|
Increased awareness of age laws spells trouble for employers
The EFA research reveals that almost nine out of ten (86%) people know it is illegal to discriminate on the grounds of age at work, compared to just 51% this time last year. Shockingly the survey also found that ageism is still endemic in the workplace, with 16 million (59%) workers claiming to have witnessed ageist behaviour in the workplace during the last twelve months alone, compared to 61% when surveyed just before the legislation came in. Sam Mercer, Chief Executive of The Employers Forum on Age commented: "It is great that awareness of age discrimination issues among British adults has increased at an impressive pace since the law was passed twelve months ago. This proves that the laws served a purpose in terms of getting ageism on the radar. However, it is bad news for those employers who are still falling well short of the required standards of practice. On average 200 age discrimination claims are lodged every month with the Employment Tribunal Service, no employer can afford to bury their head in the sand and hope this issue will just go away."
Mercer continues: "While it is encouraging that awareness of the law is high, it is vital that we wake up to the fact that ageism affects people of all ages and is not just an issue for older people. One area where older people are specifically affected however is retirement. A staggering 92% of people surveyed think they should have the right to work for as long as they like if they are able to do the job, regardless of their age. However one in five (21%) said that their employer would not give them this right, and instead would use the default retirement age of 65. This disparity between employees' expectations and the flexibility employers are prepared to offer will inevitably lead to tension. It is time for employers to think seriously about following in the footsteps of some leading EFA members and removing mandatory retirement ages." Mercer concludes, "Age discrimination laws have been in effect for one year, and good progress has been made in some areas. However, ageist attitudes are still ingrained and changing that culture is a much bigger task, but one which cannot be avoided." - End - For further information please contact: 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 Or Lansons Communications Helen Thomson: 0207 294 3604 - helent@lansons.com Notes to Editors Back to the press office |
