Case study

Borders UK Ltd

Age Positive Champion

Borders UK Ltd is a multi-media retailer.

We decided to review our policies and practices in advance of the 2006 legislation but in addition to this, we also wanted to ensure that we are being fair and consistent to younger and mature candidates and attracting people who can add real value to our organisation.

Anna Lloyd, Regional HR Manager

OUR AGE POSITIVE GOOD PRACTICE:

• We allow people to work beyond the usual retirement age.
• We have amended our age policy in relation to young workers. Borders did not previously employ 16 year olds. This changed in April 2005 and we now employ people that are 16 and over.
• We instruct recruitment agencies not to divulge a candidate’s age when sending us details.
• We are removing the section on qualifications from our application forms. Candidates will only need to state qualifications if it is relevant to the job they are applying for, such as accountant.
• We are in the process of updating our pension to benefit all age groups equally. (It previously gave higher employer contributions to older employees.)

CASE STUDIES:

"From doing my work experience here over a year ago, I found nothing but support from the managers. With the training, they made it clear and concise and I was never left alone until I felt ready to go it alone. To comment on team spirit, I have nothing but praise, no one has ever treated me any differently from anyone else. Working at Borders since I was 16 helped me incredibly, it has given me great experience and broadened my knowledge." - Mark, aged 17.

Eileen, aged 57, applied for a position when she was 53. "I find other staff frequently consult me because of my experience of life and education. I moved to the top of my grade as a bookseller with ease and am satisfied with my position. As someone who only did her degree and MA in my 40’s and early 50’s I feel my career has only just begun and that at 57 I still have a lot to offer and achieve."

"I found I had no problem being older when I went for my interview - age never came into it. During my induction I was treated the same as everyone else and training was just the same. I now train new recruits as I’ve been with Borders for nearly 3 years. As for team spirit I act younger than most, people say I’ve gone back to my youth. So age is no problem, its what you feel you are capable of doing, after all most of us don’t act our age, we don’t want to seem older than we are." - Pam, aged 55.

BENEFITS OF OUR GOOD PRACTICE:

We recognise the huge cost that can come from employee absenteeism and high labour turnover. Statistically, it has been suggested that employing mature candidates in particular can eliminate both high absenteeism and turnover through employing a more committed and reliable workforce. We are conscious that we are an ageing population in the UK, therefore are also taking the opportunity to review our benefits package so it appeals to a more mature workforce, this will aid retention, cut costs within Borders, which will make the company more profitable and enable us to invest more in all of our employees.

Go to top of page

Go back to Case Studies page

20 KEY FACTS your business needs to know about age legislation and retirement