Recruiting the right people is one of the toughest jobs a manager has to accomplish. Somehow, based on a CV, a letter and a couple of interviews you’re meant to ascertain whether a complete stranger has the skills, temperament and personality to not only complete the work you need but fit in with an existing team and complement their skills. It’s little wonder we can, unconsciously or consciously, apply some bias in the process. Hays Recruitment has released some research finding ageism is a real issue – but not just against older employees.
The Hays survey, of 1352 employers revealed 12% said the age of an employee ‘always’ impacts what works for them in talent management and another 59% said age is ‘sometimes’ a factor.
The age related issues included whether candidates were likely to start a family or, with younger candidates, if they were likely to be long term employees or likely to move on just a short time after recruitment.
So, it seems age bias can happen to almost any of us although I’ve sure things are a little worse for those over 55.
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