Age discrimination in Australia

agism-e1608706781318

11% of Australian workers say they have experienced age discrimination in their current role.

The Always Designing for People (ADP) Global Workforce View 2020 report revealed age discrimination is the most common form of prejudice in Australian workplaces.

1,908 Australian workers were surveyed, nearly a third of which had reported experiencing some form of discrimination at work.

Age discrimination was the most prevalent followed by gender 8%, appearance 5% and nationality 5%.

The youngest and eldest workers were most likely to be affected by age discrimination, with 38.5% of 18 to 24 year old’s and 21% of workers over 55’s experiencing age prejudice.

Industries with the highest levels of age discrimination were education, health, IT finance and hospitality.

Managing Director of ADP, Eddie Megas said, “I am sure many will be surprised by just how common an experience [age discrimination] is.”

If discrimination in our workplaces is this high what are we doing to address it?

Discrimination prevention and resolution is a HR responsibility, but if businesses do not have their own internal HR team it can fall through the cracks.

Of those surveyed 14% said they didn’t feel their company followed HR practices for discrimination prevention and 18% said their organisation doesn’t have a HR function.

Business owners and managers need to be educated on anti-discrimination laws. Employers have a duty of care to protect their employees from harassment or discrimination.

Clear, established, and accessible procedures relating to discrimination and harassment, as well as processes in place to report instances are required to protect your workplace. Regular inductions for staff can refresh their understanding of discrimination policies and steps to take if they feel they’re being discriminated against.

ProcessWorx offers discrimination policy and procedures, get in contact with us to learn more about how we can support your business. For more information contact us on (08) 9316 9896 or enquiries@processworx.com.au

Follow ProcessWorx on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to keep up to date with the latest HR and Safety news.

Written by Danielle McNamee

 

More to explorer

work-events
Human Resources
Pierce Paynter

Work events: Navigating the Holiday Season

Jenni Torsiello HR Consultant As the holiday season approaches, it’s no surprise to see Christmas decorations adorning store aisles and employees already planning their festive

Read More »

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *