The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006, which came into force yesterday make it illegal for organisations to discriminate on the grounds of age. The legislation, which has been developed due to the government’s obligation to adopt a European directive on employment, will affect recruitment, training, promotion, redundancy, retirement, pay and pension provision.
In anticipation of the changes, The IT Job Board has commissioned two guides: ‘Top 10 tips for avoiding age discrimination’ is aimed at employers and provides straightforward information to ensure they understand the implications of the new legislation. ‘Top 10 tips to help candidates avoid age discrimination’ offers practical advice on how IT professionals can make the law work for them.
Ray Duggins, managing director of The IT Job Board, comments: “This is the biggest shake up in workplace anti-discrimination legislation for over a quarter of a century. Despite that, there is clearly a great deal of confusion about what it will entail, and the results of our research are extremely concerning. However, the material that we have developed is aimed at guiding employers through the new legal minefield, as well as providing employees with advice on what they can do to avoid being treated unfairly – and now illegally – due to their age in the first place.”