Blog Layout

I Didn’t Care About Ageism, Until It Happened to Me

Lena Heidel • May 4, 2020

Ageism is probably the most common type of discrimination in the workplace, yet few corporations address it in formal training. Educate yourself on what ageism is, how to recognize it and advocate for yourself and others to prevent it from happening.

I applied for a scholarship that was offered by an employee resource group at my company, to pay for an expensive but highly credentialed leadership program. I was excited about the opportunity to develop my leadership skills and (hopefully) improve my chances for promotion.
 
A few days later, I received the rejection email: “Thank you for your entry. We are offering the leadership training scholarship to someone that has less experience than you. They need it more.”
 
I was angry. Too much experience usually means that you are “too old” for consideration. It was my first encounter with ageism and it was demoralizing.

What is Ageism?

The World Health Organization defines ageism as “the stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination against people on the basis of their age.” Unfortunately, it happens more often than people realize. In a survey conducted by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), approximately 65% of American workers that are aged 45 and older have seen or experienced age discrimination. In the UK, almost 75% of workers believe that age discrimination is common and most significantly felt by the youngest and oldest age groups.
 
Despite its frequency, ageism is the most “normalized” of any discrimination and is far less likely to be reported. Why is ageism accepted in society and workplaces today?
 
Stereotyping Leads to Discrimination

Like most discrimination, ageism starts with stereotyping and it happens across all age groups. Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964) are thought to be materialistic and time constrained. Millennials (1981-1996) are socially conscious but narcissistic.
 
Generational stereotyping is also applied to job performance. It’s assumed that Baby Boomers are too old to use technology. And, Millennials and Generation Z are too young to be team leaders.
 
While it is true that each generation has different experiences that shape their views of life and work, research shows that age is not a good indicator for behavior or attitudes:
 
Stereotype True or False?

Older people are more satisfied with their jobs.
False. Age and tenure at a company could better predict employee satisfaction.

Older people are more committed to their jobs.
False. Better indicators are perceived competence, how challenging the job is, and how communicative supervisors are.  

Older people are less likely to leave the company.
False. Other factors, like job satisfaction and organizational commitment, tend to be better predictors than age.

Jennifer Deal, a senior research scientist at the Center for Creative Leadership, found that workers of all ages value similar things in the workplace:
  • Receiving feedback from good managers.
  • Disliking change, unless it benefits them directly.
  • Importance of family.
  • Respect at work.
  • Continuous learning.
Lack of Training in the Workplace

It is difficult to recognize discrimination of any type without proper training. Despite laws in the UK and other countries that make age discrimination illegal, very few companies include it as part of their standard anti-discrimination training.
 
“The vast majority of employers who offer any sort of diversity and inclusion training do not cover age,” says Laurie McCann, a senior attorney at AARP. “This goes right back to how age discrimination is viewed as the second-class civil right; it’s overlooked.”
 
Johnny C. Taylor Jr., CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management, says the benefits for providing anti-ageism training go beyond litigation avoidance. “If we’re trying to create a culture where everyone brings their best self to work, and organizations benefit from all of those best selves, then you don’t want any form of discrimination or harassment to be tolerated in the workforce,” he says.
 
A business case can easily be made for addressing age discrimination in a company’s training program. Besides the very real costs of not adhering to regulations and litigation, there are soft costs to age discrimination:
Demotivated employees, which impacts productivity and service levels.
Loss of talent and institutional knowledge, when experienced workers leave.
 
How to Dismantle Ageism

Research conducted by the SHRM Foundation shows that HR programs designed to improve age diversity and reduce age discrimination can improve overall organizational performance. The Foundation has developed a list of best practices, based on studying several companies that are successfully creating intergenerational workforces:
  • Apprenticeships available to employees of all ages.
  • “Returnship” program for employees re-entering the workforce.
  • Cross-generational mentoring program.
  • Education about generational stereotyping and how it’s misguided.
  • Recruitment across all age groups.
  • There is additional information about ageism and how to address it on the WHO website.

Until it happened to me, I was not empathetic of ageism. I remained silent for some time and then realized that I was adding to the problem. Now, I am educating myself on this insidious discrimination and sharing my story. Let’s call out all discriminatory behavior, arm people with the right tools to overcome it and create amazing workplaces for workers of all ages.
Share by: