How age discrimination can affect the workplace

Discrimination can occur in lots of different ways and in the workplace this can make for a very toxic environment for employees as well as the potential for them to file a Constructive Dismissal Claim through a company like Employment Law Friend if they feel they have no alternative but to their their job as a result of how they are being treated.

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Age is one such area that people can feel they are being discriminated against. It is important to note that age is actually a protected characteristic under the 2010 Equality Act. This makes it unlawful to discriminate against someone based on their age either older age or youngerThis discrimisation could be direct in that they are not hired for a particular position or are asked to leave a company based on their age as well as slander that can occur.

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Some ways that employers can fall into the trap of discriminating against people based on their age include:

• Not promoting them or offering them the same training opportunities as others based on the fact that they are close to retirement age.

• Ask direct questions in an interview that would allow the interviewer to determine someone’s age, such as asking what year they attend secondary school.

• Adding a desirable attribute in a job description as someone who is”young and dynamic”.