Three-quarters of HR leaders report a lack of leadership engagement on the topic of age, according to research from Mason Hayes & Curran.
By Maggie Mancini
Only 10% of Irish employers have trained their staff on age inclusion or how to lead the five generations now engaged in the workforce, according to a recent survey from Mason Hayes & Curran. The findings suggest a lack of data evaluation, strategy, or risk analysis on age by employers throughout Ireland.
Additionally, 86% of Irish employers do not have an age strategy as part of their DEI plans. More than half (56%) of Irish employers do not analyse workforce data by age, and 75% of HR leaders report a lack of leadership engagement on the topic of age.
More than three-quarters (78%) of Irish employers are still stating a mandatory retirement age in their employment contracts or policies, which vary from 60 to 70 years. It is against the law to discriminate on the basis of age in Ireland, though the law stipulates that it’s not discriminatory to fix a retirement age for employees, provided the age chosen can be objectively justified by a legitimate aim—and that the means of achieving that aim are appropriate.
Ireland is at risk of becoming an outlier as mandatory retirement becomes broadly prohibited across the rest of Europe. It has also become increasingly apparent that the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) will heavily review the imposition of mandatory retirement ages in the workplace if challenged by an employee.
“The population of Ireland is getting older and by 2031, it is forecast that at least 32% of the workforce in Ireland will be aged over 50,” says Catherine O’Flynn, partner at Mason Hayes & Curran. “With such a mature population comes that risk that skilled workers will be lost prematurely if employers do not have an age strategy ensuring their recruitment and retention in the workforce. To seek to recruit and retain such workers and maximise upon the opportunities presented, employers in Ireland should be considering introducing intergenerational learning initiatives, mentoring between older and younger workers and unconscious bias training at a minimum.”
