Age equality in the workplace

Why so important now?

• Equality Act 2010• Removal of Default Retirement Age• Aging population – baby boomers • Impact of the recession• Youth unemployment• University cuts

Who is affected?

• Everyone• Most commonly reported form of discrimination• Survey of 2000 employees, 11% believed they

had been discriminated against on grounds of age • Age discrimination by perception and by

association• Carers for elderly relatives

Research on ageism in higher education

• Older men more likely to report age discrimination• Academics more likely to report discrimination

than support staff• Perceptions that issues occur when younger staff

manage older staff• Dates of qualifications still regarded as necessary

for academic and research posts

Age equality at UCL

• Near-invisible issue at UCL• Very weak policy historically on age equality• Lack of systematic age data analysis• Not routinely included in any depth in equalities

training sessions• ‘Second fiddle’ to race, gender etc

UCL: overall age profile

Ageist stereotypes?

• Older people are less able or willing to use Information Communications Technology

• Younger people are less reliable• Older people are less responsive to training• The performance of older workers declines with

age• A researcher’s best output is in their 20s and 30s• Any others particular to academia?

Task 1 - Recruitment

Try to avoid using age-sensitive language. For example, which vacancy is asking for an older person and which a younger person?

1. ‘We require an enthusiastic person, flexible enough to fit in with our dynamic research team, not afraid of challenging the status quo and in touch with latest thinking’.

2 ‘Our ideal candidate will need to manage competing demands. He or she should be reflective, and have boardroom presence and gravitas’.

Can you suggest alternative wording so they are more inclusive?

Task 2 - Age and retirement discussion

• What factors, other than financial ones, drive people to work beyond 65 in universities?

• Is there an overemphasis on quantity and productivity – no. of grants, publications etc in academic and research careers - and is this justifiable and proportionate?

• Are there cultural and other barriers to ‘performance management’ in academia?

• What stereotypes are built into the assumption that people need to retire by 65 and how can we challenge them?

• What would a ‘dignified retirement’ look like?

Task 3 – case study

• Prabha, an administrator in your team who is 40, suffers from severe arthritis and uses voice activated software to help her carry out day to day tasks. She sometimes struggles to meet deadlines but is reliable on the whole. John is 72 and also suffers from arthritis. He is a Professor in a social sciences department. He also finds writing and marking onerous and has made a request for software and has asked not to be given marking to do. His Head of Department is seeking advice from Human Resources.

• What is the difference between these two requests? What are the implications for equality?

Further information

• Acas guidance http://www.acas.org.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=588&p=0