Guide to new age discrimination laws

20/10/06

Following the introduction of the new age discrimination legislation GBS Corporate training has put together the below comment on how organisations should prepare for it.

Patricia Davies, Marketing Manager, GBS Corporate Training, says: “ On 1st October 2006, the new laws that protect workers from age discrimination came into affect, making it illegal for employers to discriminate against employees or job seekers because of their age. Worryingly, many companies across the UK have made no preparation for their introduction.

“The Employment Equality Regulations are set to have significant effects in the workplace, particularly as the latest projections from the Office of National Statistics indicate that a third of the labour force will be over 50 years of age by 2020. HR departments in all sectors need to understand how the legislation will affect their workforce, and how they can ensure they take the lead on these issues.

“The Government's legislation highlights the growing economic worth of an older workforce. With the average UK life expectancy now approaching 80, organisations must recognise that older employees often have the same drive and enthusiasm as younger employees, complemented with a wealth of experience and knowledge. It is particularly important to know in what way individual job profiles can be changed to take into account the different ability levels of older employees.

Do you know what you should be doing?

“It is essential your company makes sure your entire organisation is educated about age discrimination in the workplace. Diversity training ensures that your company's employees are fully aware of the new laws, and the actions they have to take to comply with them. When recruiting, many companies will unintentionally discriminate by discounting over-50s, and automatically look at graduates or young people. Recruiters must recognise that this is discrimination and understand how they should operate in the future. These fairer practices will also enable organisations to take advantage of a wealth of untapped expertise.

“The Employment Equality legislation is only part of an on-going government initiative to stamp out discrimination in the workplace. It is a significant challenge for businesses to keep abreast of these rapid changes - because the consequences for non-compliance are severe. We have seen many companies benefit from GBS's short training courses that tell them all they need to know: they leave with enhanced awareness on discrimination issues. The message in the wake of this latest legislation is: if you don't know about these new laws, you need to find out'.

You can find out more about these new laws at the DTI website:
http://www.dti.gov.uk/employment/discrimination/age-discrimination/
age-legislation/page29258.html