The True Cost of an Age Discrimination Work Tribunal

£340,000 Awarded for Using Age as a Reason for Dismissal

In October 2023, a 62-year-old scientist was awarded £340,000 for age discrimination by his employers.(1) The company, PetroTrace in Surrey, had shockingly written internal emails describing the scientist as “expensive” and “a pensioner”. The court agreed that it was a clear case of ageism and ruled “age was the reason why the claimant was singled out for dismissal and then dismissed.” And then they hit PetroTrace with that massive fine.

It’s a sobering reminder that ageism in the workplace doesn’t just hurt the employee suffering discrimination, it also hurts the employer – hitting finances and damaging their reputation. Plus, preparing a defence for an upcoming tribunal increases workloads as employees are pulled away from their day-to-day work by legal teams who need to know all the background. Of course, staff morale also takes a tumble when word gets out, especially among other older employees. The thought is there: “Who wants to work for a company that behaves like that?”

Huge Increase in Workplace Complaints About Ageism

PetroTrace was an extreme case, but tragically employees being treated adversely because of their age is far from rare. Between March 2020 and March 2021, there were 15,336 cases that included a complaint of age discrimination(2) – an all-time high. This was a sixfold increase on the figures for 2019. Yup, there’s a whole lot of ageism in Britain’s workplaces.

And as the number of older workers increases, it is likely the risk of age discrimination will grow – unless workplaces take action to stamp out ageism, now. After all, age is a legally protected characteristic, just like disability, race, religion, sexual orientation or sex. There are nine Government protected characteristics(3) – but many people still think it’s OK to laugh about “the old timer needing a nap.” It’s a joke that will go very sour when it goes to court.