Ageism is rife in UK companies
25 September 2006
16.6 MILLION WORKERS HAVE WITNESSED AGEIST PRACTICES AT WORK
- Almost half (50%) of all working Brits are unaware that age discrimination at work will become unlawful on 1st October
- Leading think tank on age issues calls on Brits to change ageist attitudes as biggest change in employment law since 1970s
It's official: ageism is alive and kicking in British companies. Research* from The Employers Forum on Age (EFA) has discovered that 16.6 million Brits (61%) in employment have been aware of ageist behaviour happening in their workplace.
- Almost a third (31%) said they'd worked somewhere where an older person doing exactly the same role as a younger person was being paid more due to their age
- Four in ten (41%) have worked somewhere where people doing the same job were managed differently depending on their age
- Almost one in four (23%) had heard of a younger person in their workplace being overlooked for promotion in favour of an older person, regardless of their having more experience
- And more then a quarter (27%) said that they'd seen someone being employed because they were of a similar age to themselves and their colleagues, to ensure a 'good team fit'
The EFA research also revealed that with just a week to go until the age discrimination legislation comes into effect, a staggering 50% of working Brits are still unaware that age discrimination in the workplace is to become unlawful.
Sam Mercer, Director of The Employers Forum on Age commented: "As our research has confirmed, ageism is endemic in our society and rife in our workplaces. These attitudes need to be challenged and outlawed so that they become as unacceptable as sexism or racism. This legislation will help provide protection for people who feel that they have been discriminated against on grounds of their age. But as we've seen with gender and race legislation in the past, a change in the law marks just the beginning of a long journey towards tackling social prejudices. It's down to us all as individuals to challenge our own ageist beliefs and ensure that particularly at work, we make judgements based on skills and ability rather than age."
Getting people to identify their own ageist attitudes can be difficult, however the need to do so is demonstrated quite clearly in the EFA research. When asked to identify the 'perfect age' group, if any, for a number of professions, only one in six (15%) gave a response of 'any age' or 'depends on experience'. The rest of the public revealed their own stereotypes as outlined below:
Police Officer
- The majority (41%) think that the ideal age is between 31-40 years old
- 30% said under 30; Only 8% said over 40
Air steward / stewardess (flight attendant)
- The majority (58%) think that the ideal age is under 30 years old
- 20% said between 31-40 years old; Only 3% said over 40 years old
Bar tender
- The majority (53%) think that the ideal age is under 30 years old
- 14% said 31-40 years old; Just 6% said over 40 years old
Judge
- The majority (71%) think that the ideal age is over 40 years old
- 11% said 31-40 years old; Only 2% said under 30 years old
Call centre operative
- The majority (41%) think that the ideal age is under 30 years old
- 16% said 31-40 years old; And only 7% said over 40 years old
Chief Executive
- The majority (39%) think that the ideal age is between 41 and 50 years old.
- A minute 3% said under 30 years old; 21% said 31-40 years old; And 17% said over 50 years old
Mercer continues, "The new law is just the beginning - we all have a lot of work to do to ensure ageism is a thing of the past. Now that the legislation is here both employers and individuals need to catch up fast on what it means for them and their workplace"
Age discrimination in employment will become unlawful on the 1st October 2006.
Age regulations will mean:
- No mandatory retirement before 65 (unless justified)
- New processes required to manage retirement for everyone
- No upper age limits on unfair dismissal
- No age criteria in recruitment, promotion and training allowed (unless justified)
- No direct age criteria in redundancy selection; only enhanced redundancy schemes that mirror the SRPS will be automatically lawful
- Service related benefits generally allowed
- No direct age criteria in redundancy selection
- Pension schemes in most respects exempt
- End -
For further information please contact:
Lansons Communications
Helen Thomson: 0207 294 3604 - helent@lansons.com
Pernille Sahl Taylor: 0207 294 3643 - pernillet@lansons.com
Aisling McCarthy: 0207 294 3633 - aislingm@lansons.com
Or
The Employers Forum on Age
Sam Mercer: 207 785 6539 - sam.mercer@efa.org.uk
Rachel Krys: 207 785 6556 - rachel.krys@efa.org.uk
Notes to Editors
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