Minister claims employers are taking ageism more seriously

The
Government minister responsible for tackling ageism in the workplace has
claimed that employers are now taking the issue more seriously.

Malcolm
Wicks, the Age Positive minister, cited new research which shows that 31 per
cent of employers already have a policy in place, and a further 38 per cent are
planning to introduce one in the future.

The
study, carried out by the Cranfield School of Management, also finds that 66
per cent of those surveyed believe senior managers are committed to eliminating
ageism.

Age
Positive is the Department of Work and Pensions’ campaign to promote age
diversity in employment.

Other
findings include:

–
67 per cent of employers are already aware that the Government will introduce
legislation outlawing ageism in the workplace by October 2006

–
57 per cent of those surveyed confirmed they avoid using age limits and
age-related words in job advertisements

–
55 per cent do not use age as a basis for redundancy

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