No former employees need apply.

[Trainbear]

Is it legal for a company to have a policy of not considering former employees who apply for a job with them, many years after they left, honourably?

I worked for a company, did well but found a better paid job, and resigned, no I'll feelings I've gained better qualifications, and experience. Three years later the first company is advertising for a job I feel confident of doing successfully. I'm also disabled, but the disability will not accept my work.
Any thoughts?

You could try contacting HR or your old manager if they're still there and ask?

I'd be interested to know if there's indirect discrimination at play here, whether advertently or inadvertently, if I was sitting on the Board of that company.

Are any groups with protected characteristics more likely to be former employees than others? Women (possibly because of extended maternity-related breaks), and workers with disabilities, spring to mind.

I know the stats on the leavers at my last university - mostly women with young DC. Imagine telling them all they couldn't ever apply again for a job at their former university employer. If that's what is happening here, it's pretty controversial.

I would apply anyway, but explain in your covering letter just what you said - that you left for job improvement and are reapplying with the benefit of better qualifications and experience.

I assume you are applying at a higher level than when you left!

If they choose to ignore that due to an irrational policy, that's their loss. Normally at an exit interview one of the items that HR have to decide is whether they would re-employ if the opportunity arose.

Indirect discrimination is a stretch but it would be interesting to know whether anyone has ever returned after leaving. If they allow certain people to return but not others, then it would be useful to know whether those allowed to return share a characteristic