies can plan for age diversity addresses so that the work ability of workers at all stages of their working lives can be sustained.