Preventing Ageism in the Workplace Creating an Inclusive Environment

Despite regulations dictated by the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) and the fact that extensive research has found no relationship between a person’s age and their job performance, age discrimination (or ageism) remains a prevalent issue in the workplace. Ageism is the unfair or unequal treatment of an individual by an employer or coworkers on the basis of the individual’s age and is typically directed towards individuals that are 40 years of age or older. Age discrimination costs American businesses millions of dollars and, as the “baby-boomer” generation gets older, such costs are likely to increase exponentially. In Fiscal Year 2008, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) received 24,582 charges of age discrimination. Of the charges received, the EEOC resolved 21,415 charges and recovered $82.8 million in monetary benefits for charging parties and other aggrieved individuals (not including monetary benefits obtained through litigation). Age discrimination also carries other consequences than just the monetary costs incurred by firms. When age discrimination is present, the firm is missing out on opportunities to capitalize on the unique characteristics of their employees.

It is a typically held belief that older workers who have more experience in customer relations will show better judgment in making work-related decisions and care more about the quality of their work. Older workers are also less likely to quit, show up to work late, or be absent. Unfortunately, the more negative aspects of employing older workers tend to dominate people’s perspectives of employing older individuals. For example, older workers tend to get paid a higher salary, have pension plans and take more vacation time compared to their younger counterparts. The negative assumptions of employing older workers only serve to put a damper on an organization’s culture and are completely unjustifiable considering that, as stated previously, no correlation has been found between age and job performance. Furthermore, age discrimination can create a hostile work environment which interferes with work performance, morale and retaining employees, particularly older workers.

With such negative implications, it is imperative for an enterprise to keep ageism (and all other types of discrimination) under control. However, age discrimination can be hard to identify, and even harder to prevent; there are some prejudices that reveal themselves much more subconsciously.

The first step in preventing age discrimination in the workplace is to understand exactly what it is and identify potential problems within your organization or company. Some employees may hold biases they are not aware of and can be exposed in using the proper techniques. Effective training sessions that extend beyond a simple information session and focus on behavioral reform can raise employee awareness of discriminatory practices.

An enterprise should also clearly communicate the organization’s age discrimination policy by posting it on bulletin boards or on the company intranet. The policy should include harassment definitions, remedies, consequences, reporting procedures, grievance processes and anti-retaliation language. Employees need to understand that the company takes age discrimination seriously. This practice will also make older employees feel more valued.

Another preventative measure to take is to place job advertisements where they will reach workers of all ages. There should not be a “date of birth” section on any job application forms. Instead, the emphasis should be placed on experience, skills and ability – what an individual can bring to an organization. Also, when interviewing, a company should employ a mixed-age interview panel in the selection process whenever possible. These interviewers should focus on job-related questions and make their hiring decisions as free from prejudice or stereotypes as possible (as mentioned previously, some individuals have hidden biases).

Other ways that organizations can go about preventing age discrimination in the workplace include making sure that everyone who interviews candidates is familiar with age discrimination laws; communicating that salary requirements will be based on experience and performance, not on age; emphasizing skills, abilities, and potential to employees; and avoiding age cutoffs for promotions or training. Also, peer-to-peer mentoring can be a tremendous aid to employees. Workers of any age can pass on their experience, and help others develop themselves through the use of their peer’s knowledge, skills and expertise. It is also important to have managers set a good example in their interaction with older employees.

All in all, organizations need to be proactive in their attempts to eliminate age discrimination in the workplace and create an inclusive environment. Every employee, regardless of age, should feel welcomed when they walk into their workplace. Failure to provide individuals with this type of environment will ultimately prohibit their productivity, which will, in turn, mal effect the entire company.

Sources:

http://www.eeoc.gov/types/age.html

http://www.allbusiness.com/legal/labor-employment-law-discrimination-racial/11414718-1.html

http://www.allbusiness.com/human-resources/workplace-health-safety-employment/11441-1.html