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?