- Include age in your approach to equal opportunities. Ensure age is an integral part of your policies.
- Remove stereotypical myths based on age from your workplace. Stereotypical images of young and old workers can seriously badly influence your recruitment and retention policies.
- Remove age limits from job adverts to ensure no-one is discouraged from applying because of their age. Bear in mind that age discrimination can also be less obvious; avoid words like ‘young’ or ‘mature’.
- Place your job adverts where they can reach different age groups. Young people are more likely to use careers services, jobcentres and newspapers. Older people may rely on community and business networks.
- Remove reference to date of birth from job application forms. This should not be a factor - concentrate on skills and competencies if you want the best person.
- Avoid setting restrictive and unnecessary standards for experience, personal qualities or qualifications. Older people increasingly make up a bigger proportion of the population and can increase your choice of potential candidates even if they do not have specific qualifications.
- Use a mixed age interview panel in the selection process wherever possible. Make sure interviewers ask job-related questions and do not base decisions on prejudice and stereotypes.
- Check that your Recruitment Agency has an age diversity policy. A mixed-age policy is more likely to provide you with the best candidates.
- Use age profiling to see if particular age groups are not being attracted. Monitor the number of candidates from different age groups who applied; were short-listed; interviewed; appointed.
- Encourage reluctant older and younger workers to develop, by using employees who have benefited from training as role models. Investing in training and developing older workers can be as worthwhile as investing in younger workers. Employers say turnover for older workers is lower than younger.
- Encourage mentoring in your workplace. Workers of any age can pass on experience and develop other employees through the use of their knowledge, skills and expertise.
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