Woman wins £4k after being asked how old she was at job interview

A woman in Northern Ireland has been awarded over £4,000 and an apology after being asked how old she was during a job interview.

Janice Walsh interviewed for a delivery driver position at a Domino’s Pizza branch in Strabane, County Tyrone.

Walsh claimed that she was asked about her age at the beginning of her interview and noticed the interviewer writing down an answer before circling it and saying: "You don't look it."

After learning she had not been successful in her application for the role, Walsh believed she was turned down because of her age and sex.

Mike Ford/Alamy Stock Photo

She said: "I immediately thought back to the interview and the question about my age. I believe my age was an issue and it had affected the decision made by the interview panel."

After Walsh contacted the branch via Facebook to tell them she believed she had been discriminated against, she was contacted by a member of the interview panel who apologised and explained they didn’t know it was inappropriate to ask someone’s age when interviewing for a role.

Then in another conversation with another employee of the Strabane branch, she was told the work suited younger people between 18 and 30.

Not only that but Walsh also claimed she was discriminated against based on her sex.

She said: "I've only ever seen men working as drivers and I think I was overlooked for a driver position because I am a woman. Domino's continued to advertise for drivers after the interviews had taken place."

Walsh then took out a discrimination case, which was supported by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, against the branch and it’s then owner, Justin Quirk, who has since paid Walsh £4,250 and apologised for the incident.

Mary Kitson, the commission's senior legal officer, said: "People involved in recruitment and selection should be familiar with how people are protected by the legislation in order to keep the employer on the right side of the law.

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"It's really important not to allow stereotypical views of who can do particular jobs to influence decisions."

In a statement to LADbible, Domino's Pizza explained that it operates 'a franchisee model' and that ‘store employment and recruitment is the responsibility of the franchisee’. The store is also ‘under new management’.

"Domino’s operates a franchisee model therefore store employment and recruitment is the responsibility of the franchisee," it said.

"The franchisee in question has since, in unrelated circumstances, left the system and the Strabane store is under new management.

"We pride ourselves on being an inclusive business with a diverse work force and we recognise the important role we play in the communities we serve."

Topics: UK News

Lisa McLoughlin