The latest report from the Governmentâs Women and Equalities Committee says older workers still face discrimination and the recruitment industryâs âfailure to take more robust action has a significant impact on (their) ability to access workâ.
Maxine Hart, our Operations Director, has something to say.
The report is pretty damning stuff. But something I take task with. As a recruitment agency in Basingstoke, we value best practice and do our utmost to persuade clients to consider the best possible person for the role. Often, we point out where illegal discrimination is, wittingly or unwittingly, taking place.
However, we are on a sticky wicket. If we constantly tell clients they are wrong, they might not be clients for much longer. OK, maybe we donât want clients like that. But there comes a point where we have to make a commercial decision. Also, by submitting more diverse applications (donât get me on to CVs, weâll be here all day) that donât tally with their âidealâ candidate, weâre seen as useless.
Recruitment agencies are only part of the recruitment process. Particularly when it comes to permanent placements, the employer makes the choice. The agency provides a shortlist and, yes, we should make that as diverse as possible. We also recommend who to interview. But, ultimately, we donât make the final decision.
I hear you! This sounds like another agency squirming out of taking the blame. But my point is that these findings should be more about educating employers about the wealth of experience candidates from all walks of life can offer. We need to open employersâ eyes and show them that all recruitment is taking a risk. There is no safety net, so thereâs little point in hedging for an apparent âsafe betâ candidate.
The argument that older workers âwonât stayâ doesnât wash. Anyone who is looking for another job is in a psychological state of flux. They are prepared to take the leap. Once they have done that and survived, they realise that they could do it again. No one stays in a job forever these days. And the reality is that the young person youâve just recruited is probably more likely to move on than someone older.
Being âover qualifiedâ is another stumbling block for older workers. But if you can get someone with everything and more for the same money, why arenât you biting their hand off? Oh, I forgot, itâs code for âtoo oldâ.
You may have guessed that age discrimination is a bug bear of mine! Luckily, I havenât experienced it personally (yet). As a recruitment agency in Basingstoke working with the M3 Job Club, which is almost entirely made up of professionals who are 45 and over, I see age discrimination is rife.
My recommendation? Educate, educate, educate. Show employers how profitable reaping the rewards of employing and retaining older workers can be. I love the reportâs suggestion of âmid-life career reviewsâ. If someone is underperforming, investigate why. Perhaps they could be rejuvenated in another area of business.
My final point to employers is to be careful of allowing so-called âsolid business reasonsâ to influence your decision to not hire an âolderâ worker. Ask yourself, is it solid? Is it about business? And if you were on the receiving end of that decision, would you think it was reasonable?
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