The age discrimination legislation is a year old. Points out that recruiting a coach and awarding coaching opportunities are both areas of possible risk.
Christopher Mordue

With the age discrimination legislation now a year old, there’s no excuse for employers who haven’t adapted their practices accordingly. And that includes how they use their coaches and mentors

As age discrimination legislation is only a year old, businesses have yet to feel the full effects of this new strand of discrimination law. Much of the initial focus has been on the issue of compulsory retirement dismissals, an area where the regulations adopt a generally light touch. However, they have significant implications throughout the employment relationship and employers cannot afford to be complacent mply because they have yet to face any age-  related grievance or claim. Employers need to be careful to avoid discriminatory practices in career progression and staff training and development, including the use of coaches and mentors. Particularly where these are used to fast-track or prepare staff for promotion, employers  should check that they are not being offered too narrowly and that older staff are not being excluded. Regular appraisals and career development discussions can help to establish individual aspirations and objectives and identify appropriate support focused on need rather than stereotypical assumptions. It is also useful for employers to carry out an audit of the age ranges of staff who are offered and accept specific forms of training or coaching/ mentoring support, and in relation to career progression and promotion. This type of exercise  will help to identify any potential areas of inequality of provision or opportunity or barriers to promotion, and may also assist in identifying the types of support that work best for different types of employee. Employers should also be aware that it is possible to use coaching, mentoring and other types of training proactively to assist the career progression of underrepresented or disadvantaged minorities, including disadvantaged age groups.

Recruitment  including that of coaches is an area fraught with risk. Prior to the introduction of the regulations, most employers would readily acknowledge having discriminated against candidates on age-related grounds for example, by applying selection criteria that required minimum levels of previous experience. Over the past year, many of our clients have reviewed these sorts of criteria to establish whether they can be objectively justified. Many employers are looking to adopt competency-based assessments to focus on the skills candidates have rather than those that can be inferred from their CV. Another key theme is age discrimination awareness training for those involved in hiring. One common situation is that of the overqualified candidate whose commitment or motivation is questioned. Given an increasing desire for work-life balance and a trend towards downshifting, these assumptions create a risk of successful challenge, particularly as this candidate is likely to be older than other applicants. On a longer time frame, the ageing workforce brings new challenges for business, particularly with regard to flexible working, recruitment and retention and ensuring older workers are able to update their skills to meet changing practices. Employers will need to adapt their training and development methods  including coaching and mentoring  to ensure that they continue to get the best out of their staff, whatever their age.

Volume 2, Issue 5