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Page 2 of 2 ‘Age neutral’Changes are afoot already. If you’re job-hunting, you may have seen a new ‘age neutral’ job application, which holds your age and dates of education and jobs on a separate sheet, not seen by those selecting interview candidates. In special cases organisations may be able to side-step the law – a theatre company enrolling an actress to play a grandmother can justifiably ask for mature artists.But a trendy café employing only 20-somethings to reflect its funky image will quickly find itself in hot water. Harassing someone about their age will be unacceptable in any circumstances and lawyers are already warning firms to clamp down on age-related banter among staff. People will be unlikely to bring claims on the basis of one ageist gag, they say, but a pattern of offensive jokes may well result in litigation. “Age discrimination is still rife in the workplace,”says Dianah Worman, Diversity Adviser for the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). “Our research shows that 59 per cent of workers believe they’ve been disadvantaged at work because of their age.” Social change often precedes a change in the law, and this is no exception. We are sitting on a demographic time-bomb in the UK. As life expectancy increases and the birth rate remains low, the proportion of people aged over 65 is increasing dramatically. There are now 1.25 million more people over 50 in the workplace than in 1997, and more 55–64 year olds than 16–24 year olds for the first time. The Government is keen both to keep older workers at their desks, and to encourage people not working to re-join the workforce. The new age law makes it illegal to force anyone to retire before 65, and it’s clear more employees will be working into old age. The good news is that these labour force shifts are pushing employers to adjust their sights. “It won’t be too long before older men and women workers are valuable commodities,” says MacMillan. “There will be more opportunities for older people to work at a higher level, rather than down-skilling.” The bad news may be that women’s particular circumstances will force them to work for even longer. “Women tend to take breaks from work, get paid less than men, lag behind them in financial planning, and will see their pension age rise to 65 in a few years’ time,” explains Mercer. “We may see a disproportionate number of women working well into their later years, unable to afford to retire.” However, the new law will protect all workers, young and old, throughout their working lives. Ageism is, after all, not the preserve of older people. “EFA research reveals that more teenagers than 50-somethings are put off applying for a job because of their age,” says Mercer. “And close to half of young workers tell us they’ve been held back at work because of their age.” Gallingly, women seem to get older younger. “Survey results from the CIPD show that most people consider ‘male older employees’ to be 60–64 years old, but they see ‘female older employees’ as aged 50–54,” reveals Worman. (Another survey found that most IT professionals think ‘older worker’ refers to someone over 35!) But many workplace experts are hoping that the new age discrimination legislation will prompt a marked shift in attitudes. “The hope is that in time, we will look back and wonder why we ever made decisions about each other based on age,” says Grattan. “It will seem as irrelevant in future to ask a job applicant how old they are as it is today to take into account a candidate’s gender. Ability to do the job should be all that matters.” Further informationFor a free booklet, Age and the Workplace, about age discrimination laws, contact the Arbitration and Conciliation Service (ACAS), helpline: 08457 47 47 47 or visit www.acas.org.uk |
