Sponsored content
Every year, 1st October is designated by the United Nations as The International Day of Older People. Its purpose is to draw attention to the unique issues that older adults face and to challenge the negative stereotypes that surround the concept of ageing.
If you’ve read much of our work here at Rest Less, then you’ll know that this cause inspires everything that we do here. And we took a special interest in this year’s theme – the resilience of older persons in a changing world.
So when we heard that 58-year-old Alison Jenkinson, leader of the Emerging Talent Programme at Capita, wrote a company-wide post about the resilience and contribution of older women in the workplace, we were keen to get in touch.
Below, Alison tells us about her interesting and varied career, how she’s helping to create a more diverse professional environment, and why she’s remained at Capita – one of the UK’s largest consulting, transformation, and digital services businesses – for over two decades.
“My generation of baby boomers [was] not content with the inequalities and injustices we faced”
Alison, from Blackburn in Lancashire, has two daughters and three granddaughters and describes her family – husband aside – as an “all-female crew.” Speaking about how she found herself at Capita leading their Emerging Talent Programme, Alison says…
“I left school at 16 and didn’t go to college. It was 1980 and the unemployment rate was really high, so it took me two years to get a job. But I eventually started working for Blackburn Borough Council.
“However, when I had my children in 1989 and 1991, I couldn’t afford childcare – there was no such thing as family credit back then. So I had to reduce my hours. But the council weren’t prepared to job-share my post, so I had to look for a new opportunity.”
In her post about older women in the workplace, Alison focuses on resilience in the face of hurdles such as these. Describing one particular instance, she writes…
“As a young woman in my mid 20’s, I recall once applying for a male-dominated role. The Hiring Manager took me to one side and explained to me, as a professional courtesy (his words not mine) that he wouldn't be interviewing me – not because I wasn't good enough but because he wanted a man in that role! This is what we were up against on a daily basis.”
But, as Alison continues, “[M]y generation of baby boomers [was] not content with the inequalities and injustices we faced”. So, she, along with many others, persevered despite such challenges. It took time, but after a while, Alison found herself a suitable role in the council tax and housing benefits department, where she stayed for 10 years and worked her way up to team leader.
And when Capita took over the management of the council-run benefits scheme for Blackburn at the turn of the millennium, she went with it; a move that offered a fresh batch of opportunities…
“I loved getting new starters in and watching them evolve [...] I’ve always found it very rewarding”
Though Alison had her doubts about moving away from the council, upon joining Capita, she realised that she now had various doors open to her.
Capita’s mission – to transform and simplify the connections between businesses and customers, and governments and citizens – involves a wide range of roles spread over multiple industries; from software development to customer service. This scope and diversity allowed her to make a career change within the company and find something that was more suitable to her professional interests…
She tells us, “When I joined Capita, I was a team leader. But I moved away from people-managing to training because I didn’t feel like that was where I thrived and it wasn’t my happy place.
“As a training officer, I loved getting new starters in and watching them evolve over the 13-week program. I enjoyed watching things click into place for them and seeing what they went on to do with their careers. I’ve always found it very rewarding.”
“In my 21 years at Capita, I haven’t experienced any age discrimination, but my own self-limiting beliefs around age have been a barrier at times”
But this isn’t the only pivot Alison has made during her 21 years with Capita. After working as a training officer for 15 years, she was prompted by her manager to consider options she otherwise wouldn’t have thought of…
“When I reached my 50s,” Alison says. “I thought that was probably it and I didn’t think there was anywhere else to go. I made it clear to my manager that I didn’t want to be promoted to her role because it involved people management.
“But she was really good about it and made me realise that just because I didn’t want to go directly up, it didn’t mean that there was nowhere for me to progress to. I said, ‘I’ve reached the top of this tree,’ and she replied, ‘Well, we need to find you a different tree, don’t we?’
“In my 21 years at Capita,” Alison continues. “I haven’t experienced any age discrimination. But my own self-limiting beliefs around age have been a barrier at times. And it was only when my manager opened the door for me a little, I thought, ‘Oh God, she’s right!’
“I think you get to a point when you realise that you’re the eldest person on every call – the only one with grey hair. I’ve got a manager that’s 20 years younger than me. And you can’t help but wonder if people are thinking about me, ‘Why hasn’t she got further than she has?’ and things like that.”
“I’m definitely proud to be associated with Capita [...] We’re not just ticking boxes, but seeing things through and being socially responsible”
After this personal breakthrough, Alison spent 18 months managing the government’s Kickstart Scheme at Capita, which aimed to provide jobs for 16-24-year-olds on Universal Credit, before she moved into her current role…
“I now handle emerging talent apprenticeships, mainly looking after young people at the beginning of their professional lives, and helping them to decide what they want to do with their careers.
“I love working with all kinds of people and definitely people of all different ages. I like to think that younger people can learn a lot from older professionals. I’ve got so much experience, there’s probably not much I haven’t seen in this industry, so I’m quite unflappable, which can be reassuring for young people. But I also get a lot back from it too – everybody has something to contribute, so it all adds up to a rich workforce.”
To help build this ‘rich workforce’, Capita has organised eight employee network groups that work towards, as Alison puts it, “breaking down barriers in the workplace and doing things differently so that we can be inclusive to everyone.”
As an advocate for older workers and an age-diverse workplace, Alison is part of ‘The Generation Network’, which aims to bring younger and older workers together, and challenge stereotypes around age. Other employee network groups at Capita include ‘The Rainbow Alliance’, which champions LGBTQ+ inclusivity, and ‘The Ability Network’, which concentrates on disabilities within the workplace.
“I’m definitely proud to be associated with Capita. I feel like we’re making strides in the right direction. We’re not just ticking boxes, but seeing things through and being socially responsible. The ethos at Capita is that we’ve worked very hard for you to feel safe to bring your whole self to work, no matter what your diversity is!”
Final thoughts from Alison…
It’s fair to say that Alison has made strides to work past her own self-limiting beliefs concerning age, as retirement isn’t even on the horizon for her…
“I’m not thinking about retirement,” she says. “I believe I’ve got at least one more promotion in me – one more hill to climb before I hang up my boots. I’m not quite where I’d want to be in my career and I’d like to advance to the next level, where I can do more strategic work and big-picture stuff. I’m only 59 in February – time’s not run out yet!”
If you’re inspired by Alison’s story and are looking to make a career change, why not check out the wide range of roles Capita has available through our website? From a data analyst and a part-time administrator to a building physicist, you’re sure to find something to suit you.
And to find out more about who Capita are and what they do, head on over to their page on our website…