POLET
The project "POLET: Development of a Comprehensive Business Model for Employers for Active and Healthy Aging of Employees" will develop and implement an innovative comprehensive business model for employers for active and healthy employee ageing in 120 participating companies. The aim of the project is, inter alia, to increase the awareness and better informedness of employers and employees and to improve the capacity of employers to implement measures in this field. This will reduce the length of sick leave and prolong work activity.
THE PROBLEM
Europe's competitiveness and prosperity in the future depend heavily on its ability to harness the potential of the workforce. According to projections, the workforce will grow older, as demographic trends (prolonged life expectancy and falling birth rate) will reduce its numbers in the future, and we will grow older as a society. Due to the ageing of the population, the retirement age is also rising in most Member States of the European Union, which brings with it many challenges in the field of active and healthy ageing. Businesses are increasingly at the forefront of the need for systematic, comprehensive and long-term measures that maintain and improve the health and safety of all employees, as well as measures to adapt work to changes that occur with age. By implementing the aforementioned measures, we can achieve that employees are willing and able to work longer, thus contributing significantly to intergenerational solidarity. Investing in employee health is therefore important in terms of corporate social responsibility, as well as economically. By improving the health of our employees, we can achieve a reduction of employers’ costs and the health and pension funds, which in turn also contributes to better sustainability of public finances, greater competitiveness of the economy and well-being of the population.
The European Union has recognized the challenges and opportunities that the ageing workforce brings with it, and set an ambitious goal in the Europe 2020 strategy - achieving a number of 75% of the active workforce of men and women, between the age of 20 to 64. In Slovenia however, compared to the other Member States, we are far behind in achieving this objective. The country has recorded one of the lowest employment rates in the EU for many years, ranking it well below its average. In addition to the aforementioned problem, there is also a high proportion of sick leave in Slovenia, with older employees in particular. Both problems are more prominent in the cohesion region of east Slovenia, where POLET project will be implemented. Here, the work activity of employees is lower and the percentage of absenteeism is higher than in the cohesion region of west Slovenia.
PROJECT ACTIVITIES
To follow EU policies in the field of active and healthy ageing and to address the issues outlined above, the POLET project will develop and in 120 supported companies implement an innovative comprehensive business model for employers for active and healthy ageing of employees, which will help employers from the cohesion region east Slovenia in planning, implementing and evaluating measures to deal with older employees and reducing absenteeism.
In the analysis phase, in-depth breakdowns of existing data, expert sources, current legislation and policies, and good practices in the field of active and healthy ageing in Slovenia and the EU will be made. Simultaneously a study visit abroad will be carried out. Based on the aforementioned analyses and a study visit, a substantive design of the model will be elaborated during the design phase, as well as existing good practices and measures will be developed for employers in the field of healthy and active ageing and innovative online interactive support tools (webinars, materials, questionnaires) to assist employers in the implementation of measures. This phase will conclude with a set of supported companies in which the developed model will be implemented and with the implementation of the 1st National Expert Conference.
In the implementation phase, an analysis of the situation in the supported companies will be carried out, based on which an individual plan of measures will be prepared for each company in the field of active and healthy ageing and reducing absenteeism. This will be followed by the implementation of the measures in the supported companies and continuous professional support to the companies in the implementation of the selected measures. Throughout the project, project activities will be evaluated on an ongoing basis, ensuring risk management and achievement of set goals.
During the evaluation phase, recommendations and guidelines will be prepared for employers and policymakers and policymakers in the field of active and healthy ageing. One of the main goals of the project is the establishment of a strategic online platform for the management of senior citizens in companies, which will represent the intersection of different stakeholders and actors (employers, employees, ministries, professional public, public services etc.) for the transfer of knowledge, tools and other solutions. The platform will follow the principles of sustainability and provide concrete solutions to the identified needs of employers and employees in the project. To successfully implement the project, the partners will work with key stakeholders in the labour market and exchange experience and results with a consortium of project implementers in the cohesion region west Slovenia. Ongoing promotional and dissemination activities (such as publishing monthly online news, project website, Facebook and Twitter project profiles, etc.) will be implemented. 3 national expert conferences and 18 regional consultations will be organized to give employers, public institutions in the field of active and healthy ageing, and other stakeholders in the labour market the opportunity to exchange views, opinions, experience and good practices in the field of active and healthy ageing.
PROJECT PARTNERSHIP
Project leader:
Association of Employers of Slovenia
Project partners:
Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Štajerska
Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia
Chamber of Craft and Small Business of Slovenia
The project is co-financed by the European Union from the European Social Fund, and the Republic of Slovenia.