Age Discrimination in Restaurant Industry

Age Discrimination in Restaurant Industry

Introduction

When a person is treated in a dissimilar way because of age, this is known as age discrimination. Discrimination arising on the basis of the age of an individual can take various shapes, counting biases that advantages older people. Not each and every discrimination is illegitimate (www.proseniors.org). Age discrimination can be direct or indirect.

Direct age discrimination: When a person gets an improper treatment with reference to another, he is a victim of direct age discrimination. For instance, an elderly person is rebuffed access to a fitness center or a club merely on account of his age while a younger individual is allowed to enter (www.gov.uk).

Indirect age discrimination: When a regulation or practice pertains to all and sundry, but places a certain group of individuals at a disadvantage, this is known as indirect age discrimination. For instance, an optician permits fee for glasses by parts, but confines entitlement to only employed individuals. This practice places retired people at a disadvantage (www.gov.uk).

Age discrimination is a widespread practice at workplaces. It can have an effect on people belonging to any age, however, is predominantly prone to grip older people. One out of five people above the 50 years of age declare that they have confronted it either when submitting the application for jobs or in the place of work (McNair & Flynn, 2006).

Age discrimination in Hospitality/ Restaurant industry

Hospitality industry chiefly comprises of very young staff, with elevated employment demand and proceeds and rising talent difficulties. Owing to this sector is predominantly susceptible to the consequences of declining birthrates. With a smaller number of young populace going into the labor force over the succeeding decade, a number of employers will have to to re-consider approaches for employment and retention (McNair & Flynn, 2006).

Restaurants and hotels utilize a principally 'young' staff and to a large extent the industry is trend fanatical, for example, boutique hotels, stylish bars, and icon chef restaurants. The industry appears to be chiefly ageist, and employers, look like resolute, to discriminate based on age (Jenkins & Roche, 2010).

Table1 gives a breakdown of the labor force in the hospitality sector by gender and age group.

Table1: Breakdown of workforce in the hospitality industry by age and gender (Source: www.instituteofhospitality.org)

In the hospitality industry, employers are by and large less considerate as compared to others for lengthening job life, with low levels of litheness over retirement times, and low percentages permitting people to continue past standard retirement period, even though they are more agreeable to think about reducing hours (McNair & Flynn, 2006). Even though, unconcealed discriminatory practices are uncommon, businesses in this segment are less prone as compared to others to encompass shielding arrangements in the workplace (such as equal opportunities guidelines, proper evaluation and consideration for promotion, and “age blind” staffing procedures and mechanisms), which could make certain that unjust discrimination is not taking place (McNair & Flynn, 2006).



Figure1: Job ads mentioning a preference for credentials, age and span of experience (Source: McNair & ...