LOCAL EMPLOYERS ‘UNPREPARED’ FOR AGE DISCRIMINATION LAWS

On Wednesday 3rd May local HR Managers and business men and women met at the Holiday Inn, Castle Marina, to hear Malcolm Davies, senior partner at Andersons Solicitors discuss the new Age Discrimination Regulations that come into force from 1st October 2006.

The figures taken from the survey completed by Human Resource Managers and business owners from across the East Midlands show just how unprepared employers are for the new Age Discriminations Regulations.

A staggering 82% of attendees said that the new regulations would have either a large or huge impact on their business, with 88% of attendees saying they have little knowledge or no knowledge on the new regulations. No one claimed to be "very familiar" with the regulations. These are worrying statistics given that we are less than 6 months away from the new regulations being introduced. Commenting on the feedback the head of Employment Team at Andersons, Paul Brill, said:

"The survey shows that although most businesses are generally aware that these Age Discrimination Regulations are becoming law from 1st October this year, and that they will have a huge impact on every aspect of the employment process from recruitment to retirement, very few are properly prepared. This is especially so for small to medium sized business. All our experience tells us that auditing existing contracts and implementing new policies now is far more cost-effective than trying to salvage a situation that has gone wrong later".

Paul Brill is Head of Employment Law at Andersons Solicitors in Nottingham. If you require further information on this article please contact Paul Brill on 0115 9886721 or email pbrill@andersonssolicitors.co.uk

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