Age Discrimination Laws

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ardross
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Surely the minimum wage is a discriminatory law as younger people are paid less than older people.
I work for a company that pays the over 22 minimum wage to all staff, whether 16 or 60
 
Does this mean that Timeform can no longer advertise for young graduates? :D

Of course I realise that this doesn't mean that they will employ older graduates. ;)
 
Joke. We all know that anyone over 40 is on scrapheap and anyone under 30 lacks the necessary experience for whatever job they are going for.
 
It's interesting.

Does it mean application forms will no longer ask for the applicant's date of birth? If so, at what point do they get to find out our age?

Or do they really expect firms to ignore ages when deciding? Surely all they have to do is cite another reason for not employing an older person.

We've come a long way from firms asking what school we went to (to ensure they didn't employ Catholics) but I'm not sure how this one is going to pan out.
 
Homer has it spot on, the number of times I've been told "you don't have any experience" in the past 3 months is shocking.

If you go to Uni you don't get the experience and if you don't then they want you to have a degree.

The best bit is when I type in "Graduate Trainee" into Total Jobs etc the description reads "2 years experience in relevant sector required".
 
Me being an employer, I would rather give someone a job who has the practical expierence in the given field! Rather than someone who as just left UNI (NO KNOCKS INTENDED!!! Martin)

I applied for a job with a national electrical company at the ripe old age of 31 I passed the practical test and was one of two who the job was between after three interviews.

I was then asked my age(which was on the application form, obviously) and told the guy I was 31, and he responded with! "oh I am sorry we usually employ younger people than this"...... honest................. :P in the post came, thanks you were unlucky this time........ :angy: :cry:
 
When the USA introduced a similar bill, all that prospective employers were permitted to do was to ask "are you aged between 18 and 60?". Photographs of applicants were also dropped: the amount of African-Americans employed by the Saudi Oil Co. increased dramatically once these were not required to be attached to employment applications. This wasn't down to the Saudis - it was because home-based recruiting agencies could no longer send any indication of the racial background of applicants, which were in those days selected by white Americans (mainly Texas oilmen) based in Saudi.
 
Between finishing at uni and starting work, I applied to become a bus driver. I was a mile in front of everyone else on the aptitude test and I doubt any of them had done a better interview.

Afterwards, the head of personnel said to me, "I have to be honest. You're way over-qualified for driving a bus. We could invest a lot of time and money in training you as a driver only for you to walk out after six months or a year if something more professional or better paid came up for you, so I'm afraid that's why we won't be taking you on."

While I was disappointed, it wasn't difficult to see it from their angle so I thanked him for his honesty and we parted with a handshake and him wishing me the best of luck. I didn't really feel hard done by as he was probably calling it entirely correctly and there would have been some applicants for whom getting the job would have been a big success.

C'est la vie.
 
In my interview at Stan James the guy interviewing me said "You've got 3 A Levels and 10 GCSEs - what on earth are you doing wanting to work for us?"
 
Originally posted by Desert Orchid@Sep 29 2006, 01:30 PM
Does it mean application forms will no longer ask for the applicant's date of birth? If so, at what point do they get to find out our age?
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I saw a chap on the news yesterday who said that even if there is a space for you to enter your date of birth you are within your rights to not fill it in.
 
Am I the only person who thinks the world is going slightly mad? How much more PC do you want to be? Next you'll be able to cry foul and insist that someone didn't emply you as they took umbrage at your blonde hair, or blue eyes.

To some extent and for quite a few jobs it certainly does matter what age an applicant is - would you employ a 65 year old to ride out 2yo racehorses?!
 
Wouldn't it depend on the fitness of the 65yo?

I suspect some 65yos would be better suited to that particular task than some 18yos, if they're fit and active enough. They might be vastly more experienced in dealing with a nervy or fractious 2yo than a younger, "fitter" pilot.

Just a thought.

BTW, out of curiosity..

What age is Frank Conlon?
 
... seconds, that is. <_<

There would be an accompanying medical test for many jobs, though, which would sort the wheat from the chaff. I know it was for work overseas, but I'd expect to see many companies - because they couldn't assume the fitness of an employee if they weren't young - doing something similar to the Saudi Oil Co., and insisting on an eye test, a blood work-up (for example, if it revealed unknown diabetes, the job mightn't be suitable for certain people), a heart/blood pressure reading and a treadmill if necessary, weighing (fatties might expect to be ejected from furthering certain careers), a dental exam, and the completion of a rigorous medical form. Asthmatics, the clinically obese, those with any serious medical disorders including problems with mental health, might not find themselves accepted for certain jobs. The company would then be able to say 'not suitable because of XYZ condition' and thus continue to weed out the older candidates on a medical basis.

Adverts will be able to stipulate certain attributes, which they mightn't have done before, in order to put off older candidates: 'must be able to ride three daily lots of strong-willed young horses, six days a week, be prepared to travel unsocial hours, spend time away from home, etc.' I really cannot see a queue of 65 y.o. blokes lining up for an exhausting job like groom, let alone work riding. Neither can I see the ageing wives being delighted with them trying for such often antisocial hours!

I think it won't be long before you see the company pension die off, too, since few companies are going to hire a 58 y.o. and have them leave with full pension rights after 2-7 years.
 
"Between finishing at uni and starting work, I applied to become a bus driver. I was a mile in front of everyone else on the aptitude test
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You know, maybe you shouldn't have touched the handbrake.
 
Originally posted by Bobbyjo@Sep 30 2006, 03:39 AM
"Between finishing at uni and starting work, I applied to become a bus driver. I was a mile in front of everyone else on the aptitude test
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You know, maybe you shouldn't have touched the handbrake.
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I didn't :)
 
Originally posted by Desert Orchid@Sep 30 2006, 12:48 AM
Wouldn't it depend on the fitness of the 65yo?
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Of course - it's a big if though! As most of the equestrien/nnes (??) will tell you - after a lifetime riding (particularly racehorses, the riding short puts excess pressure on the joints) most people are lucky to make it to 30 without being a cripple, never mind 65 when they'll probably be on their 2nd set of hip and knee replacements if they've been riding racehorses for over 45 years!!!
 
Originally posted by ovverbruv@Sep 29 2006, 08:02 PM
Tesco already dont ask for a date of birth
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Its not that unheard of. Having said that you don't need to be that sharp to guess within a couple of years. The qualifications section would put me for instance in the 'O' Level generation, and since we also did traditional A levels (before all sorts of crazy courses were introduced and little Miss/ Master rich kid was able to get their parents and friends to do their coursework for them and thus allow them to take about 6). We were limited by the number we were allowed to take, so you'd be able to place me on the 35+ bracket (by a year or 2 as it happens). Then you come to the employment history section, which invariably asks for dates. A simple subtraction from first job to present day (allowing for education or career breaks) should be enough.

There are of course other more subjective methods, quality of handwriting, spelling, grammar etc :P
 
Originally posted by Gearoid@Sep 30 2006, 12:18 AM
A man peaks at 27...
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:o GEAROID... that's bollix mate, each to their own ? different men peak at different times and its how long it lasts is the million dollar question? women are at their best @ 33 yrs of age? in my estimation, but I suppose like men they could all differ too....
 
Originally posted by Desert Orchid@Sep 29 2006, 01:30 PM
We've come a long way from firms asking what school we went to (to ensure they didn't employ Catholics)
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When I was young and the dole office sent me for a job I didn't want (i.e. something short of chairman of IBM) I used to wear a Celtic scarf just in case they didn't ask me what school I went to :lol:. At one such interview I was told to start on Monday :confused:. Turned out they were a Jewish firm.
 
Can any Celts tell me why their race is correctly pronounced Keltic, while the footie is called Seltic? Is this yet another example of call-it-how-you-like, or is there some deep meaning behind the difference?
 
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