By Moira Dennison, executive director, Iolanthe Midwifery Trust
‘Government to conduct review into state pension age’ (Sky News 21/7/25)
‘The three benefits of working past retirement age’ (Independent 12/9/25)
‘Employers lag behind’ as older workers reshape the UK workforce. (HR Rev 6/8/25)
It is hard to avoid headlines such as these, and given the current and projected rises in retirement age, we are all looking at a longer working life. It could be you today, turning around and finding that you are the oldest person in your organisation; the oldest still working within your peer group and your wider friendship group.
I’m going to briefly explore what ageing in this sector feels like and what implications it has for you as an individual, within your leadership role and also touch on the huge benefits that age inclusivity brings to the workforce.
Where is my network?
You had peers working in the same area, you had friends you met up with and mutually grumbled about work. Then, slowly, people move on, first cutting back on their hours and then stepping back completely. That network shrinks, and even if the people are still there, once they have moved on, they can be reluctant to reconnect with their previous lives. There is a disconnect between your day-to-day life and theirs, and sometimes that gulf is hard to bridge. Your sounding board has been muted. You have to navigate your relationships with your peers within this new ‘normal’ where strategy, boards, and staffing issues aren’t really up for discussion. Your landscape is the same, theirs has changed. Where is your common ground now?
What to do?
We all need that space to explore and be ourselves, and then take a breath and step back into the fray. Go find yourself new networks. Of course, there is the ACEVO community, and that is a ready-made source of information and support. But let’s think about this creatively, now is the time to be looking at inter-generational working and finding others across organisations, perhaps outside your field, to link up with. You could also consider taking up mentoring (using that knowledge, passing the baton, and learning from the experiences of others), and again, ACEVO has an excellent scheme you might like to check out.
Model that role!
Ageism exists at both ends of the spectrum. Too young – you don’t have enough experience. Too old, and you are heading into that good night, and also taking up a job that a younger person should be doing.
In our roles, we are used to fighting battles, internal and external; this is another battle we must fight. You can use your profile and your role to admirable effect here. The Centre for Ageing Better has some excellent resources, and they also run the Age Without Limits campaign, which has a presence on Instagram, as does @ageismisneverinstyle. There are also steps you can lead your organisation through to become an age-positive employer. Age inclusivity has huge benefits for everyone. It brings new perspectives and can lead to innovation, knowledge transfer, and the breaking down of cultural stereotypes. The more visible older people in the workforce are and the more work we can do to overcome hurdles, the better the outcomes are going to be for ourselves and those coming up behind us.
Who are you?
We all have so many roles: partner, parent, grandparent, friend, carer, and that’s before we start looking at the many roles in our working lives. Each time our role changes, we get the chance to reframe who we are, what we want to take forward into this next phase, and what we want to leave behind. And now it is time to leave – for good. You have been in the workforce for many years; your identity is tied up with your work, your role, and now you are stepping into a new phase. Think of this time as a transition between seasons. As summer ends, we gradually start to layer up for winter.
We are still the same person; we’ve just adapted to the change. You have left your legacy of work within your old job – what can you do with this legacy going forward? You had the card and the cakes and the gifts- but this is the best gift your working life can give you – the chance to be who you are tomorrow based on all your yesterdays