Age discrimination in the workplace is the mistreatment of an employee based on his/her age group. It’s the irrational bias towards a person for being too old or too young regardless of the talent he/she inherits.
There are strict anti-ageism laws in place to protect employees from being discriminated for their age. They include all stages of the employment cycle from recruitment, to leaving the organization.
Age discrimination in the workplace is not as harmless as one might think. All the bias and stereotypes have a huge influence on the working of an organization. When people overlook the value of their elders, they miss out on all the benefits they provide.
Benefits of employing older workers
It is needless to say how much the elderly can gain from the organization employing them. They flourish in terms of morale and life satisfaction. Working elders also have a shorter mortality rate. But they are not the only ones that benefit.
According to studies, elder employees are much more ambitious, goal oriented and hate wasting time. They are less likely to leave the organization, comfortable with their fixed incomes and much less aggressive than millennial employees. Years of experience also comes handy in many situations. Elder employees also provide a sense of comfort in the workplace with their friendly presence.
Age Discrimination Examples:
- Putting out job applications for ‘Young people’.
- Rejecting applications from old people for not fitting in with the ‘young’ staff.
- Rejecting job applications from millennials saying that they will leave early.
- Refusing to hire people who are coming close to their retirement.
- Making fun of people for being too old or too young.
- Making harsh jokes about someone's age.
- Segregation in the workplace based on age groups.
How to prevent ageism in the workplace:
- Maintain diversity in the age groups of your employees.
- Have a strict anti-discriminatory policy in place.
- Educate your staff on the benefits of having generation diversity in the workplace.
- Implement Your Safe Hub in your organization for employee grievance management and reporting purposes. It’s a secure and anonymous communication channel that protects your employees with the power of anonymity.