Expert guide
Age discrimination and benefits
The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations make it unlawful to treat a person differently in the workplace because of their age, unless there is very good justification for doing so. All existing equality legislation (including the 2006 Regulations) was consolidated into the Equality Act 2010 (‘The Act’).
The fact is, service related pay and benefits are widely used to motivate staff, reward loyalty and recognise experience at work. So although such practices may discriminate against younger workers, they are generally thought to be good for the workforce as a whole. That is why these kind of benefits were given some protection by the Age Regulations and this protection has now been incorporated into the Equality Act.
This free legal advice guide looks at how the law on age discrimination affects pay scales, service related benefits, employee share schemes, life assurance cover, and statutory benefits. For more information see Discrimination at Work.