Photo credit: Prostooleh
Liza Miller. Liza Miller is the woman who lied about her age to get a job in publishing because nobody would hire a 41-year-old woman. And I applaud her. Not for lying. But for her wit, her skill, her determination. Liza is really good at her job. She’s also a fictional character in a series I’m currently watching on Showmax called Younger.
What is ageism
Ageism is stereotyping and/or discrimination of individuals on the basis of their age. Ageism is alive and openly practiced in the workplace. Right from interviewing, hiring, assigning work projects and promotions - we discriminate against people based on their age. It’s almost as if we see people walking around with signs floating on the top of their heads reflecting their age, and judge them based on this. In case you haven’t picked it up already, ageism is wrong and unfair. We should view people in the workplace based on their skills and qualifications, regardless of their age. This article will aim to show how we practice ageism in the workplace without even knowing it, how it hurts our bottom lines, and what we can do to address this problem.
Are we guilty of ageism in the workplace?
Remember Liza Miller? Yes, the woman who lied about her age to get a job. She had been out of work for many years as she had taken time to raise her family. She attended several interviews at the beginning, in search of a job in publishing. At some point, she was ready to take just about any job that would come her way because she kept hearing words like, “No, we just don’t think you can do this job” or, “No, we are hoping to bring onboard someone younger for this role”. It’s absolutely disheartening to have to hear such words as a job seeker.
At work, we judge people based on several things, one of them being age. You might look at someone and think, “He can’t possibly be a manager at 26 years. He must be 35 and above”. Don’t even get me started on colleagues who look down on their manager because they’re younger than them. Despite these obvious examples, ageism can sometimes go unnoticed in the workplace.
Here are a few signs you can look out for:
1. Colleagues making subtle, derogatory comments about your age. This could even come out as a joke, for example, “I have children your age and they’re always on their phones.”
2. A consistent pattern of hiring only younger employees
3. Being passed over for challenging work projects or out-of-town work assignments
4. Preferential treatment of employees of a certain age by the management team
5. Being encouraged or forced to retire because you’ve hit a “certain age”
Some of these signs listed above are more common in certain industries more than others. You should investigate further if you have faced any of the above before concluding or coming forward to your HR about age discrimination.
Ageism affects the bottom line
Businesses miss out on hiring skilled, competent, and qualified talent due to age discrimination. It’s no secret that certain positions or roles require individuals with several years of experience. Employers who do not provide opportunities for older workers lose out on valuable experiences.
Any kind of discrimination in the workplace causes distrust and a lack of loyalty. This in turn affects employee productivity and turnover. You could end up losing on great talent simply because of the culture you’ve set up in your company. Organizations should aim to have a balance of both younger and older workers. Teams that are able to achieve this balance have more success as older workers act as mentors to their younger counterparts.
How can we fight ageism in the workplace?
Ageism is still rampant even in some of the most successful companies we know. As an employer, it is important to be aware of it and deal with it so that you continually create a healthy environment for your employees to thrive in. Here are a few ways you can deal with ageism in the workplace:
1. Offer growth and learning opportunities to all employees at all levels. We’ve settled the fact that skills and competencies are what employees should be judged based on, right? It then only makes sense to provide equal learning opportunities to every employee. Employees who are less experienced have the opportunity to grow themselves through these learning opportunities.
2. Implement job shadowing, peer-to-peer learning, or mentorship programs in your organization. Employees at different levels of experience or expertise equally have a lot to learn from each other. By encouraging them to work together, employee motivation and productivity are enhanced.
3. Create flat organizational structures and cultures. Cultivating open lines of communication is a way to build trust, show commonality and break the generational boundaries that can form unintentionally. Let your employees know that they speak to you about anything without fear or favor.
Final thoughts
As we aim for diversity and inclusion in the workplace, let’s be aware that age is a part of that conversation too. By raising awareness and continuing to expand knowledge on age discrimination, you can create a healthy work environment with happy, productive employees.
