Forty per cent of people have faced discrimination at work –
with age being the biggest problem, according to a survey.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) poll
found 240 of the 600 respondents said they had been discriminated against at
work.
A third of those harassed cite age discrimination as the
reason, compared to just 2 per cent for race, 14 per cent for gender, and 5 per
cent for discrimination.
Harassment of younger staff appears to be a particular
problem, with over half of those under 25 years old claiming to have been
discriminated against.
A fifth of the respondents said they have been discouraged
for applying for a job because the advert indirectly indicated an age
restriction, and two-thirds believe that mandatory retirement ages should be
scraped.
Many believe age discrimination strikes before starting work
– 15 per cent claimed to have experienced age discrimination during a job
interview, two-third for being too old and a third because they were seen as
too young for the role.
Charles Cotton, reward and employment conditions advisor at
the CIPD, said many organisations don’t realise their systems are
discriminatory:
“It is a bit of a misunderstanding. Companies must package
their recruitment, pay and benefit policies and make sure that they are not
discriminating.
“Young people feel that they are discriminated against
because they are not given responsibilities that they feel they deserve.”
Cotton wants firms to improve their line manager training to
make sure they do not have discriminatory behaviours.
The report also shows that most people are confused about
pensions. Only a quarter have calculated how much they will need for retirement,
while most staff do not trust their employer over pensions.
Paul Nelson
