Sainsbury is putting its weight behind a campaign designed to fight ageism in the workplace. The campaign, the Business Case for Age Diversity, was launched this week and urges firms not to discount older employees but to recognise their strengths. It has been developed by the Employers Forum on Age, of which Sainsbury is a member. A spokeswoman for Sainsbury said the company had lent its name to the campaign because of its stance on discrimination. "Being a member of the forum means doing everything possible to respond to older workers' needs." She said Sainsbury employed 1,500 people over the age of 65. "We recognise the benefits of employing people who are diverse in age so we can respond to the needs of customers who are also diverse." To illustrate Sainsbury's position on age, she added: "We used to view people's date of birth on job application forms but now we don't ­ we take people on merit." The forum's campaign director Sam Mercer emphasised the importance of the subject: "As the workforce ages and contracts, skilled workers will increasingly come at a premium. "Companies that fail to respond will put future growth and profitability at risk." She added: "Our research shows that UK companies introducing an age diversity policy have saved between £6m and £7m on recruitment because of staff retention." {{PEOPLE MOVES }}

Topics