WDA Issues Age-Friendly Employment Practices Guide
The Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) has published an Age-Friendly Employment Practices guide to encourage employers to adopt human resource practices that can help them better tap on the strengths of older workers.
2. The guide is part of the efforts of the Tripartite Committee on the Employability of Older Workers to enhance the employability of older workers and raise their effective retirement age. The guide complements the other initiatives by the Tripartite Committee which include the recent awareness campaign with the tagline of “The Advantage is Yours”, and the formation of the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices (TAFEP).
3. Targeted at employers, CEOs, managers and human resource practitioners, the guide is designed to assist them to better leverage the skills and experience of older workers through the adoption of age-friendly HR practices. It does this by proving examples of best practices and case studies of 39 leading companies and organisations in Singapore. The guide provides practical tips and case studies in 6 key areas, namely:
(a) Recruitment;
(b) Remuneration and Benefits;
(c) Job Redesign and Automation;
(d) New Work Arrangements;
(e) Re-employment Policy; and
(f) Managing Career Transitions.
4. Some of the best practices and companies featured include Dairy Farm Singapore, which recruits and selects employees based on their suitability rather than their age, Avago Technologies Manufacturing (S) Pte Ltd which has adopted a competitive wage system that is driven by performance, ensuring that age is not a factor in wage determination, and Old Chang Kee, which has implemented a flexi-work arrangement to employ mature homemakers who need to supplement their household income but can only work during certain hours.
5. Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister of State for Education and Manpower and Chairman of the Tripartite Committee on the Employability of Older Workers said, “An ageing workforce is a reality for Singapore. The Age-Friendly Employment Practices guide provides a range of measures which employers could adopt to address workplace issues associated with an older workforce. Older workers are a valuable resource and we strongly encourage employers to implement changes to more effectively tap on this pool of workers.”
6. Mr Stephen Lee, President of Singapore National Employers Federation, in support of the guide said, “The Age-Friendly Employment Practices guide relates the many positive experiences of companies in their effort to implement age friendly practices. SNEF/TAG will take the lead to promote the guide to companies to help them implement responsible employment practices. SNEF will also use the guide in its training programmes on Responsible Employment Practices for managers and HR practitioners”.
7. Mdm Halimah Yacob, Assistant Secretary-General of National Trades Union Congress, gave endorsement to the guide, saying, “The labour movement fully supports the move to publish the guide as it gives practical tips to employers on how they can refine their human resources practices to make better use of the strengths and contributions of their older workforce. We also urge workers and unionists to use the guide as a reference so that they would have greater clarity on how older workers can continue to contribute to their companies effectively.”
8. 1,500 copies of the Age-Friendly Employment Practices guide will be sent to companies and organisations in Singapore. The companies range from multi-national corporations to local companies including Small and Medium Enterprises, as well as Ministries, statutory boards and the unions.
9. Employers who are interested in the guide can download a copy from the Singapore Workforce Development Agency’s (WDA) website at http://app.wda.gov.sg/employers.asp and from the Singapore National Employers Federation’s (SNEF) website http://www.sgemployers.com.
2. The guide is part of the efforts of the Tripartite Committee on the Employability of Older Workers to enhance the employability of older workers and raise their effective retirement age. The guide complements the other initiatives by the Tripartite Committee which include the recent awareness campaign with the tagline of “The Advantage is Yours”, and the formation of the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices (TAFEP).
3. Targeted at employers, CEOs, managers and human resource practitioners, the guide is designed to assist them to better leverage the skills and experience of older workers through the adoption of age-friendly HR practices. It does this by proving examples of best practices and case studies of 39 leading companies and organisations in Singapore. The guide provides practical tips and case studies in 6 key areas, namely:
(a) Recruitment;
(b) Remuneration and Benefits;
(c) Job Redesign and Automation;
(d) New Work Arrangements;
(e) Re-employment Policy; and
(f) Managing Career Transitions.
4. Some of the best practices and companies featured include Dairy Farm Singapore, which recruits and selects employees based on their suitability rather than their age, Avago Technologies Manufacturing (S) Pte Ltd which has adopted a competitive wage system that is driven by performance, ensuring that age is not a factor in wage determination, and Old Chang Kee, which has implemented a flexi-work arrangement to employ mature homemakers who need to supplement their household income but can only work during certain hours.
5. Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister of State for Education and Manpower and Chairman of the Tripartite Committee on the Employability of Older Workers said, “An ageing workforce is a reality for Singapore. The Age-Friendly Employment Practices guide provides a range of measures which employers could adopt to address workplace issues associated with an older workforce. Older workers are a valuable resource and we strongly encourage employers to implement changes to more effectively tap on this pool of workers.”
6. Mr Stephen Lee, President of Singapore National Employers Federation, in support of the guide said, “The Age-Friendly Employment Practices guide relates the many positive experiences of companies in their effort to implement age friendly practices. SNEF/TAG will take the lead to promote the guide to companies to help them implement responsible employment practices. SNEF will also use the guide in its training programmes on Responsible Employment Practices for managers and HR practitioners”.
7. Mdm Halimah Yacob, Assistant Secretary-General of National Trades Union Congress, gave endorsement to the guide, saying, “The labour movement fully supports the move to publish the guide as it gives practical tips to employers on how they can refine their human resources practices to make better use of the strengths and contributions of their older workforce. We also urge workers and unionists to use the guide as a reference so that they would have greater clarity on how older workers can continue to contribute to their companies effectively.”
8. 1,500 copies of the Age-Friendly Employment Practices guide will be sent to companies and organisations in Singapore. The companies range from multi-national corporations to local companies including Small and Medium Enterprises, as well as Ministries, statutory boards and the unions.
9. Employers who are interested in the guide can download a copy from the Singapore Workforce Development Agency’s (WDA) website at http://app.wda.gov.sg/employers.asp and from the Singapore National Employers Federation’s (SNEF) website http://www.sgemployers.com.
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