Ageism occurs in many different forms. We brainstormed and came up with the following examples:
- Black balloon parties
- “You don’t look 40” (or any other age)
- Doctors not taking older patients
- Terms like “elderly,” “aged,” and “greedy geezers”
- Limited positive roles in TV and movies for older people
- People in their 20s being told they are too young to work with seniors
- The assumption that young people are computer whizzes and older people are computer-phobic
- Cosmetics focused on anti-aging
- The notion that mental ability declines with aging
- Old people are bored (not to mention boring)
- Lower ticket costs for older adults at the movies
If you have other examples, please share them with us by posting a comment.
The EEOC receives 16,000 age-discrimination claims each year. In corporate America, ageism can also take the form of:
- Underutilization of older or younger workers
- Not providing older workers training and development
- No longer promoting or selecting older workers for opportunities
- Providing internships for younger workers only
- Downsizing high earners regardless of performance
- Hiring younger workers at less than market pay
- Freezing salaries for older workers
If you have other examples, please add them to the list by posting a comment. The more we are aware of ageism, the more prepared we can be to combat it.
As a related resource, check out our September newsletter that looks at the cultural stereotypes that are visible in advertising and the effect that negative ads have on the older adult. Also view the factual evidence that dispels the perception that mature workers lose value over time in the workplace.
Filed under: Resilience, Workforce Transitions Issues and Solutions | Tagged: ageism, discrimination
My company that I worked for almost 14 years decided I was too slow to be employed as a computer programmer. They wanted me when they were going through the Y2K problems. Then the team I was on quit promoting me but promoted two other twenty and thirty something co-workers. They quit giving me work but told me later there was a work site for me to go to and assign myself work. This was when I was being given my notice that I had 6 weeks to pick up my work but I was never able to get on the site to get my work. I fooled them, and had kept track of a meeting that was held that I never received an invitiation to however the rest of my team did. When I told HR about it and asked to go to the workers side of the company, I was given one interview and selected immediately for the position. Three years later the company moved that department to Kansas. We were allowed to apply for positions and interview for them. I know for a fact that I was better qualified for 2 of the positions but they were given to younger employees. They eliminated our jobs and out of 6 people, 4 of us were eligible for retirement but we didn’t have to retire. No retirement-eligible persons were kept for the remaining 6 desks of the department.
Thanks for sharing such a personal experience in order to help others. Ageism isn’t always easy to recognize and respond to, especially if we aren’t really expecting that it might happen to us. When you suspect ageism, let management in the company know so they can help you work through the situation
Understand the selection criteria for any opening to assure that you are marketable; years of service without continued training and development may not keep us qualified for positions and there can be more criteria for hiring beyond the qualifications listed in the job description. This can be especially true with an employee’s proficiency with technology as this continues to be such an ever-changing learning platform. Even seasoned IT professionals can find the pace to keep up to date challenging.
Request performance feedback when current feedback or lack of feedback doesn’t appear to be consistent with other actions, such as being passed over for promotion or not selected for another position in the same company. Despite setbacks in the work environment, stay engaged in your work; keep a can-do, positive approach and take advantage of all development opportunities your company offers. It’s projected that training budgets will be reduced by 20% at least in the next year so employees should also be prepared to invest in their on education to stay marketable in the workplace.
Why does Affirmative Action not include age discrimination?
Denise,
Great question. For those who may not be aware, age discrimination is prohibited under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) which protects individuals who are 40 years of age or older. Affirmative Action isn’t really protective legislation but rather employer created goals and timetables stating how and when their workforce will reflect the populations from which they hire, specifically increasing the representation of women and people of color. Affirmative Action was created at a time when women and people of color were severely under-represented in the workplace despite being equally qualified. Since today Baby Boomers represent 41.5% of the workforce and the Silent generation represents another 6%, there doesn’t appear to be a need to increase the representation of older workers in today’s workforce. Rather, we may need to exercise the protections under the ADEA or push oversight agencies for greater enforcement of its provisions in order to curb age discrimination. At Wisdom Worker Solutions, we’re focused on increasing multi-generational collaboration by educating each generation about the value of the others. Hopefully with knowledge will come understanding.
I have a question about an HR request for an ‘updated resume” that is to include dates of educational degrees and dates for other employment. I’d always been told as an older worker that dates should be dropped from my resume. Although I am already working for this company, I am suspicious of why dates are required on my updated resume. The request did go to all workers. Can an employer request these dates? It seems like a slippery slope to me.
Carolyn,
Having been in Corporate America my entire career, I understand your suspicions. But having been in HR for much of that career, I’m hoping I can ease your mind a bit. A current employer can make this request and especially since they sent it out to all employees. Since you already have employment with that company, it’s a bit different than handing a resume to a perspective employer where dates can be used to discriminate. The assumption is that dates of education, in particular, can allow the potential hiring manager to deduce those candidates that are over 40. This is not as true today as it used to be since people are starting degrees or returning to college in later years.
Secondly, resumes are often used by Public Relations departments or outsourced PR firms to create news stories on leaders and employees or to update their biographies for news releases. HR often has to make the information request since they are typically the guardian of employee information. HR then only shares what is public information and not personal data. If the original request didn’t identify the purpose for asking for updated resumes, you might want to ask HR what is prompting the request, who will see the updated resumes, where they will be stored and what would happen if an employee chooses not to send a new resume. The reason for the request may be more innocuous than you think. They might also allow you to sign an information release or give permission if specific data requests for your background occur.
Finally, HR units periodically conduct audits of their applications and employee records to assure they are accurate and up-to-date. This may simply be a standard audit procedure or a new requirement based on some legal advice they’ve recently been given. I would assume that you completed an application when you came to work for this employer which often asks for dates of education and employment so that perspective employers can verify that a candidate is being honest about their background and any gaps in time. If you completed the application in it’s entirety, they should already have the information they are requesting.
Hopefully these perspectives help you identify your next steps.
Thanks for your informative reply. It does make me feel better about the request.