During the meeting of WG1- Ageing workforce, which was held between the 24th and 26th of June 2019, in Berlin, the experts discussed different opinions regarding ageing workforce in order to further refine the draft structure of the standard. Discover the updates from the WG.
The topic approached by ISO TC 314- WG1 has an important place when considering the existing trends at global level. The ageing society we are living in is affecting different domains and people in diverse ways. This brings new opportunities. We therefore need to invest more time and energy in ageing societies. In this regard, the experts from WG1 are bringing their contribution to the development of a new standard on ageing workforce. Experts come from various countries and span academia, small business owners, consumers, trade unions and employer representatives, large organisations and industry.
During the meeting of WG1- Ageing workforce, which was held between the 24th and 26th of June 2019, in Berlin, the experts discussed different opinions regarding ageing workforce in order to further refine the draft structure of the standard.
The labour market in countries around the world needs a qualified and motivated workforce and the tendencies registered in the last years have put more pressure on the existing workers. For this reason the experts are actively involved in the standardization process to create better working conditions for present and future aged workers.
In an ageing society, it is essential to ensure access to a decent job for all workers without discrimination, respect their fundamental human right and offer a motivating workplace, where people can feel appreciated and valued for the contribution they bring to their organization.
Aspects such as accessibility, flexibility and leadership are topics developed within the standard with the objective to promote inclusiveness and intergenerational solidarity among workers of all ages.
There is a clear business case for employing older people. At the organizational level, there are often concerns that workers become more expensive and less productive as they get older. However, the experiences of individuals show that retaining older workers avoids the expensive loss of skills and may increase market share.
The experts work closely with other TCs (for example, ISO/TC 159 Ergonomics and TC260 Human Resources Management representatives) and different liaisons in the development of the standard and future meetings are already scheduled.
In the last day of the meeting, on the 27th of June 2019, the convenor of our WG, Dr. Sabrina Pit reported the stage of our standard with the other members of the TC 314. To get involved with the development of this standards you can contact the committee manager.