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Retirement Patterns in Denmark
By Ole Bech Kristensen
WorkAge: Age-specific training and work for Europe
Section A: Definition of elderly worker
In order not
to stigmatize an age group, the Danish minister of Labour points out, one should
be careful to be too specific in defining elderly workers (Senior en
udfordring til Den enkelte, Virksomhederne, Samfundet 1998:3). In this
paper we take the advice given by the minister of Labour seriously by
letting go of a clear definition and instead using the definitions by our
source material. In most studies elderly workers are considered to be
people on the labour market aged 50+ (for example Ibsen et al. 1998;
Hojgaard and Klith 1997; Jorgensen 1997; Seniorerne & arbejdsmarkedet
1999). In the two cases presented in this paper, elderly workers are
defined differntly 45+ in one and 55+ in the other.
Section B. National conditions (rights and duties)
for elderly workers. Do elderly workers have specific rights or
obligations? (Wage systems, working hours, education, various forms of
early retirement etc.) (In step B we take care of your question 4, 5, 6
and 7).
To describe Danish conditions related to this question, it is
relevant to look at the Danish government's senior policy initiatives and
into two of the most significant trade unions in Denmark i.e. HK1and SID2.
The Danish population is 5.2 million, and the Danish labour force is round
2.9 million people, Ministry of Education (2000:2p), and the total number
of members in the two trade unions is 705,000. In this way their best
practice related to senior workers very well represents the conditions in
Denmark. Furthermore, some national conditions for senior workers in the
public sector are also described by using an example from the trade union
of teachers in vocational schools, DTL3The Danish government has
recognised the aging of the working population, and the need for
continuing growth in employment has led to more activity within the labour
market policy for senior workers. Since the middle of the nineties, the
Ministry of Labour has thus introduced a range of senior policy
initiatives.
As a part of the government's senior policy initiatives, in
1997 the Ministry of Labour set up a senior policy initiative committee
consisting of representatives of stakeholders from the labour market, the
ministries and a number of selected experts. The committee was given the
task of providing the Minister of Labour with ideas and advice concerning
political initiatives within the area of senior workers. After carrying
through a number of initiatives, in 1999 the senior policy initiative
committee completed its work with the publication of a report entitled
`Senior Workers and the LabourMarket Now and in the Future'. The main
key issues from this report are related to the following fields,
Arbejdsministeriet (2000:6p): * Demographic development * Conditions for
senior workers on the labour market * Companies and senior policy * Labour
market political initiatives targeted at senior workers * Senior policy
experience from a range of European countries 1HK is the acronym for
Handels- og Kontorfunktionærernes Forbund 2SID is the acronym for Specialarbejderforbundet I Danmark
In the report, the senior policy initiative committee
concludes that the development of the demographic composition of the
working population, the falling retirement age and the increasing
marginalisation among 50-59 year old unemployed mean that the coming
years, fort both human and financial reasons, senior policy work will have
to be strengthened. In the report, the senior policy initiative committee
presents a range of concrete recommendation concerning senior workers' own
initiatives and opportunities. The report is available from the Danish
Ministry of Labour, Holmens Kanal 20, DK-1060 Copenhagen K. Tel:
+4533925814, e-mail: am@am.dk.
Other initiatives set up by the Ministry of Labour are, Arbejdsministeriet
(2000:7pp): * The Senior Fund. I 1998 the Ministry of Labour set aside a
pool of 25 million DKK4for senior policy initiatives aimed at assisting
more senior workers to maintain their connection with the labour market.
This pool has contributed to a number of concrete projects for the
development of the competencies of senior workers. One of these projects
are described in section E of this article * The Senior Policy Consultancy
Scheme. Also in 1998, the Ministry of Labour and the senior policy
initiative committee set up an experimental scheme involving consultancy
for the development of senior policy in such a way that interested
enterprises could receive free assistance from to start the development of
a senior policy * Jobs in the Service Sector. The government also
implemented a two-year experimental scheme involving jobs in public sector
service. The target group for this scheme is unemployed people aged 48+
with at least six months seniority in the active phase, and people
receiving transitional allowances. The scheme involves the allocation by
the state of 100,000 DKK per full-time position * An Electronic Toolbox.
The Ministry of Labour will implement an electronic toolbox containing
ideas for developing a senior policy * Self Activation Groups. In the
period 2000-2003 the Ministry of Labour has established a pool containing
10 million DKK for the promotion of these groups for 3DTL is the acronym
for Dansk Teknisk Lærerforbund 41 DKK is equivalent to 0.13 senior
workers. The target group is people at 50+.
In section E in this article,
there is an example of an established self-activation group HK has 370,000
members and organises workers in shops and offices in private enterprises
and office workers in the state, the counties and the municipalities.
Other members are laboratory technicians, medical secretaries, dental
nurses, salesmen, IT employees, middle managers, language secretaries and
students, who have graduated from the HHX5. The contact details of HK are:
HK/Danmark, H.C. Andersen's Boulevard 50, DK-1780 Copenhagen V, Tel: +45
33 30 43 43, e-mail: hk@hk.dk, URL: http://www.hk.dk.
The working
conditions of the members of HK are subject to agreements laid down
between HK and the employers' organisations. This agreement does not
outline general working conditions/possibilities for senior workers, but
gives the workers in the individual enterprise the possibility to
negotiate specific rights/possibilities for elderly workers. The rationale
is that enterprises/employees have different needs and have the
possibility to negotiate different solutions and arrangements. However, HK
has formulated a policy for seniors HK (2001:1p). The main assumption of
the policy is that life influences people differently when they grow
older. The influence comes from our relationship with other people, from
the environment, but also from the things people are occupied with.
Seniors of the same age have therefore a very different way of thinking
and different attitudes to life and work. While some seniors still have
physique and mind to meet many new tasks and challenges, some seniors of
the same age, after many year of hard work, lack energy to continue in
their jobs. A senior policy therefore has to fulfill many different needs,
and the aim of HK's senior political efforts is focusing on both the
development and the maintenance of the workers on the labour market and on
the assurance of a voluntary pullout from the labour market to reasonable
arrangements. The senior policy of HK is based on the assumption, HK
(2000:2p) that there will be a need for seniors; the future labour market
will need experienced and competent workers, who develop their
qualifications during the whole of their lives. Ongoing training of the
workers ought to be a natural part for the staff regardless age. Reality
shows something 5HHX is acronym for Højere Handelseksamen and is
equivalent to commercial upper secondary education different, and it is
therefore necessary to develop specific initiatives, which are targeted to
senior workers. The initiatives have to make the workplace attractive for
this target group in such a way that they want to continue. Further, HK
expresses the opinion HK (2001:3p) that senior policy is an issue of
opinion formation, because the tendency is that many negative
characteristics as debilitation and outdating are related to senior
workers. It is very simple to explain debilitation and outdating by
increasing age in stead placing the responsibility on the involved people.
It is also difficult to measure the advantages of senior workers these
are often distinguished by `soft' qualifications compared with younger
workers: work experience, judgement, independence, sense of
responsibility, stability and accountability, overview, knowledge of human
nature and care.
Senior policy is about working with attitudes among
managers, colleagues in the following areas:
* To develop things for
individuals
* To realise that different phases of life contain different
needs
* To get older is a strength not a weakness
* To accept that the
workers change position in the organisations e.g. nature and size of job.In the present situation, HK realises HK (2000:4p) that it will take a
long time to implement a senior policy, because there is a number of
barriers, which can hinder positive results. Therefore, it is important
that managers in enterprises do the following:
* Inform about and agree on
the overall objectives and the framework of the work
* Involve the workers
in such a way that they feel ownership
* Start to work with attitudes and
norms
Concrete ideas on how to work with senior policy can be seen from
the cases in chapter E of this article. Concerning salaries, HK have no
special arrangements for senior workers they follow the normal
agreements covering all HK members. SID has 335,000 members and is the
second biggest trade union in Denmark. The members are distributed on a
number of different areas: industry, service, transport, mail and building
and construction. The basis of SID is 295 local units all over the
country, where the members always can get information about their working
situation, professional questions etc. SID has in its national and local
units a comprehensive expertise, which the members can benefit from, and
which ensures SID's influence in the Danish society. The contact details
of SID are: Specialarbejderforbundet i Danmark, Kampmannsgade 4 , Postbox
392, DK-1790 København, Tel: +45 3314 2140, e-mail: sid@sid.dk, URL:
http://www.sid.dk
The working conditions for the members of SID are laid
down on the same principles as in HK, i.e. between SID and the employers'
organisations. The agreements do not outline general working
possibilities/conditions for senior workers, but give the workers and the
individual enterprise the possibility to negotiate specific conditions.
The rationale is the same as in HK to give enterprises a way to outline
agreements by themselves according to their needs. In their efforts to
put the issue of senior policy on the agenda, SID has started
investigations in order to clash with old customs, and SID has recently
made the slogan `Elderly people want to work', SID (2000:1p).
The
perception is that SID workers in the fifties want to work; six out of ten
are ready to work and postpone the efterløn6for years, if the can get
reduced working hours. At the same time SID is attacked for having rigid
working agreements, which hinder reduced working hours and maintaining a
larger amount of senior workers on the labour market. `I do not understand
this. Actually we are working on agreements like this. Flexibility on the
conditions for the workers e.g. by reduced working hours when one gets
older. It is written in our working programme, and we see more and more
initiatives in this field', Torben Bach7, SID (2000:1p).
According to
Torben Bach, the problem is that the measure of efterløn has put pressure
on elderly employees, while the employers are passengers. `We are talking
about elderly worn outmembers, who are being severely punished. They
cannot afford to withdraw from the labour market while being in good
health. This also applies to unemployed people there is no room for
them', Torben Bach, SID (2000:1p). `The responsibilities of the
enterprises also ought to include the elderly unemployed people. It has to
be the duty of the enterprises to utilize the human resources, which are
available. While this is not happening all talk about bottleneck
problems rings hollow 'Torben Bach, SID (2000:1p) 6Efterløn is the Danish
term for pension benefits payable between early retirement and normal
retirement pension 7 Torben Bach is trade union secretary and chairman of
SID's Committee of Senior Policy SID has no specific salary arrangements
for senior workers. Actually, SID expresses the fear that seniors working
on special working conditions might undercut the other workers. The salary
policy situation for employees in the public sector in Denmark is unlike
the situation in HK and SID. 933,000 employees are working in the public
sector in Denmark i.e. for the municipalities, for the counties and for
the state. In the working agreements covering this area, it has been an
underlying philosophy for decades to pay people according to job level and
seniority. One example is teachers working in vocational schools in
Denmark. The salary of a newly employed teacher is about 33% lower than
the salary of a teacher, who has been employed for twenty years or more,
DTL (2001:3p). At the moment this system is by the implementation of ny løn8undergoing
some significant changes i.e. other parameters as seniority are used to
determine the level of the salary e.g. competencies, functions. Concerning
the vocational teachers, there has been another advantage related to
seniority i.e. teachers at the age of 60 or more can apply for a reduction
in the working hours up to 20% and still keep the full time salary, DTL
(1999:86p). This indicates a concern about elderly teachers, and
experience shows that this arrangement has made it possible for a great
number of teachers to continue in their jobs after the age of 60. In a
wider perspective the trade union of the vocational teachers, DTL has not
taken other concrete steps in order to facilitate the working conditions
of senior teachers.
At the moment, DTL has formulated a senior policy, DTL
(1997:4pp), which is only outlining the long term aims and intentions. The
main characteristics of the policy are:
* Senior teachers are given the
same opportunities for further education and retraining
* Senior teachers
are given possibility for acceptable retirement arrangements
* Senior
teachers are given possibility to work on reduced time
* Senior teachers
are given possibility for reorganising of their duties
* Senior teachers
are given the challenges and development opportunities in the job
The
contact details of DTL are: Dansk Teknisk Lærerforbund, Rosenvængets
Hovedvej 14, DK-2100 København Ø, tel: +45 35 42 78 88, email: dtl@dtl.dk,
URL: http://www.dtl.dk
Based on the description given in this chapter, the
following can be concluded:
* There is an increasing awareness about
senior policy and the working conditions of elderly people
* Senior
policies must be prepared in a decentralised structure in order to meet
the individual needs of the trades and enterprises
* The initiatives of
the management and the involvement of the senior workers are key factors
in the preparing of a successful senior policy
* Money is allocated for
the purpose by the Ministry of Labour 8Ny løn means New Salaries i.e. a
salary system, which makes it possible to differentiate salaries among
employees of the same category. Implemented in vocational schools in 2000,
but only for teachers employed after 1 January 2000
Section C: Retirement Patterns in Denmark In our
previous section, we outlined the possibilities open to elderly workers
when decisions are made as to how and when retirement takes place. In this
section we will describe the actual retirement pattern in Denmark. When do
elderly workers retire and why? When do eldery workers retire? In 1997
the average Dane was aged 61 on ritirement from the workforce (men
62/women 60).
Compared with the period 1981 to 1991 the retirement age has
dropped by one year from 62. On average, people retirering from a job,
stay in the workforce 4 years longer than people retirering from
unemployment. The average retirement age in 1997 for people in work was 62
(men 63/women 61) whereas the unemployed, on average, retirered at 59 (men
59/women 58) (Danmarks statistik 1997:37). With reference to the previous
section, it is evident that a large number of elderly people finish their
engagement with the workforce sooner than the official pension age. It
seemes that the difference between the official retirement age and the
actual retirement age will become even bigger.
A survey has mapped
expectations in the existing workforce by asking people in 3 different age
groups when they suppose, they will stop working.
Table 1: When do you
expect to leave the work force? (Per cent) (Nye tider nye aeldre
1999:3) 60-64 years 50-54 years 40-44 years
1. Want to stay as long as
possible 1987 37 18 17 1997 31 12 12 2.
When I reach pension age (67) 1987
25 24 16 1997 19 11 7 3. Would like førtidspension
* 1987 8 16 19 1997 13
11 13 4. Would like efterløn
* 1987 17 32 28 60-64 years 50-54 years 40-44
years 1997 24 57 53
5. Have not given it consideration 1987 4 7 16 1997 4
7 11
Over the 10-year span, there is a drop in the number of people who
wish to stay as long as possible and a drop in people who wish to stay
until pension age in all three age groups. On the other hand a
significantly larger number of people would like to leave the workforce on
efterløn. Further more, the difference in attitude towards staying on in
the workforce between the oldest and the youngest age group in the survey,
is growing. The drop in the amount of people aged 40-44, who want to stay
as long as possible is relatively much higher than the equivalent drop
among people aged 60-64. Why do elderly workers retire?
Table 2: People
active in the workforce on their expectations to retire voluntaritly. (in
per cent) (Norregaard 1996) Age when interviewed 50-54 years 55-59 years
60+ years Have to go 9 7 15 Own choice 80 82 82 Combination 10 11 2 Total
99 100 99
If you ask people in jobs what are their expectations concerning
their own influence on their retirement, you will find that the wast
majority expect to retire when it suits them. If you, on the other hand,
ask people why they actually retired, you get a different picture:
Table 3: Retirered persons on retirement (in per
cent) (Norregaard: 1996) Age when interviewed 50-54 55-59 60-63 64+ Had to
go 72 57 25 28 Own choice 25 25 70 72 Combination 3 17 3 0 Total 100 99 99
100 As the table shows, there is a gap between the expectations of people
in the workforce compared to the reality that retired persons have faced.
It seems that a persons own influence on retirement is overestimated. The
tendency to retire involuntarily is stronger if a person retires
"young", but even amongst those aged 60+, a quarter of the
danish workforce retireres because they have to and not because they want
to. With reference to the figures in the tables above, Dane Age concludes
that at least half of all people retirering, do so involuntarily (Hojgaard
and Klith 1997:13). The distinction between voluntary and involuntary
retirement is interesting, but still the question: "Why do elderly
workers retire", needs to be further examined.
As the table below
shows, health is a major issue when interviewing elderly people about the
reason for their retirement. 81 % state that they stopped working (partly)
because of bad health or in order to avoid illhealth. Between 29% and 33%
of the elderly workers who retired out of necessity (and between 22 % and
27% of all) state beeing sacked or pushed out by company or colleagues as
a retirement reason. Only 15 % of all retirered interviewed (and 30 % of
elderly who retirered voluntarily) state that loss of motivation was a
retirement reason.
Table 4: Percentage of the retirered persons, who give
specific reasons for retirement (Norregaard 1996) Involuntary reasons
Retirered (all) Retirered out of necessity Bad health 52 73 Fixed age
limit 4 5 Were sacked 10 17 Felt pushed out by the company 12 12 Felt
pushed out by colleagues 5 4 unable to manage/cope with the job 19 22
Implemented new technology in company 8 4 Unable to get easier job 11 9
Family reasons, eg. illness in the family 8 6 Voluntary reasons Retirered
voluntaraly Avoid possible illhealth 29 39 To have time for other
activities 30 56 Lack of work motivation 15 30 To spend more time with
family and friends 23 39 Partner stopped working 12 23 Make room for
younger people 16 31 In this context, the question: "Why do elderly
workers retire" is closely related to the question: "What can
make elderly workers retire later?" Dane Age has initiated research,
that tries to give answers as to how the future will look generally (Nye
tider nye aeldre 1999:7). Their particular research in respect of
retirement and work expectations is utilized below. As we see above (table
4), health is at the very top of the chart when looking at retirement
reasons and table 5 shows the same tendency in all age-groups.
Table 5: Could any of the following changes extend
your engagement with the workforce? 1997. Per cent: 60-64 years 50-54
years 40-44 years 1. Notable raise in Pension/efterløn* for every year I
postpone my retirement. 12 19 27 2. Lowest possible age to cash in
kapitalpension* raised from 60 to 65 years. 7 22 33 3. If I could reduce
my working hours 21 36 43 4. If it was impossible to get efterløn* before
63 years of age 4 38 44 5. If I could taylor my own work rate 22 23 33 6.
If I could get a position with different work content/ challenges 2 14 23
7. If my health is OK 30 38 44 8. If it is supported at my workplace 24 25
29 9. If it is supported at home 20 25 29 10. If I could get the necessary
vocational training 0 6 16 In interpreting table 4, we have also pointed
at the importance of the company-attitude towards elderly workers. This
point is emphazised by Dane Ages research and is reflected in
the percentage of the age-groups agreeing with the statements 3, 5 and 8.
21/36/43 percent state that they might stay longer on the workforce if
they could reduce their working hours, 22/23/33 percent might stay longer
if they could taylor their own work rate and 24/25/29 percent might stay
longer if they were supported in doing so by their company. These
statements are on the top of the scales and mainly a question between
employer and employee. In relation to the WorkAge project it is remarkable
that vocational training is by far the statement that gets the least
support. None of the people aged 60-64, 6 % of the people aged 50-54 and
only 16 % of the people aged 40-44 agree that the necessary vocational
training might make them extend their engagement with the working force.
Concluding remarks The retirement age in Denmark has dropped to 61. If
surveys looking to the future can be trusted, it will drop even further.
More than half of the retirered elderly workers state that retirement
happened involuntaryly the time and circumstances were dictated rather
than chosen. This experience is contrary to what active elderly workers
expect. More than half of the retirered elderly workers connect retirement
to bad health. Elderly workers who are active in the work force also point
at health as the primary focus point when asked what might make them stay
on longer in the work force. Elderly workers health condition is obviously
an essential issue when discussing retirement. Another important issue is
related to the employer-employee relationship. A supportative attitude
from company and colleagues plays an important role for elderly workers
as do the possibility of reduced working hours and autonomy over work
rate. Due to the research results, that this section is based on,
vocational training plays little or no role as an incentive to stay on in
the work force for the individual elderly worker. As we will show later,
the opinion of elderly workers as to the importence of vocational training
contradicts that of other interested parties.
Section D: Problems in connection with elderly
workers employability
It is an established fact, that elderly workers
employment rate is low compared to other age-groups. This is new only
15 years ago elderly workers had an above average employment rate. Since
it is the aim of the WorkAge project to contribute to an increase in
elderly workers employability, I will elaborate on the causes of the relatively
low employment rate. With reference to existing research results
I will try to narrow down what hinders workers in getting or maintaining
an active role in the workforce. This information will be useful in
identifying what problems have to be solved in order to secure better
employment possibilities for elderly workers and to motivate elderly
workers to stay longer on the labour market. With reference to Hojgaard
and Klith (1997:13), roughly half of the retirered workers retired
voluntarily whereas the other half retirered involuntarily. We will, to
begin with, look at the group of elderly workers who voluntarily retire
earlier than the official retirement age. Why do they retire?
They do so
because it is 1. culturally acceptable , 2. they can manage on pensions
and savings and 3. presumably they have better things to do than working.
From the elderly workers perspective, this is obviously not a problem,
even if it is one from a socio-economic point of view.
The cause of the
problem: From a personal, morale and an economic point of view, it is
possible and attractive for many danish elderly workers to leave the work
force before they reach the official retirement age! When it comes to encouraging
the group of elderly workers with the intent and the means to
retire early (voluntary retirement) stay longer on the labour market, it has
to be done either by motivating them for example let their working life
offer challenges, competitive to what their retirement offers or by
reducing the economic possibilities for early retirement. In this paper I
choose to focus on where early retirement and unemployment is a problem
from both a personel and a socio-economic point of view. Possible
solutions to the WorkAge problem through reduction of economic
possibilities for early retirement will therefore not be included. If we
shift focus to the group(s) of elderly workers, who are forced to retire
or stay unemployed, the problems and the causes are more complex.
Ill-health is, as it has become obvious in the text above, an important
factor in the involuntary retirement of elderly workers. Ill-health as a
result of working conditions is, however, a focal point in the
governmental effort to improve working environment and I suggest to leave
this element out of the WorkAge project. Instead, stereotypical images of
elderly workers, little or no chance to get a (new) job because of
outdated educational background and discriminatory employment procedures
are some of the elements, that will be elaborated on in the following
text. Stereotypical images of elderly workers? There is a tendency to
favour the qualities associated with younger workers in comparison with
the qualities connotated by elderly workers. This has led to predjudice
against elderly workers and plays a role in elderly workers possibilities
in getting, keeping and changing jobs. In a OECD survey conducted in 1998,
Casey rejects predjudice against elderly workers as based on inaccurate
assumptions (Here in Seniorerne og arbejdsmarkedet 1999:75 pp.). Casey
concludes, that elderly workers are as heterogeneus as other age-groups in
the workforce and that from an objective point of view employability
has little to do with age. When comparing elderly workers (50+) with
younger workers, Danish employers assume, that elderly workers are less
flexible (initiative/ability to learn new skills/adaptability) and that
elderly workers know less about new technology. On the other hand
employers assume that elderly workers are ahead of younger in a number of
qualifications (Jorgensen 1997:42 pp.) The research results do not
indicate that the qualifications, where younger workers are assumed to be
better, are esteemed higher, than those elderly workers assumed to be
better at (see table below). On the contrary responsibility,
quality-consciousness and co-operative skills are the qualifications with
highest score and elderly workers are assumed to be better than younger
ones by a significant number of employers. Thus, viewed as a whole (on the
basis of Jorgensens research results), elderly workers image in relation
to qualifications, seems to be good. Jorgensen (1997:47), is aware that
there are inconsistencies between the research results and the
unemployment figures for elderly workers. If elderly workers as the
research indicates are considered higly qualified, why do they have
relatively higher unemployment rates then younger? Jorgensen (1997:47)
speculates whether the preoccupation of the media with youth has an effect
on the labour market. In addition to the "ordinary"
qualifications" as investigated by Jorgensen (1997), there could be
an unspoken preference for younger employees. This could be reflected in
the recruitment procedures that employers follow.
Table 6: Qualifications valued as very important by
employers, devided between different work tasks (In per cent) Unskilled
workers Skilled workers Salaried worker Elderly workers assumed to be
better than younger Experience 13 30 30 95 Breadth of view 19 44 52 72
Professional skills 28 73 65 72 Responsibility 62 75 76 67
Quality-consciousness 52 69 65 51 Ability to pass on skills 11 39 32 32
Co-operative skills 64 70 72 28 Initiative 38 55 58 -12 Ability to learn
new skills 30 43 43 -21 Adaptability 28 52 57 -21 Knowledge of new
technology 8 23 29 -34 In order to uncover problems in relation to
connections between workinglife expectations and age, Ipsen et al (1998)
have investigated 10 companies in different trades. With problems
concerning elderly workers (aged 50+) as the focal point, the research
focused on 3 issues: * How employers recruit employees * How the companies
organize their workforce and handle technology * How companies handle
questions concerning senior policies First of all, the report concludes,
that the barriers for elderly workers are varied, depending on whether
they are unemployed or in jobs and if they are in jobs whether the
age-average in their company is high, average or low (Ipsen et al., p.
10). In other words: A company's age-profile is influences how the company
recruits, handles reductions in the work force and whether it offers
special opportunities for elderly workers. Recruitment In addition to the
recruitment of employees, the report shows that regardless of the
recruitment methods, elderly workers respond less frequently to vacant
jobs than other age-groups. Therefore, employers have limited
opportunities to evaluate elderly workers qualifications, experience and
working ability. On average, elderly workers are less mobile in the labour
market. The report states two reasons. Firstly, elderly workers have found
a satisfying job, that they would like to stay in till they leave the work
force. But secondly elderly workers relative lack of mobility is caused by
an awareness of the difficulties they will have in finding a(n other) job,
in which their experiences come in useful (Ipsen et al. 1998:10).
This is
a massive problem especially to unemployed elderly workers. The report
mentions three further barriers, that add to elderly workers relatively
low mobility (pp. 11): Most companies recruit out of an expectation, that
the employee shall stay in the company for many years. Thus companies
choose younger workers even though it is commonly known that younger
workers frequently change jobs. Elderly workers would in other words
probably profit from a more realistic employment-horizon from the
companies. Companies with a broad age-profile tend to hire younger
employees to vacant jobs in order to secure renewal. Companies with a
young age-profile, on the other hand, rarely hire elderly workers. At the
same time employees for vacant jobs on a higher level are often recruited
internally by the companies. Vacant jobs accessible to
"outsiders" are often on a lower level. The companies have given
little or no thought to what advantages they can achieve from hiring
elderly workers. And as a consequence, they have no idea of how to attract
elderly workers or which recruiting channels to use. This is a problem for
elderly workers now but will be a problem for many companies in a few
years.
Seniors policies Ipsen et al. mention two aspects of
senior policy (pp. 62): Firstly, a senior policy aimed at making it easier
for the individual elderly worker to change status from working person to
retired person. Secondly a senior policy aimed at keeping elderly workers
as employees. Since the first aspect is irrelevant to WorkAge, only
results from the second will be mentioned. According to Ipsen et al. (p.
82) companies have two strategies when trying to keep elderly workers as
employees: Offer elderly workers 1) easier jobs or 2) reduced working
hours. As have most companies in Denmark, the 10 companies, that the
report is based on, have undergone changes towards rationalization,
speed-up of tasks and organizational changes. These changes have made it
increasingly difficult to create easier jobs for elderly workers. Ipsen et
al. conclude that the companies work organization leave little opportunity
to relieve the pressure on elderly workers. Even companies that have
included getting easier jobs for elderly workers in their senior- or
personnel policy, find it difficult either because the tasks are
non-existent or because easier jobs for elderly workers increases the
pressure on the younger employees (p. 82). Ipsen et al. dwell on the fact
that the mental tiring experienced by a large number of people in the work
force9, that takes place as a consequence of high work pressure, is a
serious barrier not only because it is incompatible with the aim, that
elderly workers should stay longer on the labour market but also
because it poses general problems comparable to the physical over-extortion,
that many workers have been subject to and that has been a focal point in
the Danish labour policy over the last few years. In relation to giving
elderly workers an opportunity to reduce their working hours, the barriers
are different. Ipsen et al. mention three frequently stated barriers
stated in the interviews. Elderly workers state that they economically are
unable to manage on a reduced income10. Others state, that reducing their
working hours would result in less attractive tasks. Finally some state
that reduced working hours have a negative consequence to their
possibilities to retire on efterløn. [Ole Bech (p. 6) deals with other
relevant aspects of this question] 9Jorgensen (1997:16) refers to research
conducted by Dansk Institut for Klinisk Epedemiologi documenting that 68%
of the persons in the labour market are exposed to one or more negative
psychosocial working conditions. 10In a calculation by Hojgaard and Klith.
(1997:32) it is furthermore pointed out, that salary from reduced working
hours hardly compares to efterløn.
Education vocational training in-service
training Elderly workers, on average, have a lower educational background,
than younger workers. AF considers the educational deficit of elderly
workers to be one of the three main barriers in relation to maintaining an
active part in the labour market (Hojgaard and Klith (1997:38)). A large
majority of employers disagree when confronted with the statement, that
their employers are in no need of in-service training (unskilled (85%),
skilled (90%) and salaried (93%))(Jorgensen 1997:56). A substantial amount
of elderly workers have never received vocational or in-house training.
62% of unemployed persons aged 40+ and 51% of the unskilled workers in the
same age group have never received vocational or in-house training. In
comparison, 19% of leading salaried workers, 20% of salaried workers and
38% of skilled workers aged 40+ have never received training (Jorgensen
1997:51).
There is a clear tendency that those with the lowest educational
background are the groups receiving the least vocational and in-house
training. Low educational background combined with a working culture
characterized by a lack of training tradition poses at least two problems.
Firstly the elderly worker is not in the habit of vocational or in-house
training and will presumably be reluctant to participate. Secondly elderly
workers will have a substantial educational deficit and perhaps the
deficit is to large for employers to rectify? Often the elderly workers do
not feel in need of training. In their present jobs, they carry out tasks,
that make it hard to understand why they should require further
qualifications (Jorgensen and Skaerbaek 1998:30).
A static picture will
rarely show training needs. In many jobs, however, one only has to glance
at the crystal ball to realize that technological development and
organizational changes carry training needs not once or twice in a
lifetime, but regulary11. Still, almost half of the elderly workers
between 40 and 60 years of age state that they do not need more training
(See table 2).
A mayor barrier is, in other words, the disparity between
the training needs that can be identified and elderly workers perception
of their training needs. Of those stating, that they are too busy at work
to participate in further training the statement with the most support
- almost half (47% (Jorgensen 1997:52) have never received vocational or
in-house training. Obviously, this statement has only been 11As Seim
(1989:64) shows, the ability to learn is not static, but dependant on the intellectual
challenge a person gets during his or her life. Brain
exercise is, in other words, an important factor in sustaining mental
fitness.
Supported by people in jobs. The unemployed score
highly on the statement: "I feel to old to learn new skills"
54% of the unemployed with an age average of 51,2 years agree
(Jorgensen 1997:52 pp.). A substantial number of elderly workers state12,
that the economical or time consuming interference with the their private
lifes, keep them from (further) training participation. At least 54% of
elderly workers that have participated in vocational or in-house training
had to use their spare time and 47% have experienced a income loss in
connection with training (Jorgensen 1997:54). 12In: "My employer
allows no training during working hours", "can not afford
it", "training is difficult to combine with family life"
and "hard to find time for homework".
Table 7: Conditions, that restrain persons in the
work force from engaging in further vocational or in-house training, than
they do to day divided by age groups (Jorgensen 1997:53)
Age Statement
40-49 50-59 60-69 Are in no need of further vocational or in-house
training 47 46 38 Am leaving the labour market soon (retirement or efterløn)
3 31 69
Younger employees have first priority in my company 12 22 25 My
employer allows no training during working hours 27 25 18 Can not afford
it 25 19 16 Am too busy at work 60 54 43 Training is difficult to combine
with family life 34 17 11 Hard to find time for homework 38 27 15 No
training posibilities fit 32 23 28 It will damage my career chances 4 2 2
I feel to old to learn new skills 13 26 47 A study of barriers and
experiences with in-house and vocational training of middle-aged (40+)
unskilled workers in the metal industry using date collected via
qualitative interviews identify the following barriers. First or all, the
workers are resistant to training activities because of their
"historical baggage" (Jorgensen and Skaerbaek 1998:28).
They
often lack basic skills such as reading, writing and arithmetic. Their
experiences with schools are not too good and changes make them feel
uncomfortable. Furthermore, they are of the opinion that training only is relevant
if it relates directly to their job function. Obviously, there
are individual differences between the interviewed persons. But companies
where the management is strongly engaged in providing training
opportunities for the employees, have the least barrierers determined by
age-factors. The study points out that this has various reasons, but
emphazises that these companies establish structures, that motivates
employees to engage in training. At the other end of the scale, a very
tight jobstructure is found to be a demotivating factor. A person who has
been in a job for a while, carrying out the same tasks every day, will be
very reluctant to participate in training because as stated above
the perspectives of training are hard to see. Jorgensen and Skaerbaek
furthermore state, that the management often send unclear and ambiguous signals as to why they want their employees to participate in training and
that the training often has no connection with the general development of
the company (p. 39). An interesting part of Jorgensens and Skaerbaeks
(1998) study concerns the content of relevant in-house training. Very few
expressed the view that middle-aged and elderly workers need vocational
training (technical or vocational skills).
On behalf of management and
unions, it has been emphasized that the training needs are related to
learning Danish, arithmetic, English and EDP. This is complicated from two
points of view: Firstly, the employees find it hard to understand why they
have to engage in training in these subjects, since it is difficult to see
the direct relevance to their job functions. Secondly even though
managements consider educational arrangements in these subject as
important, it is not commonly accepted that the training should be at the expense
of the employers (p. 34)
Concluding remarks
Even though elderly
workers qualifications seem to be highly valued, they still find
themselves at the back of the job-queue when it comes to job offers. As a
consequence elderly workers are rare applicants for vacant jobs. The
companies have little experience in recruiting elderly workers and have
given little consideration as to what qualities elderly workers can
contribute. Furthermore, companies often have an unrealistically long
employment horizon a fact that disfavors elderly workers. Because of
the general work rate increase in the Danish labour market, it is
difficult to find easy jobs for elderly people to do without shifting
extra pressure onto younger employees. In general, elderly workers have an
educational deficit compared to younger age groups. For elderly workers
and especially those with the lowest educational background the deficit
is widened by the fact, that they receive the least amount of vocational
and in-house training. Employers and the authorities consider the
educational deficit a serious problem whereas elderly workers consider
themselves sufficiently educated. The educational deficit and the
disparity in perception between elderly workers and employers/authorities
must be considered a mayor barrier. Often the skills needed by elderly
workers are obtained by general subjects (Danish, arithmetic, English and
EDP). This poses a problem because elderly workers are reluctant to
participate in educational activity, that is not directly related to their
job function. Furthermore employers do not consider training in these
subjects to be their responsibility. The educational activity is hereby
placed in the elderly workers spare time and thus it is doubtful
whether it will ever take place. On the positive side, it must be
mentioned, that through serious support from the management it is possible
to motivate elderly workers to take interest in more training.
D. In a national (Danish) context: What problems have
been pointed out as essential to 1) keeping elderly employees in the
workforce or 2) letting elderly employees recapture a position in the
workforce. Or in other words what hinders elderly workers in getting or
maintaining an active role in the workforce. (Lack of
motivation/flexibility/education (real or imaginary), recruitment
policies, trade specific factors, wage systems, culture etc, etc.) (In
step D we deal with your question 10, 11, 12, 13, 15 and 16).
To describe
the issue of this chapter, I have chosen to use some material prepared by
the Danish trade union Dansk Metal13. Dansk Metal has about 140,000
members working in fields of mechanics, electronics and in formation
technology. Caused by the number of members, Dansk Metal is regarded as an
important player in Danish labour market policy. The contact details are:
Dansk Metal, Nyropsgade 38, DK-1780 Copenhagen V. Tel: +45 3363 2000,
e-mail: metal@danskmetal.dk, URL: http://www.danskmetal.dk.
The material,
Dansk Metal (2000:6p) takes its starting point at demographic facts and
the things brought up for debate in order to discuss the conditions of
elderly people on the labour market. Demographic prognoses show that in
the coming years, there will be significant change in the distribution of
the population's age. At the same time it has been pointed out that an
increasing number of people choose to leave the labour market before the
official retirement age. In average the Danes retire from the labour
market at the age of 61 years. This development increases the risk for
getting bottleneck problems or definite lack of labour force, which will
hinder the development of enterprises and the economical development of
the Danish society. Furthermore, an increasing number of people receiving
pension benefits payable between early retirement and normal retirement
pension and transfer income will be a burden on the public expenses.
Forecasts show that the Danish population will increase from 5.2 million
to about 5.5 million in the period from 2000 to 2025 with an increasing
number of people above 60 years. This age group will increase to be 1/3 of
the total population, while the group of people aged 19 to 59 years will
decrease by 3%. The number of children below 18 years will increase by
10%. Today (2000) there are about 640,000 people at 50+ in the labour
13Dansk Metal is the trade union for metal workers in Denmark force, but due to the described changes of the
distribution on age, the number will be about 850,000 in 2010 and just
under 900,000 in year 2025. This clearly indicates that the retirement
pattern will have a decisive influence on the size of the labour force,
and if the number of recent years' applicants for receiving pension
benefits payable between early retirement and normal retirement pension
continues, it will have the consequence that less than 50% of the
population will be in the workforce in 2025. In order to assess, if senior
political measures can maintain elderly people on the labour market, it
has been necessary to research into the development of the retirement
pattern due to changed legislation and conditions.
This question has been
analysed by Socialforskninginstituttet14by carrying through a big survey
for the Ministry of Labour. This survey revealed a number of sensational
results. The contact details are: Socialforskningsinstituttet, Herluf
Trollesgade 11, DK-1052 København K, Tel: +45 3348 0800, e-mail: sfi@sfi.dk,
URL: http://www.sfi.dk
Would like to retire later, if: Working Retired My
pension (or pension benefits payable between early retirement and normal
retirement pension) increased appreciable for each year I postponed my
retirement 27 9 The right to get capital pension paid out increased from
60 to 65 years 31 6 I could get reduced working hours and job guarantee
until 67 years 26 16 My company guarantees me always to have a job I can
manage 24 24 The age for receiving pension benefits payable between early
retirement and normal retirement pension was raised to 63 years 41 29
Would like to retire earlier, if: I was unemployed two years before I was
thinking about retirement 50 19 I won 1 million DKK in the National Lotto
34 25 Per cent who would change age of retirement due to changed
legislation and conditions. Distributed on working-and retired people,
1996. Source: Carl Nørregaard, SFI, 1996, Dansk Metal (2000:9p) 14The
Danish National Institute of Social Research. Is often abbreviated as SFI.
One fourth of the working people state that they
would postpone for retirement, if their company could guarantee a job they
could manage, while 26% state that they would continue if they could get
reduced working hours and a guaranteed job until the age of 67 years. It
might be certain that a great number of the respondents answered yes to
both questions, and therefore it cannot be concluded that half of the
workforce would postpone retirement, if senior political measures were
implemented. On the other hand, it can be concluded for sure that a
considerable part of the working people has an interest in postponing the
retirement, if certain conditions are fulfilled. At the same time it is
gives food in thought that 50% of the working people state that they would
retire earlier, if the got unemployed two years before they had decided to
retire.
Employed Unemployed Males Females Total Males Females Total
1980-81 62,3 60,8 61,9 57,9 57,1 57,5 1986-87 62,4 60,8 61,8 57,3 57,0
57,1 1991-92 61,9 60,9 61,5 57,2 56,6 56,9 1992-93 61,7 60,8 61,3 57,5
56,7 57,1 1993-94 62,0 60,9 61,5 55,9 53,6 54,5 Average age of retirement
for employed and unemployed 1980-1994. Source: Carl Nørregaard,
Socialforskningsinstituttet
As seen from the figures, employed people have
not advanced the age of retirement in recent years. Actually, in the late
figures - there is the tendency that retirement happens at a later time
than earlier, while the whole period shows that the age of retirement for
the unemployed has decreased by three years. On this background it can be
concluded if it is wanted to increase the average age of retirement, it
is important to get elderly unemployed back to work again and at the same
time prevent that elderly people get unemployed at all. According to the
situation of increasing economic activity in Denmark, it is expected that
the incentive to retire before the age of retirement will decrease
considerably in the coming years. At the same time, an ongoing increase in
employment makes elderly and experienced employees in short supply, which
the companies will try to maintain by organising the workplaces in
accordance with the needs and capacity of elderly people.
From this
chapter it can be concluded:
* A high level of employment is the best
measure to avoid early retirement from the labour market
* The second-best
measure is to have an active senior policy, which organises the workplaces
in accordance with the elderly peoples capacity There is no reason for
considering the pension benefits payable between early retirement and
normal retirement pension to be one of the biggest problems in Danish
economy
Section E: Best Practice in
Denmark
Best Practice can
either be doing something better, than it was ever done before or doing
something nobody has ever done before. Thus any practice is by definition
the best (or the worst for that matter). The Best Practice example from
"Senior Netto" is unique in a danish context. It is included in
this report because it has been started up, run and evaluated
professionally. Netto is a Supermarket chain with more than 300 shops in
Denmark and with shops in the UK, in Germany and in Poland (www.netto.dk).
Netto is a subsidary company of "Dansk Supermarked" (www.dansksupermarked.dk).
As is characteristic of the Danish retail trade, Netto has a low age
average amongst its employees. Because of the demographic change, Netto
found it advantageous to sharpen focus on elderly workers as potential
employees. In co-operation with Mercuri Urval A/S (a recruiting- and
consultancy service) and partly funded by Senior-Puljen (Oles reference),
Netto embarked in the project named Senior Netto.
Unless otherwise stated,
the following information is drawn from an evaluation report made by
Mercuri Urval A/S (Eriksen, 2000). Senior Netto
The project Senior Netto
was initiated with the following aims:
1. Confirm or deny the myths about
elderly workers as labour within retail trade in Denmark. Myths such as: o
Elderly workers are slow compared to younger ones o Elderly workers find
difficulties in learning new technology and in solving unknown tasks to
Elderly workers are unable to satisfy the physical demands some of the
jobs in Netto require o Elderly workers are expensive to employ o Sickness
absence is higher amongst elderly workers than amongst younger ones
2. To
attract elderly workers attention to retail trade as a sector with
interesting jobs also for people with work experience from elsewhere.
3. To in a longer perspective - secure a wider age span in Nettos
shops.
4. To motivate Netto managers to hire, train and
retain elderly workers.
5. To promote to the public, that Netto considers
elderly workers and experience as an advantage for numerous job functions
in Netto.
6. To obtain experience with a shop run exclusively by elderly
workers aged 45+, that stands comparison with other Netto shops, primarily
run by younger workers.
Comparing the results of Senior Netto with other
Netto shops was essential to the project, it was important to secure
comparability. Therefore the location of the shop was planned carefully,
as well as three well run shops of comparable size and with comparable
customers, in order to obtain a tru comparison. Only the shop manager had
experience from Netto the rest (4 middle managers and 16 employees of
whom 12 were on reduced working hours) came from other jobs (50%) or
unemployment (50%). At some point during their working life, half of the
staff had been working within the retail trade. It was more difficult than
at first anticipated to recruit the staff for Senior Netto.
Many elderly
workers stated that the economic difference between Netto salary and
social benefit was too small or that the job functions were too hard
physically. Senior Netto the project In the period from when Senior
Netto opened (23.11.98) until 31.03.00, Netto collected data in order to
compare Senior Netto with other shops in the chain. Turnover was 22%
higher than the had been estimated. The growth rate was 25% above Nettos
average. Senior Netto was the Netto-shop registrering the highest amount
of positive feed-back from customers in a questionaire 72% of Senior
Nettos customers state that staff-friedlieness was a reason for choosing
that particular shop. The average figure for Netto is 43%. Compared to
Netto generally, the turnover of personel was very low and sickness
absence was average though the pattern was somewhat different. Senior
Netto scored low on short sickness absence periods and on Friday Monday
sickness but high on sickness absence over longer periods. The wage costs
in Senior Netto were 17% higher than the average for Netto shops. The
higher wage costs were due to the fact that elderly workers have higher
wage expectations due to a working lifes experiences and because Senior
Netto was prevented from hiring young people under 18 years of age (who
get lower salaries).
The evaluation also states the amount of media
exposure, the many visitors, customers increased service expectations and
the elderly workers lower work speed as reasons. Apart from the quantative
date, the evaluation includes the following observations in regard to
elderly workers. It seems that elderly workers need more thorough training
and a longer training period than do younger employees in Netto. This is
partly due to the fact that elderly workers ask more questions and are
more curious than younger workers. On the other hand it is said, that what
elderly workers have learnt, they do not forget. The elderly workers in
Senior Netto showed a higher degree of responsibility, than that found
amongst younger staff.
Even at an early stage in the shops existence,
elderly workers asked for personal fields of responsibility a wish
agreed to by the management. The flip side of the coin was, however, that
some of the elderly workers were reluctant to move from their field of responsibility
to new tasks. To some extent the high degree of
responsibility towards certain tasks was at the expense of flexibility.
Another age typical barrier in relation to flexibility is that elderly
workers are more reluctant towards for example changes in work schedules
at short notice. Elderly workers have often planned their lives in a way,
that makes it difficult for them to re-arrange things within a short
period of time. The work rate at Senior Netto has been lower than the work
rate in average Nettos. This is partly due to the fact that elderly
workers are more thorough and pay more attention to details, partly
because there have been many visitors (organizations, reporters etc.) and
partly because the high media exposure has increased customers
expectations expectations that the elderly workers have tried to live
up to. The physical strain that some of the tasks in Netto demand, has
been hard on several of the elderly workers. Often Senior Netto staff have
longed for younger colleagues to take care of some of the physically
damanding tasks. It was never the intention to continue running Senior
Netto staffed exclusively by elderly workers after the project period
ended. Senior Netto today employs younger personnel as well. But Netto has
learned and profited from he project.
As a result of the project, Netto has noticed a rise
in the number of elderly workers applying for jobs in Netto but Netto
needs to attract even more elderly workers. Due to the exposure Senior
Netto got, shop managers now consider it an advantage to hire elderly
workers. Senior Netto and WorkAge Above, I referred to Ipsen et al. (1998)
stating, that there are some general problems in companies readiness to
recruit elderly workers. By means of the experiences obtained through
Senior Netto, Netto has both widened its recruitment channels and sent a
message, that has been heard all over Denmark: "We want elderly
workers in our shops."
From being an employer with little knowledge
of hiring and retaining elderly workers, it seems that Netto is in the
processs of being an employer more accessible to elderly workers.
Furthermore Netto is able to train its employees and does not seem to have
high requirements regarding educational background. With Senior Netto,
Netto has created a laboratory, in which it has been possibele to test
myths about elderly workers.
Roughly it seems that employers assumptions
refered to in section D: table 1 are in agreement with the experiences
gathered in Senior Netto. As employees, elderly workers have some
strengths but also some weaknesses. Most importantly, however, the project
has created experiences, based on reality and has laid the myths aside. On
the basis of these results, Senior Netto must be considered a success
and an example worth describing as a best-practice. What makes the project
worthwhile is that it combines several qualities, that put together in
the right way will probably lead to an openess towards elderly labour
but definitely brings clarity in regard of elderly workers potential on
the labour market.
The qualities are:
1. Knowledge of demographical
changes and their consequences to the labour market.
2. The intent and the
means to initiate a purposeful effort.
3. The ability to formulate clear
aims for the project and the ability and the means to evaluate them
4. The
ability to disseminate the results within and outside the organization.
However Senior Netto being a best-practice project is
not the same as the project giving answers to all the questions and
problems raised in section E.
Senior Netto gives no experience as how to
solve the problems of physical or mental strain refered to above. On the
grounds of the evaluation report, it can be concluded, that the pressure
on the employees is substantial both physically and mentally,
physically to the limits of what some elderly workers are able to cope
with. A question that has not been raised in the Senior Netto Project, but
is important to WorkAge is whether it is possible for workers to grow old
as employees or in other words whether it is possible to spend a
lifetime working with the amount of strain that a job in Netto entails.
Earlier I stated that because of the general pressure on the work force,
it is difficult to find "easy jobs" for elderly workers. This
seems to be the case in Netto but also poses the question: Do elderly
workers want easier jobs? Seniors policy as part of personnel policy in
DaneAge15DaneAge (www.aeldresagen.dk) is an organization founded in 1986
in order to influence societies handling of questions related to old age.
DaneAge is supported by 420,000 members. In the autumn of 2000, DaneAge
initiated a processs leading to the formulation and implementation of
seniors policy applicable to DaneAges central administration. The processs
was headed by a project group. Some of the group members had witnessed
that seniors policies in other organizations had been created from a
Top-Down approach, where few people had formulated policies on behalf of
all employees. The result had been a policy that looked good on paper, but
had little or no effect on employees everyday life it was, in other
words, not an integrated part of the organization. With these experiences
as a point of reference, the project group found it important to pay
attention to the processs and to include all personnel that were to be
affected by a seniors policy in DaneAge. A processs in three steps was
initiated. The first step of the process was the sending of examples of
various companies seniors policies to the employees. In every section of
DaneAges central administration, the employees met, to discuss the
elements they wanted to include in DaneAges seniors policy. The contents
of these discussions were handed over to the project group. 15The
presentation af DaneAge' project is based on internal DaneAge documents
and interviews with DaneAge staff.
Based on feed-back from the different sections, the
project group presented a proposal as to what guide lines a seniors policy
in DaneAge could contain. The proposal was presented as an initiation
activity in connection with a Zukunftswerkstätte16dealing with seniors
policy in DaneAge. Third step was gathering the feed-back data and
including it into the seniors policy. It is too early to test whether the
policy works or not. There is no doubt, however, that the processs has
sharpened the employees consciouness about seniors policy, personnel
policies and about what differentiates a good work place from a bad one.
Leaving the process and turning to the content of DaneAges seniors policy,
there are some things worth mentioning. DaneAges employees considered it
limiting to focus on age alone. A seniors policy has to be an integrated
part of a personnel policy, taking the individual employee seriously and
showing consideration for the individual life phasethat the employee is
at. Instead of a seniors policy, DaneAge has in other words decided that
they want a life phase oriented personnel policy where age (55+) is
specified as one (of several) phases that entitles one to specific
privileges. It was, however, made clear that elderly workers should not
become a especially favoured age group in DaneAge partly because it
would be unfair towards the rest of the staff, that have reasons other
than age to ask for privileges (children, divorce etc.), and partly
because special treatment could stigmatise elderly workers as being weak
employees. DaneAges seniors policy project and WorkAge The way DaneAge
handled the process of establishing a seniors policy or rather a life
phase orientated personnel policy involved the staff in discussing and
deciding upon many important subjects not only in relation to age, but
in relation to well-being and job-satisfaction in general. In that way the
focus on elderly workers had an effect on all the staff, that has helped
employment in DaneAge become more attractive. The process in itself
justifies mentioning DaneAges project as a best-practice example.
16Translates into "future workshop" and is a creative processs
in which the participants think freely and set their ambitions high. See
Jungk, Robert and Müllert, Norbert R (1981): Zukunftswerkstätte, Wege
zur Wiederbelebung der Demokratie.
As to the content, it is however, too early to say
whether DaneAges personnel policy takes the project into the best-practice
league. It has not been implemented yet and will, in any case, need time
to show results. Second E by Ole Bech Kristensen. In a national (Danish)
context: "Best Practice" experiences what successful
experiences in maintaining or developing elderly workers employability can
Denmark exhibit? (Background, involved parts, aims, results,
perspectives). In step E we deal with all your questions from 8 to 16. In
this chapter, a number of concrete initiatives, which have been taken in
order to maintain or develop elderly workers employability, are described.
The initiatives/cases have been chosen, because of the good example they
show one case is linked to the two-abovementioned trade unions in
Denmark, HK and SID. This chapter is as earlier mentioned supplementing
chapter C in which a more general description of the issue was made. Case
1: Brødrene Dahl A/S Brødrene Dahl A/S is working with the trade of
plumbing- and heating services, water supply and construction. The project
described in this case involved staff from the stock in the towns of Brøndby
and Randers. The number of involved staff was 69 from the central stock in
Randers 14 of the staff were above 50 years and 64 staff from the
central stock in Brøndby of which 8 were above 50 years and 102 staff
members from the administration of which 28 were above 50 years. Over the
years, the enterprise has had a positive personnel- and senior policy. The
employees have had the opportunity to adapt their jobs to changes in their
capacity, and continuing employment has been possible. The expectations to
the project were to get some ideas in order to improve the senior- and
maintenance policy of the enterprise. As a starting point, the size of the
project and the expectations to the project were agreed, since it was
important to explain both the resources to be used and the help available
within the project. The allocated resources were agreed from phase to
phase and were something in the order of 2-3 days for each involved staff
member.
In the first phase of the project, the working group
examined the personnel handbook. After a very careful examination, the
working group raised a number of questions related to the contents of the
personnel handbook: o Why is this point described? o Why is the point
formulated in the way it is? o Why are some points not included? o If a
point has to be included, how extensive must it be described? In this way,
the general attitude to the personnel handbook was put in a new light, and
the working group realised a general problem, which the enterprise had to
deal with; namely `How much and how little, one wants described in the
personnel handbook and how detailed to describe it',HK, SID and others
(2000:6p). A comprehensive and detailed description makes the attitude of
the management visible, which makes it easy to manage in the same way in
different parts of the organisation, but on the other hand, in some
situations one cannot be flexible, because everything is described. A less
comprehensive and detailed description has the opposite advantages and
disadvantages: The personnel policy can easily be nonsense without any
contents but on the other hand, a free scope of actions for the
management can be more flexible and more adaptable to concrete situations.
Based on the questionnaire dealing with the personnel policy, the working
group found that it was an idea to prepare a `Checklist of personnel
political issues', where the points, which were most likely to be in the
personnel handbook, were listed. The final version of the checklist can be
used to make sure that there are no points, which should have been in the
personnel handbook. Another important experience from the group work was
the conclusion that it was important that managers have a common
understanding of the personnel policy and a common attitude on how to
practice it. Therefore, an attitude analysis was carry trough by using
statements about personnel issues in order to make the individual manager
agree on them or not. All 18 managers in the selected group were tested.
Then by comparing the score, the following results were identified: 52%
were `Favourable Starting Points', 33% `Attention Points'and 15% `Risk
Points'. This indicated a good consensus among the managers on personnel
policy issues and a good understanding of the staff maintenance policy.
The risk points with low score were examined and discussed, and the
management then tracked down common attitudes on these points. The working
group at a workshop involving five staff representatives and two
representatives from the personnel department did the next phase of the
project. The workshop was established, because the management thought that
it might be useful to know the attitude of the staff to the personnel
handbook and the policy, on how the enterprise in the future could work on
the issue of staff maintenance. The workshop passed off as structured
brainstorming. The group was asked to do the following: o To describe what
they knew about the present situation o To come up with new ideas o To go
critically through the ideas o To define the advantages o To choose and
prioritise the ideas The project group tracked down the following possible
measures: o Define the job possibilities in the enterprise o Announce a
clear qualitative and quantitative policy of the management o Maintain and
extend the present image of having a good personnel policy o Create the
possibility to draw on a social worker or a psychologist with insight in
rules on public grants o Make a contribution to the middle managers in
order to handle the policy of staff maintenance in concrete situations The
management of the enterprise took these proposals up to further
adaptation, and it was pointed out that some of the proposals could not be
implemented immediately and some only after further adaptation. The
experience has shown that it is important to involve the employees as soon
as possible in the process, and by this make them joint owners of the
project. Parallel to the project of developing the staff maintenance
policy, the group of senior workers and their managers were appointed to
test the senior material. Firstly, the working group carried through an
introduction meeting on which the senior material and the senior policy
were presented. On the meeting, different aspects of the senior policy
were discussed and within three weeks, each senior worker and his or her
manager carried through a senior conversation, where the senior's career
was discussed. After this period, the working group met again with the
senior workers, in order to discuss the results from the senior
conversations and the utility of the used material. The following
conclusions were made: o The process. It was stimulating for the senior
workers to participate in the senior policy conversation, and the project
has been the first step in the process of making the management's positive
senior policy visible. Further, the attention has to be drawn to the fact
that senior jobs not is a question of light jobsbut of job adaptationand
that senior workers not are weak workers, but workers from whom you can
utilise the best possible. One realised that it takes a long course to
develop the existing senior policy o The results. One employee in the
reception had the wish to work in another department a part of the day on
grounds of the physical impact of arms and shoulders. The problem was to
cover the receptionist's job during the opening hours. Other wishes of
adaptation have a longer perspective, but all the participants had clearly
realised their wishes Case 2: Senior Service Under the heading `Good Jobs
to Managers Above 45 Years', on 11 March 2001 Fyens Stiftstidende17brought
an article about the association Senior Service. The main contents from
this article is described in this case: Senior Service is an association
with 1,100 members, who all are above 45 years. The association has a
board; the chairman of the board is Mr. Ulrich Pedersen, Hjørring in
Denmark. Further, the association has a council, where a number of
prominent people from industry have a seat. The contact details of the
association are: Senior Service, Nørre Farimagsgade 13, DK1364 Copenhagen
K, Tel: +45 3314 4234, e-mail: info@seniorservice.dk, URL: http://www.seniorservice.dk
Over the last ten years, Senior Service has shaken the dust of their feet
and is to-day one of the biggest headhunter enterprises in Denmark. From
being an aging club with a handful of old men over 70 years, who took on
temporary jobs, Senior Service has become a very active organisation with
1,100 members. Every year through Senior 17Fyens Stiftstidende is the
leading newspaper in the Funen region in Denmark.
Service, 200 top- and middle managers above 45 years
get new jobs in the Danish and the international trades and industries.
Senior Service feels at the moment that the demand in society for
experienced managers is increasing. The most jobs they help to fill, go to
people between 52 and 53 years they both have experience, and they can
still make an offer for a dozen of good working years. Every year, Senior
Service gets about 400 enquiries from enterprises or organisations, home
and abroad typically because they want stabile employees. Senior
Service has also been successful in filling a great number of interim
management jobs (e.g. a group needed a manager for six months to
restructure or establish a daughter company here an experienced manager
was needed, one who could keep the control and make unpopular decisions
without flinching) To be a member of Senior Service, and by this taking
part in the association's employment service, one has to be above 45
years, and one must be or must have been employed as a manager in the
private or the public sector. Specialist as lawyers and architects can
also be admitted in the association. The admission procedure is as
follows: Firstly the candidate is telephone interviewed and then secondly
the candidate sends an application and his or her CV, then three members
of Senior Service look through the papers and after the approval, the data
of the candidate is stored in the computer system. The admission fee is
DKK 1100, and the yearly dues are DKK 750. Opposite to other head-hunter
actors, Senior Service uses the principle of `No cure no pay', which
means, that the enterprise first pays for the assistance, when the job is
filled and further, 12 months of guarantee is given on the service.
Senior Service builds on its own ethic rules, which are based on the
values of professionalism, honesty and reciprocity. For every enquiry from
an enterprise, Senior Service creates a profile for the job and via a
database, candidates for the job are found. The enterprise is only
presented with the candidates, when they have accepted that a CV is sent.
Very often, two or three candidates are presented. Senior Service does not
take part in the selection process of the candidate, but waits in the
wings. This procedure has created a special culture at Senior Service in
order to satisfy very quickly both the candidates and the enterprises.
Senior Service is 100% self-financing and has a yearly turnover of 30
million DKK only based on the job arrangements at home and abroad.
About one third of the members of Senior Service lives
west of Storebælt18and the share of filled job in the western part of
Denmark are about the same amount, but still a great number of members
have to move in order to get a job. Abroad, Senior Service works under the
name Danish Executive Service and both the World Bank and the European
Development Bank are among the clients e.g. jobs in the Baltic States,
Eastern Europe and Africa. Because of the good reputation, to-day Senior
Service has a good co-operation with international partners (e.g. the
association has just help a candidate to fill in a job as controller in
the pharmaceutical company H. Lundbeck during the next 18 months, he
has to make a tour visiting daughter companies in different countries). As
a closing remark, I want to bring a quotation from the director of Senior
Service Aage Jenshøj, Fyens Stiftstidende (2001) ` I experience that the
trades and industries now has a higher demand for experienced managers
than five-six years ago. At that time one could as a young manager get
onwards just by throwing 6 four times in row because everything went
onwards by itself. Now the situation is different especially because of
the changed attitudes to seniors'.Case 3: Course for Unemployed with many
Years of Experience Among the many initiatives, which have been made in
order to get unemployed senior workers back to the labour market, I want
to describe one initiative, which has been successful. I 1999, Odense
Tekniske Skole (OTS) offered a tailor-made course for unemployed people
with many years of working experience. Contact details: Odense Tekniske
Skole, Allégade 79, DK-5000 Odense C., Denmark. Tel: +4563126500. Fax:
+4563126599, e-mail: ots@ots.dk, URL: http://www.ots.dkThe target group of
the course was unemployed people between 45 and 59 years, who had the
right to unemployment benefit or the right to be activated. The
participation in the course was free the participant was granted an
educational fee agreed with the AF19. The aim of the course was to create
competence clarification for each of the participants in order to outline
the job- and education aims within the context of the objectives of the
18The Great Belt i.e. the belt between Funen and Zealand 19AF is the
acronym of Arbejdsformidlingen i.e. the employment service office course.
A part of the course was planned as visits to and placements in
enterprises in such a way that each course participant had to choose one
or two enterprises for the carrying through of his or her practical
training period. The contact to the enterprises was established in
co-operation with OTS the course participant visited the enterprises
and agreed on the contents of the placement-training period. At OTS the
participant was offered relevant courses in: o IT (PC Drivers License i.e.
Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, Internet browsers and email
composers) o Communication (Written communication in order to write job-
applications etc) o Quality (Basic quality concepts) o Economy (Accounting
and tools for analysing) o English (Practical use of the language) o
Management (Modern management concepts) o Training in search of work
(Writing of job applications a carrying through of job interviews) The
courses were carried through in a progressive structure altering between
theoretical and practical education. At the end of the course, a course
certificate was issued. Fourteen people started at the course, twelve
carried it through, and three months after the ending of the course, five
people were employed. Case 4: The Self Activation Group in Bogense As
earlier mentioned in section B in this article, the Danish Ministry of
Labour has for the period 2000 to 2003 allocated 10 million DKK in order
to establish an number of self activation groups for senior workers. The
target group is people at 50+. To give an example on how this arrangement
is realised, I have chosen to describe concrete initiatives, taken by a
group of people in the town of Bogense in Denmark. Based on the guidelines
given by the Ministry of Labour, the people started a self-activation
group. The group calls themselves Job Net Senior(JNS) and has the
following contact details: Job Net Senior, Adelgade 111B, DK-5400 Bogense,
Denmark. Tel: +45 6381 6850, e-mail: jobnet@senior-job.dk, URL: http://www.senior-job.dk.
I a leaflet JNS presents themselves as an association of people, who want
to stay in the labour market. The target group of the association also
includes people, who are unemployed, or who want to get another job. JNS
is the place where people above 50 years, who are looking for jobs, meet.
JNS can offer the group the following: o To make new contacts with other
people o To meet people in the same situation in order exchange
experience, knowledge and contacts o To participate in arrangements,
lectures and courses o To use the network's contacts to institutions,
organisations and business life o To make the individual's activities a
part of the network's activities JNS also offers the members to use their
facilities with modern PCs with word processors and access to the
Internet. The underlying philosophy of JSN is to use the network to get
people employed and that standing together is better than standing alone.
At the moment, members of JNS have the possibility to apply for jobs in
the public- or semi public sector - and unemployed members, who get a job,
are yearly granted 100,000 DKK by the state as a part of their salary. The
JNS has now been active for one year, and the network has about 40
participants, of which three have got a new job within that period. JNS
has experienced that the main barriers among the members in order to apply
for a job are: preparation of CVs, command of modern IT and the ability to
act proactively. The typical background of the members is low or middle
range education, but a lot of working experience. JNS also has experienced
that the most common reasons for enterprises not employing applicants from
the network are bad economy in the employing institution or the high age
of the applicant. It is important to mention that JNS is supported with
facilities and expertise from Udviklingspark NORD20(UpN), also situated in
the town of Bogense. The task of UpN is to encourage technological
development and collaboration between self employed entrepreneurs on the
northern part of Funen. Realising that development in industry contributes
to structural development, UpN aims to bring together important partners
to secure a dynamic future on this part of the island.
The contact details
of UpN are: Udviklingspart NORD, Fynsvej 14, DK-5400 Bogense, tel: +45
6481 1840, e-mail: upn@upn.dk, URL: http:// www.upn.dk20Udviklingspark
NORD means Development Park North References Arbejdsministeriet
(2000)Seniorpolitisk praksis erfaringer og resultater fra Seniorpuljen
ArbejdsministerietDanish Ministry of Education (2001)The Danish VET System
2001, Ministry of Education, Copenhagen Danmarks statistik, Statistiske
efterretninger/Arbejdsmarked; 1997:37, Copenhagen, oktober 4. 1999 Dansk
Metal (2000)Det grå guld en pjece om seniorpolitik Metal København
DTL (1997)DTL's personalepolitiske program vedtaget på
generalforsamlingen i 1997, DTL København DTL (1999) Løn og arbejdsvilkår
for DTL's medlemmer på erhvervsskoler 1999, Dansk Teknisk Lærerforbund
DTL (2001)Lønninger per 1. april 2001 Lærere og ledere ved
erhvervsskoler m.v., Dansk Teknisk Lærerforbund Eriksen, Evald (2000):
"Senior Netto". Et pilotprojekt for seniorer i fremtidens
detailhandel. Mercuri Urval A/S, Aarhus. Fyens Stiftstidende (2001)Gode
job til ledere over 45 år, Artikel af 11 marts 2001Hoejgaard, Jens and
Klith, Peter (1997): Aeldre og arbejdsmarkedet, Aeldre Sagen HK (2001)Job
og Uddannelse, HK http://www.hk.dk/hkwww/jobIbsen, Sanne; Hansen, Henning;
Laghaei, Shahin (1998):De aeldre på arbejdsmarkedet. CASA. Copenhagen Job
Net Senior (2000)Job Net Senior, JNS BogenseJorgensen, Elin and Skaerbaek,
Jens (1998):Efteruddannelse af medarbejdere over 40 år. Hvilke erfaringer
hvilke barrierer? DTI Arbejdsliv. Jorgensen, Klaus (1997):Aeldre og
arbejdsliv, Copenhagen Norregaard, Carl: Arbejde og tilbagetraekning i
90'erne og fremtidens pensionister, Socialforskningsinstituttet,
Copenhagen, 1996 Nye Tider Nye Aeldre, Tema:Arbejdsliv, Nyhedsbrev nr.
3/1999 fra Aeldre Sagens Fremtidsstudie Odense Tekniske Skole (1999)Kursus
for ledige med mange års erfaring, Odense Tekniske SkoleSeim, Sol (1989)
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