Removing Ageist Bias in Recruitment
Since being invited to join an expert panel, backed by Allen & Overy’s pro-bono social initiative ReStart, I’ve been reflecting more and more on the topic we covered that day. I had the privilege of sitting alongside Mark Hocken from A&O and spent time preparing for the session with colleagues from ECC Geraldine Gallacher and Natalie Kingdon . Hosted by Patrick McMaster , our panel spoke passionately and insightfully to an engaged room of energetic, inquisitive, highly experienced aged 50+ workers who all shared the same goal – to get back into the workforce.
ReStart’s main aim is simple: to equip workers aged 50+ with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to build their resourcefulness in order to access employment, following a period of time where they’ve been out of the workplace. ?Now in its eighth year,?ReStart?has supported nearly 200 people aged 50-64 in the UK, and there are currently 27 individuals in the 2024 cohort. Over 3 months, participants receive virtual and in-person workshops, 3-hours of 1:1 coaching, and support from a mentor at A&O.?
Our panel delved into various key areas of advice and shared insights across the following topics:
Critical to the advice we were able to give was the understanding that each person had come to the programme from different life situations, with potentially a different mindset too. Therefore, the emphasis was placed on sharing broad tips when interacting with online recruitment platforms and how to highlight the skills & experiences that each person had built up over their working lives in an impactful way during an interview scenario in order to secure that next role.
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The Assessment Process from a Hiring Manager Perspective
First of all, we considered the key elements we thought hiring managers would be keen to explore, backed by our expert knowledge of having led recruitment functions and/or designed assessment processes across a multitude of roles.
We know that the hiring process is constantly evolving, with the introduction of chatbot interviewing and AI generated CV sifting, candidates may need to go through a few rounds of the recruitment process before even meeting a human.? Navigating this new world with confidence from a technical perspective is critical, therefore gaining knowledge of how these tools work is useful. CVs are being increasingly first-screened by AI, which will be programmed to hunt for keywords relevant to the job description. So, candidates should sharpen their personal statements and outline their experience using language that will stand out and synchronise with the basic requirements of the role in order to make the first cut.
It’s likely the next round will be an interview; this may be with a human via an online video call or in person meeting; it may be that this is still conducted within the realms of AI by a chatbot. If the latter, the chatbot will ask pre-recorded questions, using algorithms to analyse the candidate’s tone of voice, facial expressions and, of course, the answers given, in order to match them to the role. Depending on the role itself, AI tools may analyse candidates' online presence, including social media platforms, to assess their behaviour, professionalism, and cultural fit. Being prepared for these initial AI driven stages will help to navigate candidates closer to ‘getting in the room’.
For those over 50, it’s likely they’ll have played a part within a variety of teams in the workplace and will have been in positions of leadership over much larger teams. So, the interview and personal ‘storytell’ should be a place for age 50+ candidates to stand out, showcasing the richness of their experience and depth of understanding. Throughout their careers, candidates will have invariably managed a multitude of change, which hiring managers will be eager to explore in the context of the role in question. Adaptability, problem solving and a capacity to learn and evolve with the ever-changing landscape is critical to today’s workplace, so having those stories ready for interview will be a huge advantage.
As mentioned, it’s highly likely age 50+ candidates will have managed or led significant teams in previous roles. Bringing that experience to the interview room of how they’ve built their team, provided guidance, leadership, mediation and difficult feedback are highly sought after soft skills in a hiring manager’s mind.
Main challenges and opportunities for over 50s
According to research carried out by the Centre for Ageing Better, 36% of 50-69 year-olds feel at a disadvantage applying for jobs because of their age. One of the primary challenges is age discrimination within the hiring process, because certain employers hold certain biases, maybe assuming they are less adaptable, less tech-savvy, expect higher salaries due to their experience and may carry health & wellness challenges as a result of their age.
When we add in an intersectionality lens, we find that more women aged 50+ are out of work than their male counterparts. In 2023 there were 3.5 million people aged 50-64 who were economically inactive in the UK, of which 40% were men (1.4 million) and 60%, or 2.1 million, were women (Gov.UK , 2023). More women tend to be carers, typically for children or older relatives much earlier in life than men, which can be a barrier to them returning to work. Furthermore, one in ten women around this age bracket leave work every year due to symptoms of the menopause (Fawcett Society, 2022).
Additionally, older Black and minority ethic individuals face more discrimination than their white counterparts. Older Black British job applicants are 9.4 times less likely to be interviewed than older white British candidates (Centre For Ageing Better, 2023).
As a result of the above factors, those aged 50+ can feel ‘frozen out’ of the job market due to these substandard processes, age-bias and a lack of engagement from employers and recruiters to mitigate for these barriers presented across all intersections of life.
As a HR Director, Non-Exec Chief People Officer and Co-Founder of a long-established HR Consultancy, I see it as one of my major goals to change this narrative. Not least because discrimination on any level is intolerable and should be addressed, re-educated and reset, but additionally because the opportunity to close the gap between older and younger workers poses an estimated potential boost to the economy of c.￡9 billion per year (Centre for Ageing Better). ?
So, what’s the opportunity? I believe that bringing in new hires in the age 50+ category is an absolute necessity for all employers to lean into as the advantages are clear; the experience and wisdom these candidates have accumulated during their previous roles is significant and remains untapped if outside of the workplace. The diversity of thought they can bring from a problem-solving perspective, alongside a ‘passing down’ of knowledge and expertise to team members can expedite succession planning and talent acceleration.
As employers, HR Directors and those responsible for educating hiring managers in our businesses, we need to address all biases head on, stamping out concerns about tech proficiency, potential health issues or retirement plans and instead replacing these with opportunities for training & re-education, creating an inclusive environment where all generations can flourish together maximising all contributions equally, at any age.
How to Manage a Multi-Generational Workforce?
As of 2023, we report being “a 5-generation workplace” for the very first time in our history. The UK birthrate?is in decline whilst the older population is ever expanding; by 2030 there will be an additional 1.2 million people aged 50-64 in the UK, but only 500,000 people aged 15-29 and one in four people will be aged 65+ (Office for National Statistics).
An ever-increasing life expectancy means that?businesses will need to find ways to?re-engage talent?and create a workforce?that?adapts to a wide range of working practices. Let’s take a look at these.
Different generations are likely to prefer to communicate with each other in different ways depending on the tools and technology that’s surrounded them during their lives. Those in the 16-30 age category may find digital channels of communication more comfortable (instant messages & emails) whilst those who are aged 50+ may prefer face-to-face chats or to pick up the phone. The reverse may of course also be true and bias should not creep in. Navigating these preferences and highlighting the benefits of each, whilst again creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels their preferences have been respected is critical. We have such an array of technology at our fingertips that there should be no excuse for communication to fall down regardless of generational or indeed, personal, preferences.
We know that work values and personal expectations/goals can vary from person to person, generation to generation. Recent research carried out by our friends at Majar Group (Major Players Census 2024) has shown that those aged 18-24 in media and creative industries prioritise career progression, salary & bonus and workplace culture, seeking frequent feedback and purposeful connection between their workplace and personal values. As the demographic shifts to the 55+ category, salary drops down the list, being replaced by a priority over having interesting work and being part of a positive environment. Knowing this, as HR professionals and business leaders can help us to shape our workplaces and speak to our 5-generational workforce in a more meaningful way.
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Wrapping up
At the end of the session, we were asked by Patrick McMaster for the one key piece of advice we’d give to 50+ people looking to get back into the workplace. We had a range of answers, starting with a prompt to leverage their network; reaching out to former colleagues, mentors and industry contacts to explore opportunities, gather insights, and seek referrals. We also shone a light on the power of their years of experience and how this will have equipped them with the most valuable soft skills and insights that could be instrumental in their next job search.
We need to shift the narrative from ‘old’ to ‘experienced’, removing ageist terminology, rethinking our biases and leaning into re-education. As Ashton Applewhite said in her recent Ted Talk https://www.ted.com/talks/ashton_applewhite_let_s_end_ageism?user_email_address=cb1e122f0b9abfe2b0825e431e39238b&lctg=62d1a4821c794c328cb901fb&subtitle=en all of us will get old, ageing is living … it’s a uniting factor for us as humankind. We need to make natural transitions more acceptable as the longer we live the more different we will become. An embracing of age and individual differences across all intersections will be the key to a successful, high performing and diverse workplace.
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