COLD SPRING

So why has ageism become so acute, particularly in recruitment? In my view, the answer lies partly in AI‑driven hiring systems — whether embedded in Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) or deployed through external platforms.

Every few months, a familiar storyline resurfaces in parts of the conservative press: HR is to blame for “wokeness”, for hypersensitive employees, for the supposed decline of robust leadership. The latest example — an article in today’s Telegraph (28 May 2026) by Martin Vander Weyen claiming “The Age of HR has turned everyone into a snowflake” — follows the same pattern. HR is cast as the villain.

I’ve been noticing a pattern of polarisation in parts of the HR world lately — especially among newer practitioners and some of the louder voices online. There seems to be a growing instinct to frame HR as either an advocate for employees or an agent of the employer. As if we’re supposed to pick a side. As if supporting one inherently means betraying the other.

The EU Pay Transparency Directive introduces a significant shift toward greater openness in how organisations define, communicate, and justify pay. Even UK-based companies without EU operations will feel the ripple effects.

As the UK government moves ahead with its new Employee Rights Bill, I’ve been seeing a raft of articles and comms aimed at employers and HR departments, effectively telling them they need to get their collective act together.