August 2006
Age Discrimination Legislation is only a few weeks away
There are only a few weeks to go before October 1st when the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations come into force, outlawing discrimination against an employee or job applicant on the grounds of age. Although some firms will take this in their stride, Business Link, the Government's advisory service for smaller firms, is concerned that many smaller firms are not ready for the changes and are putting themselves at risk of costly legal action if they do not do something urgently.
Amongst other activity the Government, through its Age Partnership Group, has published business sector specific reports on current practices in industry to highlight the challenges faced by businesses of all sizes.
The DTI has also just published the official age discrimination questionnaire, a facility similar to that under other pieces of discrimination legislation. The related procedure is intended to assist the employee (complainant) who thinks he or she has been discriminated against. The DTI also has 8 age legislation factsheets to provide advice for businesses on various aspects of the regulations.
For an understanding of the impact of the new regulations, click here to see the in my prime fact sheet on Age Discrimination Legislation.
August2006
Ready, willing and able but no work for a million over 50s
Over one million 50 - 65 year olds in the UK who would like to work and are ready, willing and able to do so are unable to find employment because employers are not prepared to recruit them, to invest in training or to retain the older workers they already have, particularly if it means making adjustments for minor disabilities. These are the conclusions of a study by the TUC which pours scorn on the notion of a post-war baby boomer generation wallowing in affluent early retirement.
TUC deputy general secretary Frances O'Grady said, " Most baby boomers are not retiring early to cruise around the world or go bungee jumping. They have been dumped out of work and are on to the scrap heap and are scraping by on benefits or small work pensions. By refusing to retain and recruit older staff who want to work employers are accelerating the demographic time bomb the economy is resting on".
" Companies need to ditch tired stereotypes of fifty and sixty-somethings and develop "age management" policies which capitalise on the value of experienced staff by offering retraining and flexible working, and making minor changes for people with disabilities."
For more on this see prime numbers.
August 2006
Go for Gogi.
Coming soon – or already here - a sensational new Himalayan superberry called a gogi will soon be available at a supermarket near you. Reputedly great for slowing ageing, increasing sex drive, lowering cholesterol, boosting energy and fighting heart disease and cancer, they’re set to overtake blueberries, pomegranates and oily fish as this year’s most popular cure-all. Apparently the dried berries are similar in look and taste to cranberries and cherries and contain more than 500 times more vitamin C than oranges, weight for weight. They’re also available as juice and have been popular in the USA for a while. So have a go - go and get some gogis if you can. If not, stick to the basics and make sure you get at least your 5 daily fruit and veg.
August 2006
The ProfIT@50 Competition
In a bid to find and reward the country's most promising online entrepreneurs from the 50+ age group, Intel, in cooperation with one of Britain's most successful businessmen - Yo! Sushi creator and judge from the BBC's Dragon's Den programme Simon Woodroffe - have launched profIT@50 - a business competition, specifically targeted at people over 50.
If you are aged 50 or over and have an idea for a new business which involves the use of the internet, or would like to develop an existing web-based business then this could be for you. The prize is an £8000 bursary from Intel to help further your business idea, and a business coaching session with Simon.
But you'll have to hurry. The closing date is 31 August 2006. To complete your online business plan check out the requirements at www.profitat50.co.uk
July 2006
Demographic time bomb a global phenomenon
In case you were tempted to think that the problems of an ageing population, lack of adequate pensions, insufficient labour force etc. are just local problems, think again! The same kinds of issues are occupying countries around the globe, which is why we try to bring you relevant information wherever we can find it. For example, recent reports come from as far apart as Japan and Switzerland. In Japan they now have the world's highest proportion of elderly people, overtaking Italy, and a plunging birth rate. Their ratio of people under 15 is now the world's lowest. In Switzerland, the number of people over 65 is expected to rise by 90% by the year 2050. In contrast to the present situation, whereby there are four people of working age to support each pensioner, this will fall to only two to one.
July 2006
Type 2 Diabetes brings forward the risk of heart attacks and strokes
Developing type 2 diabetes could mean bringing forward the risk of heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular diseases by up to 15 years according to new research carried out in Canada. Dr. Gillian Booth and a team of researchers from the Institute of Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Toronto in Ontario, studied the health records of over 9 million people including 379000 who had diabetes. Their work, published in The Lancet, concluded that, in cardiovascular terms, having type 2 diabetes was the equivalent of being older by about 15 years. The incidence of this form of diabetes is increasing in many countries as a result of obesity, unhealthy eating habits and lack of exercise. There are many consequences of type 2 diabetes and this further highlights the need to take preventative measures or to treat it early. Although women move into both moderate risk and high risk categories at an older age than men, the impact of having diabetes against not having it are comparable.
