Small firms have been warned to be prepared for the upcoming age discrimination regulations by business advisers Grant Thornton.
On 1 October, it will become unlawful to discriminate against any employee, or prospective employee, due to their age.
The laws cover many aspects of a business’ procedures, from job advertisements and recruitment to disciplinary issues.
Jim Rodgers, of Grant Thornton, said that companies of all sizes will be affected by the new legislation.
“With less than a month to go, it is imperative that businesses act now to ensure they are ready.
“While many larger organisations will be well prepared, many small businesses do not have a dedicated human resource and it will be some time before they are ready to implement the regulations.
“However, there are a number of measures that small firms can undertake over the next 30 days in preparation for the 1 October deadline.”
Grant Thornton’s top tips are:
1) Identifying where the greatest level of HR activity occurs in the organisation. Non-compliance in these areas present the greatest risk. Review, and if necessary re-write, any policies to remedy any discriminatory practices.
2) Ensuring any rewards of benefits offered are fair and equitable across the organisation and not biased towards any particular age group. For example, do you have a minimum age requirement to join any of your benefits? Can you justify it?
3) Educating employees. Employees often do not realise that they can be held personally responsible for their actions – telling them can be an effective deterrent.
4) Consult employees. Having open dialogue with staff helps to ensure they feel as if their opinion is valued and important.
5) Take a look at your Equal Opportunities Policy. It might already talk about gender, race and disability, but does it reflect more recent changes to discrimination legislation including age, sexual orientation and religious belief?
© Crimson Business Ltd 2006
