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Age Discrimination in the Modern Workplace

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Introduction

Over the last decades, the issue of age discrimination has become a popular topic. Despite the fact that the law pertaining to age discrimination has been in existence for many years, the issue remains pervasive in the modern-day workplace. A current survey carried out by AARP reveals that older workers are greatly concerned about the security of their jobs. The workplace, which is a small-scale version of a society, reflects the biases and the stereotypes that are part of the national social environment. Roscigno et al. (2007, p. 313) remarks: “Age has been and continues to be, an important cultural dimension of status in our society." When there is an age bias in the organization negatively affecting major decisions such as employment and promotion opportunities, then age discrimination is actually taking place.

Age discrimination takes place when individuals are denied employment, paid less, dismissed from their jobs or denied promotions, as well as other benefits due to their age. Age discrimination can be categorized using two separate dimensions. First, age discrimination can be categorized as a system of negative stereotypes, attitudes, and beliefs. Secondly, it can be categorized as a behaviour that excludes a specific category of individuals and disadvantages them compared to others because of their age (Shah and Kleiner, 2005, p. xx).

Ageism

Age discrimination has persisted over several decades and in the modern-day, it has become more visible and more so in the developed countries. Butler (1969) cited by Snape and Redman (2003) describes how the term “ageism” attributed only to age discrimination against the old people in the past. Currently, ageism is now a concept that defines any bias or discrimination against or in favour of any age group. Age discrimination can thus be based on grounds of either being too old or too young. Therefore, Ageism may involve certain organizational culture and beliefs concerning an individual’s age.

In some organizations, younger workers are perceived as disloyal thus such an organization will prefer to work with older individuals rather than younger ones. Such perceptions often translate to discriminatory actions (Snape and Redman, 2003). Correspondingly, different sectors have differing aspects of what constitutes an old worker. For instance, in the advertisement and IT industry, a 40-year-old worker is considered “too old.” This lack of readily identifiable and consistency in the age of individuals makes the issue of age discrimination difficult to fight through legislation. Moreover, in the U.S only workers above the age of 40 are protected against age discrimination. This is unlike the UK where even the young individuals are part of the protected group (Sargeant, 2006).

For instance, a middle aged worker may be condemned for failure of having progressed to a particular level that is deemed right for their age. Conversely, in the developed countries, older workers, and to some extent, new entrants are unreasonably affected by age discrimination. In a certain study concerning people’s perception of diverse age groups, Snape and Redman (2003) pointed out that both younger and older workers were much aware that they were facing discrimination while compared to other cohorts.

The kind of discrimination young people and the old ones face are, however, different. However, both still constitute age discrimination thus legal aid should be instilled. In an analysis that looked at the age group of individuals between 16-19 years, most left their jobs through resignation. Their reasons for resignation are diverse. However, in another analysis where individuals were above 50 years old, the percentage of individuals who left through resignation was minimal. Reason being, at the age of 50, it is unlikely that an individual will get another job. Therefore, when they resign, it means that they have left the workforce (Snape and Redman, 2003).

In a survey carried out by Sargeant (2006) that intended to show how the old and young workers face age discrimination differently; it was discovered that, younger workers faced discrimination when it comes to promotions, pensions, and redundancy. In most organizations, promotions come with the length of time one has been in the organization and their experience level. The survey discovered some instances where young workers felt that they were denied promotion opportunity due to their age. Sargeant’s comments are echoed by Rupp, Vodanovich and Crede (2006) who also highlighted that some organization considers age as a basis for promotion.

Job advertisements in the newspapers carry a certain age range, and more specifically, for entry level jobs. The resultant of this is that, older individuals face longer periods of joblessness as years pass. A fresh graduate who stays for almost two years without a job may fall out of the entry level criteria despite the fact that they are indeed new entrants. The age tag that some jobs carry prohibits some individuals from getting employment even when they may be equally qualified. The result of this is desperation and could make some individuals to opt for other unethical means to sustain themselves.

Perceptions of the Old Worker

Age discrimination is not an uncommon occurrence in the workplace. It occurs in almost all types of industries. The most common misperception about the old worker involves; technological ignorance, rigidity, lack of energy, and hard to break habits. Such attitudes and perceptions concerning the old worker should not exist in the professional community. However, they are widespread in almost every organization. The society’s perception of the older people has been crafted in a particular way and most certainly become the “factual truth”.

In the past, the debate of ageism rotated around older workers. Workers were discriminated against when it came to their exit time. Currently, the cycle has not changed much. Older workers face mandatory retirement. When employees reach a certain age, most are ejected from their workplace, only because their time has come to exit the workforce. Most organizations have a stipulated age, where, when an individual attains, they should exit. Individuals, who wish to continue with their work, most of the times, are denied the chance (Snape and Redman, 2003).

In the modern workplace, older people are perceived to be slow and have poor memories. Researchers denote these as “descriptive stereotypes.” Due to this kind of generalization about old people, they face massive discrimination in the workplace. The society has a general attitude towards the older working force. This attitude has been attained from the notion that older people should exit to make way for the younger ones. In some way, this notion is true. However, the extent to which society generalizes all old people to have a poor memory and to be slow, is rather discriminative and disrespectful (Rupp, Vodanovich and Crede, 2006).

Roscigno et al. (2007) implies that employers play a role in decreasing stereotypes and discriminatory behaviours towards the older people. In most instances, they mitigate against ageism in their organizations hoping to maintain a highly skilled and well-trained workforce. However, in other instances, they find themselves guilty of stereotyping and discriminating and are quick to justify their actions as a cost cutting intervention. Substituting older workers with younger ones is viewed by most employers as a “cost-saving technique”. This theory helps in understanding age discrimination in the workplace.

Preventing Age Discrimination

Irrespective of an individual’s age, every person should be approached with respect and dignity. In most cases, stereotypes concerning age greatly influence an employer’s decision on promotion, retirement, recruitment, redundancy, and training. There are several steps that every employer should embrace so as to avoid age discrimination. Implementing these steps can help an employer attract, retain and even motivate decent staff. Moreover, avoiding age discrimination at all times enhances the reputation of an employer (Shah and Kleiner, 2005).

Age Discrimination in the workplace can at certain times be very costly. Individuals get hurt, and their morale is undermined leading to disruptions in the office. Employers should, therefore, ensure that their workplace is free of age discrimination. AARP published an article to assist employers in understanding age discrimination laws and how to promote and encourage employees’ age equity, thus preventing age discrimination disputes (AARP, 2006).

Eliminating age discrimination lies in the hands of every organization and also the society. First, organizations should trounce myths concerning age. The branding associated with older and younger generation should be demolished. Often, there is a generalization of what older people cannot do, and the same goes for the younger people. Eradicating this myth is the onset of an age free discriminating culture. Secondly, the executives should educate their supervisors and branch managers especially the human resource managers, about the effects of age discrimination and its impacts on the organization's financial situation and reputation. This will ensure that the managers abhor age discriminatory practices (Shah and Kleiner, 2005).

On the other hand, the government plays a vital role in ensuring that its citizens are not discriminated against due to their age. There are laws that intend to prevent the occurrence of age discrimination in the workplace. In the United States, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act protects employees from the age of 40 years from being discriminated on the age basis. In the UK, the Equality Act protects individuals against ageism and ensures organizations enforce equality in their organizations. The government imposes strict punishment for those individuals who are found guilty of age discrimination practices (AARP, 2006).

References

AARP. (2006) Age Discrimination: What Employers Need to Know. Available from01 E Street, NW, Washington DC website: Available from [Accessed: 18th March, 2015].

Roscigno, V. J., Mong, S., Byron, R., & Tester, G. (2007) Age Discrimination, Social Closure and Employment. Social Forces, 86(1), pp. 314-334.

Rupp, D. E., Vodanovich, S. J., & Crede, M (2006) Age Bias in the Workplace: The Impact of Ageism and Causal Attributions1. Journal of Applied Social Psychology [internet], 36(6), pp. 1337-1364. Available from doi:10.1111/j.0021-9029.2006.00062.x [ Accessed: 18th March, 2015].

Sargeant, M. (2006) Age discrimination in employment. Aldershot, Hampshire: Ashgate.

Shah, P., & Kleiner, B. (2005) New developments concerning age discrimination in the workplace. Equal Opportunities International [internet], 24(5/6), pp. 15-23. Available from doi:10.1108/02610150510788114 [ Accessed: 18th March, 2015].

Snape, E., & Redman, T. (2003) Too Young or too Old? The Impact of Perceived Age Discrimination. human resource management journal, 13(1), pp. 78-89.

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