A new application form for employers has been developed to help them avoid being prosecuted under upcoming anti-ageism laws.
The Employers Forum on Age (EFA) drew up the application form, which excludes any mention of age, with solicitors Bartlett Scott Edgar.
It’s hoped that the style of the form will help small businesses comply with age discrimination laws which will come into force in 2006.
Under the new rules, employers will not be able to discriminate against candidates or existing employees due to their age – much like current racism and sexism laws.
Small firms have been warned that recruitment adverts will be scrutinised under the laws, with employers asking for “young” or “energetic” staff facing potential legal action.
The EFA said that its application form negates the possibility of breaking the anti-ageism laws by not only removing the date of birth, but also all chronological information, such as years worked in previous jobs.
Sam Mercer, director of the EFA, said that age is often one of the first questions a potential candidate is required to answer when applying for a job.
“We all know age is used to build a mental picture of a person – and old habits die hard.
“This means simply removing date of birth from an application form or CV achieves very little, as our natural inclination is to immediately check out education and career history – not to establish whether someone is able to do a job – but to do some quick mental arithmetic.
“We believe that this reliance on a detailed history instead of an analysis of an individual’s competency, not only encourages age discrimination but also poor recruitment decisions,” she said.
You can see a copy of the application form by visiting www.efa.org.uk
