National Age Without Apology Month: more than just a celebration of ageing
June marks National Age Without Apology Month, a UK-wide campaign encouraging people to embrace ageing and challenge the stereotypes that often accompany it.
For employers, the month presents an opportunity to do more than just celebrate ageing. It is an opportunity to examine whether workplace practices genuinely support employees – and whether age-related assumptions are influencing employment decisions.
From an HR perspective, the challenge is not simply avoiding age discrimination claims. It is creating a culture where age is viewed as a source of experience and value, rather than a factor that limits opportunity.
Age discrimination
Age is one of the protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, and protection from discrimination applies throughout the employment relationship. While many people associate age discrimination with older workers, the legislation protects employees and job applicants of all ages. Employers must therefore be alert to the various forms of prohibited conduct, including direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, harassment and victimisation.
Importantly, age discrimination risks can arise at every stage of the employee lifecycle, from recruitment and promotion decisions through to training opportunities and redundancy exercises.
Recruitment
Recruitment remains one of the areas where age bias can most easily creep in.
The issue is not always overt. More often, it manifests through assumptions that a younger candidate will be more ambitious, that an older applicant may be less adaptable, or that a particular candidate is unlikely to remain with the business for the long term.
Even seemingly innocuous language in job advertisements can create difficulties if it suggests a preference for a particular age group.
National Age Without Apology Month provides a useful opportunity for employers to review recruitment practices, interview processes and hiring criteria to ensure decisions are genuinely based on skills, experience and capability rather than age-related assumptions.
Putting out to pasture: the risk of making retirement assumptions
The default retirement age was abolished many years ago, but age-related assumptions about retirement continue to find their way into workplace decision-making.
Questions about succession planning, future career aspirations and workforce planning can sometimes be influenced by assumptions about when an employee may choose to leave the workforce. Equally, opportunities for promotion, training or development may be unconsciously directed elsewhere because of perceptions about an employee’s stage of life.
The reality is that many people are working longer than in previous generations, whether for financial reasons, personal fulfilment or simply because they enjoy their careers. Employers should focus on individual circumstances and business needs rather than assumptions linked to age.
Menopause and the age-inclusive workplace
One of the most significant age-related workplace issues in recent years has been the growing focus on menopause.
For many women, menopausal symptoms can have a significant impact on their working lives. Symptoms such as fatigue, anxiety, sleep disruption and difficulties with concentration can affect performance and wellbeing if appropriate support is not available.
While menopause is not itself a protected characteristic, employers should be mindful that related issues may give rise to claims involving age, sex and, in some cases, disability discrimination.
The increasing focus on menopause policies, manager training and workplace support reflects a growing recognition that retaining experienced employees requires a more nuanced understanding of the challenges they may face. From April next year, employers with 250 or more employees will be required to publish a Menopause Action Plan, with the duty already being voluntarily adopted by many large employers.
Supporting employees with caring responsibilities
Employers should also recognise that many older workers are part of the so-called “sandwich generation”, balancing work alongside caring responsibilities for both dependent children and elderly parents or relatives. Flexible working arrangements, carers’ leave and supportive management practices can play an important role in helping experienced employees remain in the workplace.
Turning awareness into action
National Age Without Apology Month is ultimately about challenging outdated attitudes towards ageing. By using the month as a catalyst for reviewing policies, recruitment practices and workplace support, employers can not only reduce legal risk but also benefit from the experience, knowledge and skills that an age-diverse workforce brings.