Age Discrimination Legislation
Promotion – encourage progression
“Around eight out of ten young people believe that age discrimination is widespread.”
Source – “Ageism: attitudes and experiences of young people.” Department for Work and Pensions, 2001
A promotion strategy that uses age as a factor will not be efficient. The best promotion systems are based on ability, judged in terms of:
- measurable performance;
- demonstrated potential; and
- the ability to achieve the aims of the post.
Many of the principles of effective promotion are the same as those of effective recruitment and selection.
Do you:
- make sure that promotion opportunities are made available to all staff;
- focus on the skills, abilities and potential of candidates when sifting through applications;
- make sure that interviewers are aware of the need to ask only job-related questions;
- use, where possible, an interview panel made up of people of different ages;
- make sure interviewers avoid basing decisions on prejudices and stereotypes; and
- promote people because of their ability, rather than their age?
