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Personal office holders & business partners

Like employees and workers, personal office holders and business partners are protected by the Equality Act 2010 in employment, education and training.

Personal office holders

Personal office holders are people appointed to carry out a function under the supervision of another person, and have a different type of contract to an employee. You are an ‘office holder’ if you are a:

  • registered company director or secretary
  • board member of a statutory body
  • judge or tribunal member
  • police officer
  • trustee
  • member of the clergy

Under the Equality Act, since October 2010 it has been unlawful for a responsible person (the person responsible for the appointment and training of an office holder) to discriminate against an office holder based on their age.

For example, if a parish priest has put you forward to become a deacon, and the Director of deacons informs you that you are not eligible to train to become a deacon because of your age, this is unlawful under the Equality Act.

Business partners

Under the Equality Act, a partnership firm must not discriminate against or victimise someone when they are offering a partnership position, creating the terms for a business partner, or deciding whether or not to offer him or her a position as a partner.

Business partners also have protection in terms of accessing promotion, training or transfer, or any other benefit, service or facility.

For more information about the Equality Act and the protection it gives you, see The Equality Act - what it means for you.

For further information:

 opens link in new window Download the factsheet The law on age discrimination (PDF 205 KB)

 opens link in new window Download the factsheet Rights at work (PDF 262 KB)

We are grateful for the generous support of Dr Naim Dangoor CBE
and The Exilarch's Foundation

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Age UK Advice:
0800 169 6565

Useful information to download

  • Information guide about your rights in the workplace

  • View all downloads
    Help with downloads

    Downloads

    What is a download?

    A download is a document (like a research report, a leaflet, or an application form) that can be transferred from our website to your computer. You can download a file, view it on your screen, print it, or save it to your computer.

    What is a PDF?

    PDF stands for ‘portable document format’.

    Most downloads on this website are PDFs. We use this format to ensure that the document looks the same on everyone’s computer (website pages, by contrast, appear differently depending on how people have set their computer up).

    How do I download a PDF?

    Computers use a program called Adobe Acrobat Reader to download PDFs. If you try clicking on a link to download a PDF and it doesn’t work, you will need to install Adobe Acrobat Reader onto your computer.

    How do I install Adobe Acrobat Reader?

    The process is quite straightforward and is free.

    1. Go to opens link in new window http://get.adobe.com/uk/reader/
    2. Click ‘Download’.
    3. Wait for the window to offer you the option to ‘Run’, then choose this option.
    4. Click ‘Next’.
    5. Click ‘Install’
    6. Wait for the window to offer you the option to ‘Finish’, then choose this option.

    How do I change a download?

    PDFs cannot be changed. If you need to be able to type into a downloaded document (for example, if we are offering a letter template that you need to put your name on) we will provide it as a Microsoft Word document rather than a PDF. You can then download it, type into it and save it to your computer.

    How do I print or save a download?

    Downloads will open on your computer in a new browser window.

    Inside this window (below all your web browser menus), there will be a toolbar with options for you to print or save the document.

    Close the browser window to return to the Age UK website.

    Can my screen reader read PDF downloads?

    We have made every effort to make our PDFs accessible to screen readers. Here is an overview of your accessibility options available in Acrobat Reader. Please ensure that you have downloaded the latest version of Acrobat Reader from the Adobe Reader website to ensure that they are included in your version of the programme.

    You can use Adobe Reader to read a PDF out loud with the following shortcut keys:

    • Read the document: Shift +Ctrl+Y
    • Read the open page only: Shift +Ctrl+V
    • Read to the end of the document: Shift+Ctrl+B
    • Pause: Shift+Ctrl+C
    • Stop Shift+Ctrl+E

    You can also convert a PDF into a web page by following these steps:

    • Copy the URL (web address) of the document (right-click on the link and select ‘Save target as’ or ‘Copy link’).
    • Open the Adobe online conversion tool in your browser and paste the URL into the URL box.
    • Tick the HTML box on the Format option and click ‘Convert’.

    You can convert a PDF document into a text file for use with other software and hardware such as Braille printers by opening the PDF and choosing ‘Save as text’ from the File menu.

Useful websites

  • There is information about the Equality Act and how it should be put into place in the workplace on the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) website
    For more information on who is classed as an office holder, visit the Directgov website
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