British insurer drops “energetic” and “enthusiastic” from job ads to attract older employees
One of Britain’s biggest insurers is set to stop using the words “enthusiastic” and “energetic” in job adverts, so as not to deter old people from making applications.
Phoenix Group, which owns insurance company Standard Life, will also use “age-diverse” imagery in its postings to increase “the likelihood of older applicants applying.”
The plans come as firms face fierce competition in recruiting new staff, in the face of country-wide skills shortages.
Phoenix added that it plans to stop using words such as “innovative,” and instead replace them with words linked to specific competencies, in a bid to “remove words that can be seen by older workers to suggest we are targeting younger generations.”
Employees throughout the company will also be offered various benefits, such as the ability to work from home, which might appeal to older workers.
In a statement, Phoenix Group CEO Andy Briggs, said: “We always look to attract the best people for roles at Phoenix Group and to take an inclusive approach in our recruitment. Using language which doesn’t deter any age group is an important part of that.”
“Research has also shown that some words such as ‘enthusiastic’ and ‘energetic’ can deter older workers, this is not because people’s enthusiasm changes with age, but because some people will rule themselves out of even applying if they feel this is meant for a younger audience and they don’t believe they are wanted.