The social security reform and the possibility that people can continue working even after the age of 65 is considered an opportunity. While in Uruguay The process is just being implemented; it is planned to have between 15 and 20 certified companies in the medium term.
Through a partnership with the Age-Friendly Institute, the Uruguayan consultancy Advice is responsible for granting certification to companies that promote a “friendly environment” for people over 50 years of age. In fact, the company has positioned itself at the forefront, seeking to be the first to be accredited and then replicate its experience with others.
Age-Friendly certified companies maintain policies, practices and programs that support people over 50 years of age, valuing the knowledge, maturity, reliability and productivity of employees, and committing to offering them meaningful employment, development opportunities, competitive salaries and benefits.
Organizations that engage in this plan have access to comparative research of their organization within the market, direct contact with members of the Age-Friendly Institute, and invitation to virtual and in-person roundtables with the community and online training on “age-friendly principles and practices,” among other aspects.
Ximena Carbonehuman resources manager at Advice, told Ambit that “the diagnosis of the employment situation of those over 50 years of age in Uruguay “It brings many challenges and opportunities. First of all, it is about overcoming the barrier of age discrimination. People are seen as obsolete or lacking training, and, in reality, the idea is to be able to identify that in this population there are still many years of work activity by people who are often highly qualified and up to date. The idea of age-friendly is to create work environments that are friendly to people over 50 years old, so that they are not discriminated against simply because of age, but rather a person can be considered in a selection process for their experience and training and age is not a component, only for that reason,” he explained.
“Being an age-friendly organization not only promotes inclusion, but also brings tangible benefits in terms of talent, of people who are three or four times more stable in a company because they are at a vital moment where work is a large part of their identity, where the productivity “It also looks quite enlarged,” added the Advice specialist.
“It is an inevitable reality for companies due to the aging of the population, due to the pension reform and because more and more qualified candidates are needed and people who are in personnel selection know that, sometimes, it is a challenge to find the right one. talent“Carbone pointed out.
The importance of social security reform
Those who promote the mechanism for labor inclusion of people over 50 years of age emphasize that the current situation in Uruguay Since the approval of the social security reform, it has been beneficial. “It is a plus to continue promoting work activity beyond a certain age or even after retirement,” said Carbone.
This situation is contextualized in several items, he pointed out. “One, the economic one at the country and personal level, many people do not reach retirement levels that allow them to maintain a standard of living and cover basic needs. And on the other hand, there is also the psychological one, since, in many cases, employment covers important needs at the level of personal fulfillment and belonging.”
Another topic is that of the economic sustainabilitysince keeping workers over 50 in the labor market relieves pressure on the social security system and pensions. “It is a response to these demographic challenges facing Uruguaywith an older population and although the Age-Friendly certification in the country has no connection with this, it is aimed at generating awareness, support and places to work that meet the needs of the population of adults over 50 years of age,” concluded the specialist.
Source: Ambito
