News
Public confusion about ageism could cause headaches
17 July 2006
With only three months to go until anti age discrimination laws come into force the public is still in the dark as to what ageism is, according to the Employers Forum on Age's (EFA) latest report, Defining Ageism. This confusion could lead to added headaches for employers and an increase in employment tribunals.
In order to establish what level of ageism at work people find 'acceptable' the EFA presented a range of scenarios to over a thousand people to establish tolerance levels over pay, management styles and team fit.
The results were far from helpful with respondents split down the middle on all the critical issues.
- A third of people think it is OK to pay people according to their age
- 36% think that people of different ages should be managed differently
- 40% think it is fair to employ someone of a similar age to make sure everyone gets on
Sam Mercer director of the EFA comments,
'All of these scenarios will be unlawful in October. The fact people are so split over what is and isn't ageist highlights the difficulty employers face in tackling ageism at work. For many, advantages and disadvantages linked to age are the norm. To successfully change this culture, we need to encourage people to challenge long held views that could now land them and their employer in court.'
To view a copy of the report please go to our Resources section.