LONDON, 9 October 2006 – Almost two-thirds of UK job interviewees (62%) have been asked their age by potential employers as the government attempts to outlaw age discrimination, according to research commissioned by HR consulting company Water for Fish, an Aon business.

The research, which surveyed 1006 working adults across the UK, revealed employers often asked job candidates for personal information at interview with no bearing on their ability to do the job. This ranged from age or medical and health issues to sexual preference or even out on a date!  Although none of the topics should be relevant when it comes to being offered a job, interviewees said that age (62%) was the most popular question to be asked, closely followed by medical/health issues (58%) and marital status (55%).

The research also showed that one in two employees (49%) in the UK say they would like to change jobs over the next year, whilst 44% had already changed jobs in the past year and the majority (65%) in the last three years. The desire to change roles was felt most strongly in Scotland with one in two (50%) applying for new positions (either within their existing organisation or for new jobs entirely) over the previous twelve month period.  Conversely, individuals in London and the South East seemed to be most settled in their existing roles with only 38% having applied for a new position over the last year.  Interestingly however, when planning ahead, those based in London and the South East are becoming less satisfied with their current positions and one in two (50%) say they plan to change jobs in the next year.

Commenting on these results, Ben Thornton, Executive Director at Water for Fish, commented:

“Companies need to be vigilant of the type of questions that they are asking prospective employees or they could find themselves facing embarrassing legal action. Personal information such as age, health, sexual preference and even whether the interviewee fancies a date is highly inappropriate and there is no reason such questions need to be asked in interviews.”

“Employee retention is also a serious issue facing companies.  It is worrying that such a considerable number of workers have not only changed jobs in the past year, but are also planning to apply for another job in the next twelve months.   Workforce stability needs to be a key priority for businesses. Poor retention can have negative implications for a company’s performance and reputation, but for those companies that can manage to attract and keep good employees it can often be used to competitive advantage.”

Notes to editor:



About Water for Fish

Water for Fish is a leading people and organisation consulting company that helps private and public sector clients shape their organisation to achieve their business goals. It does this through three service areas; Transformation - achieving the right shape and feel of an organisation; Assessment - getting the right people in the right roles; and, Learning - developing people in line with an organisation's ambitions.

Aon Consulting acquired Water for Fish in January 2006 to strengthen its Human Resources (HR) Solutions business, offering the firm a strong platform from which to build on its market share in the HR Consultancy area.   The combined operation, under the Water for Fish brand name, is run from Aon Consulting’s existing offices in London and Farnborough, and the Water for Fish office in Henley, bringing Aon Consulting’s regional network of offices to 12.   Ben Thornton, previously Executive Director in Aon’s HR Solutions practice, heads up the new Water for Fish group.

About Aon Consulting

Aon Consulting is a leading human capital consultancy, helping organisations of every size to attract and keep the employees they need. We advise on all aspects of employment, including health-related insurance and risk; employee compensation and pensions; human resource strategy planning; job design and change management; and staff assessment and legal issues. Aon Consulting is a division of Aon, one of the UK’s largest insurance brokers and providers of risk management services and a major force in reinsurance and the UK human capital consulting market.  Aon Consulting Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

About Aon

Aon Corporation is a leading provider of risk management services, insurance and reinsurance brokerage, human capital and management consulting, and specialty insurance underwriting. There are 46,000 employees working in Aon's 500 offices in more than 120 countries. Backed by broad resources, industry knowledge and technical expertise, Aon professionals help a wide range of clients develop effective risk management and workforce productivity solutions.

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