Any form of discrimination in the workplace on the grounds of race or gender is unacceptable. It is also vital to be aware of surrounding issues with regards to age discrimination.
In October 2010 the government introduced new anti-age discrimination laws as part of the Equality Act. It is illegal for an employer to discriminate against someone on the grounds of age.
In 2011 the abolishment of the retirement age of 65 was introduced. Employers are no longer allowed to dismiss employees on the grounds of retirement, force retirement or to set a retirement age unless they can prove an objective business reason.
In a recruiting scenario ageism works both ways. The key criterion is that a candidate has the required skills and abilities, age should not form any part of this equation.
Adverts should not denote that a new recruit should be of a certain age. Phases such as aged 20 – 25 or ‘mature’ can be viewed as discriminating. Likewise, asking for GCSE qualifications can again be seen to be discriminating or even excluding people of an age who have taken O-levels.
Being age positive is not just political correctness
Penny Winter – The UK Knack Groupwww.theukknackgroup.co.uk
