The latest phase of GROW, delivered by the Behavioural Insights Team, engaged employers, recruiters and older people to design and test new approaches to reducing age bias in recruitment. This involved creating and critiquing the end-to-end recruitment journey, generating new ideas, turning them into tools and then prototyping them.
The three new tools that the working group agreed would have the best feasibility and impact for reducing age bias in the recruitment process are:
- Creating a more inclusive job advert – this helps address a number of issues that an older applicant may face, such as removing stereotypical language, assessing flexible working options, and greater clarity on the recruitment process.
- Creating an interview invitation and scheduling form – this helps provide all the relevant information in a straightforward way, as many older applicants may not had had recent experience with recruitment. This form also provides a simple way for the applicant to raise any reasonable adjustments they require for the interview.
- How to talk about flexible working with candidates during recruitment – this guidance will help hiring managers and their HR colleagues in planning ahead. As flexible working is a significant driver for older applicants in considering jobs, this guidance can provide your organisation with ways to adapt and improve processes.
Good Recruitment for Older Workers: A new toolkit | Centre for Ageing Better (ageing-better.org.uk)