Welcome back to our fourth and final blog of our Inclusivity Series! It’s hard to believe that this series is already coming to an end and we will be onto the next this time next week. BUT, we’re truly ending this series with a bang, covering the tough subject of ‘ageism.’ If you caught Katelyn’s video yesterday then you already have a brief outline of what we’ll be covering today: What is Ageism, What are Examples of Ageism, Who is Affected by Ageism, and finally, How to Stop it...Check it out.

What is Ageism?

On the most basic of levels, ageism is a form of discrimination against a person due to age and age alone. During the hiring process, ageism is something that can and has affected many people whether they’re older and looking for employment or fresh out of college and looking for employment. For a more sophisticated definition, check out this quote from World Health Organization:

Ageism is the stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination against people on the basis of their age. Ageism is widespread and an insidious practice which has harmful effects on the health of older adults….Ageism is everywhere, yet it is the most socially “normalized” of any prejudice, and is not widely countered – like racism or sexism.

And, although ageism/age discrimination is illegal, according to the Age Discrimination Employment Act, it is still incredibly widespread and is unfortunately “normalized” and commonplace amongst organizations looking to hire or organizations trying to push out those elder workers.

What does the Age Discrimination Employment Act state, you ask? According to the U.S. Department of Labor, this act “protects certain applicants and employees 40 years of age and older from discrimination on the basis of age in hiring, promotion, discharge, compensation, or terms, conditions or privileges of employment. The ADEA is enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.”

“Section 188 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) prohibits discrimination against applicants, employees and participants in WIA Title I-financially assisted programs and activities, and programs that are part of the One-Stop system, on the ground of age. In addition, WIA prohibits discrimination on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, political affiliation or belief, and for beneficiaries only, citizenship or participation in a WIA Title I-financially assisted program or activity. Section 188 of WIA is enforced by the Civil Rights Center.”

Okay, now why isn’t that working? Well, that Act only really protects those 40 and over...leaving anyone less than 40 a victim to potential ageism.

Despite preconceived ideas, ageism affects more than those deemed “too old”, it’s also something that those that are youthful, inexperienced, and below the average age have to face as well.

Furthermore, to support this claim, a GovLoop blog mentions the average age of the federal workforce coming in at 47 and a half...This age has remained between the 46-48 mark for the last 20 years. The average age of the federal workforce is 47 and a half and has been between 46 and 48 since at least the last 20 years. The blog continues, “even as millennials become the biggest cohort in the private sector, the average age of all U.S. employees has increased to 42 years old from 30 years old, just 30 years ago.”

Why does this matter? Well, if the average age in the federal workforce is 47 and overall the average age for ALL U.S. employees increased from 30 to 42...what does that mean for those in their 20’s? If they’re the age minority...what are their odds? Before we really dive into that..let’s take a look at common examples of ageism in the workplace.

Common Examples of Ageism

The following examples are from a TopResume blog:

• Learning opportunities are automatically offered to younger employees — not older ones. This can include educational coursework, access to reimbursement for continuing education, professional or industry conference attendance, etc.

• Being overlooked or passed over for challenging assignments. This may also look like an unfair share of unpleasant or tedious assignments given to older employees.

• Being left out of client meetings or company activities.

• A spoken or unspoken assumption that you are not entitled to take time off for family commitments because you don't have young kids at home.

• Disparaging comments and remarks about age. This could be framed as subtle and playful, with others joking about your age, retirement plans, slow typing speed, gasping for breath while coming up the stairs, etc. Or, it could be downright aggressive (e.g. pointed and/or cornering comments that pressure you to retire and free up the position for another professional).

• Being passed over for raises and promotions. As in our example above, this one can get tricky. Different raises and promotion decisions may indicate age-based discrimination, or they might be a reflection of individual performance.

Who is Affected?

While the majority of ageism occurs between older employees, it is also becoming more and more prevalent amongst younger employees. Older folks are affected in the ways of technology. The stereotypes are common such as: they aren’t up to date, they aren’t on social media, etc. Another common reason they’re affected so harshly is the age of the workplace - it’s getting younger and younger with more and more companies wanting fresh faces with malleable minds that can work without previous experience...

Very Well Mind says, “older adults also feel the impact of this discrimination in the workplace. According to the US Equal Opportunity Commission, almost a quarter of all claims filed by workers are related to age-based discrimination. The AARP reports that 1 in every 5 workers in the United States is over the age of 55. Nearly 65% of workers say that they have experienced age-based discrimination at work and 58% of those surveyed believe that ageism became apparent starting at age 50.” When you consider that the average age to retire is around 62-65 years old, these 50 year old workers are left with 12-15 years of working capability...only to be rejected based on age. It’s wrong. Anyway you flip it - it’s wrong. Anyone can be trained and taught if the time is given.

Speaking on the topic of the younger workforce, they too are facing a form of ageism by “being too green”. Our recruiters have even witnessed it: companies don’t want to have to invest time, money, and efforts into inexperienced college graduates. They want an entry-level position to have 3-5 years of experience when that’s just not fair or reasonable. Check out another quote from GovLoop:

It’s no wonder that survey respondents reported that discrimination on the grounds of being too young is at least as common as discrimination on the grounds of being too old and 80 percent of respondents believed that age discrimination against younger employees was a public issue in the workplace today. Age discrimination, or at least perceived age discrimination, against younger employees is a real issue in the workplace, even in the federal government.

Furthermore, speaking on the topic of ageism affecting younger workers too, a SmallBusiness blog says “co-workers and employers tended to view older people as more friendly and more competent than workers in their 20s. Younger workers are also often seen as more demanding by some employers, which works against them. Some younger workers expect flexible schedules and time off, which may be difficult for small businesses to give. Another reason for discrimination against younger worker may be their apparent lack of responsibility. According to Dana Mattoli of the "Wall Street Journal," younger workers who do not have children or family obligations are easier for businesses to lay off compared to employees who need to support a family.” Yikes - As much as that’s difficult to read and process, it’s true.

How to Stop It

No person should be rejected from an opportunity or treated differently at work solely based on age...So what do I do? Well, if you’re a Hiring Manager, it’s important to be aware of this issue. That pesky hiring bias can easily rear its ugly head here. If you need a refresher on this subject, check out our blog here. All you can really do is stay hyper-vigilant, continue to raise awareness, and counteract any preconceived bias you might have.