All age groups are covered, not just older people. It is unlawful to discriminate against people because they are too young or because they are too old.    

As with other discrimination legislation, the Regulations outlaw direct and indirect discrimination, harassment and victimisation. There are some exceptions, for example where an employer can objectively justify the need to employ a person of a particular age or can demonstrate that certain treatment is a reasonable way of achieving a legitimate aim. However, in general terms, it is unlawful to discriminate on the grounds of age across the whole range of employment practices.    

The hustle and bustle of working in the HLTT sector means it is often difficult to find the time to deal with all aspects of people management. The number of pending HR issues can quickly mount up, from performance monitoring and recruitment, to absence management and holiday entitlements, not to mention maternity and paternity issues. For businesses in the sector with less than 250 employees, HR
Business Adviser can lighten the load by reducing the time they spend dealing with complicated people issues, and save them money by reducing staff related costs. The HR
Business Adviser online service contains everything they need to know about the new regulations, including their impact upon attracting applicants, equal opportunities, pay, redundancy, retirement and dismissal, along with downloadable documents, forms and step-by-step guides, to keep you compliant. 

People 1st and the European Social Fund are currently paying for 5,000 small to medium businesses in the HLTT sector to have unlimited access to the HR Business Adviser service for one year (usually worth £125), subject to qualifying criteria.* If you know of any businesses that could benefit, let them know that they can apply for their year’s free access today at www.people1st.co.uk/businessadviser.