October 2006 Legislation Impacts Recruitment Advertising and Candidate Selection
Recruiting experts at Vurv (formerly Recruitmax), the global leader in technology and services for building great workforces, caution UK organisations (as well as those multinational companies recruiting in the UK) that impending employment equality regulations require careful data management to reduce non-compliance risks.
New employment equality regulations coming into effect in the UK on 1st October 2006 cover recruitment, promotion, development, termination, retirement, and compensation issues. Job recruitment advertising will be particularly impacted; it will no longer be possible to target specific age groups (for example, a fashion retailer will no longer be able to advertise for young shop assistances on the basis that the retailer targets younger consumers) in job advertisements. The selection process will also be affected, as certain pre-hire assessment requirements might be classified as indirect discrimination (for example, requiring all applicants to pass a health and fitness test that might discriminate against older applicants who are less likely to pass the test) unless a Genuine Occupational Requirement can be proven by the employer.
Darren Jaffrey, general manager EMEA commented, ìThe risks of non-compliance with these new regulations are significant. Aside from the obvious damage to the respective organisationís brand and reputation, violators will also incur heavy fines and discrimination claims. Itís imperative that UK-based companies ñ as well as companies recruiting in this market ñ take aggressive steps to ensure that their advertising, assessment, and selection data is properly identified and retained to satisfy the requirements of the regulations.î
More information about the new employment equality regulations and how Vurvís technology-based solutions can assist organisations in achieving compliance with these regulations can be accessed by contacting Vurv on 0208 400 6166 or infoemea@vurv.com
Vurv Advises UK Organisations
New Employment Equality Regulations Require Careful Data Management
