Beware of age discrimination
We have all heard the jokes and seen the films about the aging, doddery butler or the ancient housekeeper (well, many of us, anyway), and perhaps you have even said to yourself, “That’ll be old xxxx one day.”
Well, be warned, if you get to the stage where you think, a little training would be an advantage, “but I’m not sure xxxx is up to it”, you could be on the wrong side of the age discrimination legislation.
Just because an employee is of a certain age, you can’t preclude them from training opportunities, or decide to terminate their contract because you consider they won’t be able to cope with new procedures.
Age discrimination legislation has been in force in the UK since 2006, but many of us never really think about its implications. Religious and ethnic discrimination: yes, they are pretty much always at the front of our minds when dealing with staff (or they certainly should be!).
But with an increasingly aging population, we need to wider our horizons and be aware of age as a potential issue. Just a thought to bear in mind.
And if you do need staff, don’t forget The Graham Agency has over 20 years experience of meeting the needs of clients by finding and checking good quality applicants.