Age old problem

Business should be aware of age discrimination legislation coming into force in 2006. The legislation seeks to remove ageist attitudes and remove a critical barrier to older job seekers finding suitable employment.

The new legislation may create a flood of claims for the uninitiated and create widespread employment changes. A recent judgment against an employer who used the words “enthusiastic” and “innovative” in their job advertisement means employers need to be increasingly careful about what terms they use to attract potential employees. Si milarly, specifying periods of experience may indirectly discriminate against younger workers.

The new age discrimination laws will not simply be about removing the age box from application forms when recruiting. Employers will even have to reconsider their graduate recruitment and other management programmes .