Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland
People at the Centre

Become a member

Age Scotland: Building Age Inclusive Workplaces in Scotland

  • Area of Work: The ALLIANCE
  • Type: News Item
  • Published: 18th August 2025

Discover your discounted access to Age Scotland's Age Inclusive Workplaces Training workshops.

Scotland’s workforce is changing. Nearly a third of people in work are now aged 50 or over, while fewer younger workers are entering the labour market. That shift presents one of the biggest challenges for employers: how to recruit, retain, and support staff across an increasingly age diverse workforce.

The issue is particularly clear in health and social care, where demand for skilled staff continues to rise. It is also one of the most age diverse sectors, with employees in their teens working alongside colleagues in their 60s and beyond. This diversity can be a real strength, bringing different experiences and perspectives into teams. But making the most of that diversity depends on workplaces being flexible enough to support it in practice.

Many older workers want to remain in employment, but may need support to do so. Others are navigating key life stages such as menopause, caring responsibilities, or retirement planning. Yet too often, workplace policies still assume a linear, uninterrupted career – a model that no longer reflects reality.

Image of an older male doctor in scrubs being shown a tablet screen by a training specialist

Responding to the challenge

Through the Age Inclusive Workplaces programme, Age Scotland works with employers to address these challenges. It provides live, interactive, expert-led training designed to:

  • Build awareness of age inclusion across all staff
  • Equip managers to lead multigenerational teams with confidence
  • Challenge unconscious bias and outdated assumptions
  • Strengthen retention, wellbeing, and organisational culture

Core sessions introduce the fundamentals of age inclusion, while other expert-led workshops focus on specific themes such as Menopause at Work, Dementia Awareness, Age Friendly Customer Service, and Unconscious Bias. Our Planning for Your Future programme also offers invaluable information and advice for employees approaching retirement.

The business case

Workforce shortages are already acute in many sectors, and losing experienced staff comes at a high cost. By embedding age-inclusive practice, organisations can:

  • Retain vital skills and institutional knowledge
  • Reduce turnover and recruitment costs
  • Improve engagement and wellbeing across teams
  • Ensure fair access to opportunity at every career stage

Impact in practice

  • The programme is grounded in both research and lived experience. Age Scotland draws on its extensive direct work with employers and employees, alongside collaborative partnerships with organisations such as the University of Edinburgh and Skills Development Scotland.

So far, more than 17,000 individuals across 270 organisations have completed our training, with 98% recommending us.

Looking ahead

As Scotland’s workforce continues to age, the question for employers is not whether age inclusion matters, but how quickly they adapt. Those who act early will be better placed to attract and keep the people they need, while creating workplaces where staff of every age can contribute fully.

Interested in a training course?

Age Scotland are hosting the following Zoom workshops through 2025.

ALLIANCE Members can benefit from an exclusive 10% discount in attending any of the below workshop, at a discounted cost of £40.00 + VAT per person.

Colleagues interested in attending one of these workshops should email workshops@agescotland.org.uk including reference ‘Alliance‘.

Further details on the Age Inclusive Workplaces programme are available at age.scot/workplace-training, or by contacting workshops@agescotland.org.uk.

End of page.

You may also like:

Back to all news