The Issue of Ageism in the Workplace

Most of the time, when we look at an elderly person, we see someone with a lot of experience and knowledge. We see someone who has been through an array of situations and understands life better. But in the same instance, when it comes to recruiting that person for a particular job role, the employer exhibits hesitation. 64 percent of workers say that they have experienced age discrimination or “ageism”, according to AARP.

Introduction to Ageism:

In 1969, Robert Butler coined the term “Ageism”. Similar to sexism and racism, ageism characterizes discrimination against certain staff members on the basis of their age. Butler believes that ageism is prevalent at an individual as well as an institutional level. It encompasses erroneous assumptions, beliefs, disregard, and repulsive attitudes against older and experienced employees at the workplace. This might also include discrimination against younger employees, but it is generally considered to be discrimination against elderly employees.

In a lot of situations, ageism is seen to impact the health of the targeted employees. They have capitulated to toxic age stereotypes that affect their overall health in several ways.

What are Some Clear Indications of Age Discrimination? 

Most HR managers and recruiting professionals would say that there is no age discrimination in their organization, but the reality is usually not as how it’s depicted. It’s likely that age discrimination can be completely overlooked. It’s also likely that a thoughtful attitude might look like ageism to older staff members.

The five most common indications of age discrimination to look out for in the workplace:

• Being Disregarded For New Projects: This basically means assigning an unjustifiable portion of tedious and dreary tasks to more seasoned and elderly workers.
• Being Neglected For Raises and Bonuses: Various raises and bonus decisions might demonstrate age-based discrimination, or sometimes they may also reflect employee performance.
• Being Avoided With Regards To Client Meetings or Organization Events: Older employees are sometimes intentionally refrained from attending important client meetings or they may also be kept out of certain events that the company organizes.
• Being Deprived of Educational Opportunities: Educational opportunities are generally designed in a way that elderly team members are unable to take the utmost advantage of them. This can comprise skill-enhancement courses, reimbursement for resuming education, networking events, professional meet-ups, participation in seminars, and so on.
• Being Targeted With Slandering Remarks and Comments About Age: Others kidding about your age, low memory, retirement plans, frequent body aches, etc. could be outlined as insignificant and jolly. But, on the other hand, it may be very direct and insulting, like asking you to give up the job due to old age. 

Stereotypical Myths About Older Employees:

Older employees are targeted due to the pessimistic stereotypical mindset that some people possess. For some reason, these people have a predefined set of beliefs that they refuse to change. Some of these stereotypes constitute:

1. Older People Complete Their Tasks at a Slower Pace

There is almost no proof that validates that older people are less productive than younger people. We might anticipate that the physical and cognitive health of older people deteriorates with age, but this has very little to do with their performance. Age and performance should not be connected, as evidence shows that older employees are just as productive as younger employees.

2. Older People Take More Sick Leaves

It is an invalid theory that older employees take more sick leaves. Although it is a fact that the elderly take more time off for long-term illnesses, it’s also true that they take less time off when they are suffering from short-term illnesses.

Older people are also at lower peril of mishaps in the workplace, but at times they encounter more lethal accidents. This turns out to be almost the same amount of sickness leaves for all employees.

3. Older People are Reluctant To Change

There is a lot of research that proves this stereotype wrong. Older employees have a substantial amount of experience that helps them adapt to new tools or new environments. In fact, many eminent entrepreneurs have reached the peak of their success after they crossed their forties.

4. Older People Cannot Adapt To New Trends

Older employees are often labeled as people with a conventional thought process who oppose new avenues all the time. But it has been observed that there is almost no correlation whatsoever between the age of the person and the kind of decision he or she makes in terms of learning something new. If anything new is capable of producing better results, it should be embraced regardless of age.

Battling Ageism:

Begin with the assumption that the organization for which you’re going to work, is not totally compatible with older employees. This will allow you to prepare for any age discrimination that might arise rather than falling victim to it. 

Be in the process of continuous learning and educating yourself about the latest practices in terms of your job role. To be on par with the younger employees, you need to match your learning pace with theirs or make it better if possible. This will help you to produce the same level of results as your younger associates do, if not better. 

Finally, if you are subjected to ageism in any way, make explicit notes about the people who are targeting you and contact the authorities. If this reaps no benefits, you can consider approaching an employment lawyer who can evaluate your situation and guide you regarding the next steps. 

Wrapping Up:

Ageism is evident and older employees have reported having been discriminated against on the grounds of their age. If you’re facing age discrimination and you’re getting some of the indications mentioned in the blog, you should take immediate action against it. If not, the situation may amplify to a level that it becomes unmanageable.

Lastly, block out some time for physical, mental, and educational development. Blocking out time for such activities will make you much more proficient in your personal as well as professional life.