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Age Discrimination Confusion: Freelancers in Demand
 If
you are unsure about how to meet the new age
discrimination legislation, you are by no
means alone. Confusion and concerns about
the new age discrimination legislation are
leading more small businesses to look for
freelance services and support.
New research conducted by freelance and
contractor matching service People4business
shows that there has been a large and sudden
increase in the number of businesses looking
for short term external support. This is
mainly down to uncertainty over the wide
reaching legislation that came into force on
the 1st October; businesses are
unsure whether their practices are within
the law.
People4business Managing Director Duncan
Taylor said “Enquiries from companies about
using freelance skills for specific
contracts have increased by 74 percent in
September compared to the same period in
August. Many companies appear to be
concerned about the perceived risks
associated with the new legislation.”
He added “The
risks even include unintentional
discrimination through recruitment
advertising, for example by selecting images
showing only younger people,” says Duncan
Taylor. “Companies registering with our site
are simply saying they do not want to take
on additional risk and would rather opt for
a more positive recruitment option at a time
of some uncertainty.”
Even though you do not intend to
discriminate against older or younger
workers, you are still at risk of doing so
unintentionally; and without the legal
guidance of large firms many small
businesses are simply looking to avoid the
risk. As with all important legislation, it
is better to be safe than sorry; and you
should take action to make sure you
understand what the legislation means for
your business.
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