Can my employer discriminate based on age?
UK law protects you from discrimination because of your age, whether you're 20 or 65. The Equality Act 2010 makes it illegal for your employer to treat you unfairly in hiring, pay, promotion, training, or dismissal based on age.
Age discrimination happens at both ends: young workers told they're "inexperienced" and denied opportunities, older workers told they're "not a digital native" or "should be thinking about retirement". Both are illegal.
Common examples of age discrimination
- Not shortlisted for a job because you're seen as "overqualified" or "past your prime"
- Comments about your age: "you're too young to understand", "shouldn't you be retired?"
- Being excluded from training because of your age
- Passed over for promotion in favour of younger colleagues
- Being made redundant while younger staff are kept on
- Dismissal disguised as performance issues when age is really the reason
What to do if you've been age discriminated against
Document everything. Write down what happened, when, who was involved, and what was said. Keep emails and messages that suggest age was a factor.
Tell someone. Report it to your manager or HR in writing. Describe what happened and why you believe it's age-related. Keep a copy.
Contact ACAS. Call 0300 123 1100 (free and confidential). They'll help you understand your options and can start early conciliation with your employer.
Act quickly. You have 3 months minus 1 day from when the discrimination happened to start ACAS conciliation. After that, you lose the right to claim.