Ageism in the workplace is a real and pressing issue worsening with time. More and more employees are working longer than before, a trend likely to continue. For example, while in the 1990s, only 15% of American men aged between 65 and 69 worked, now nearly 40% do.

Ageism in the workplace is a real and pressing issue worsening with time. More and more employees are working longer than before, a trend likely to continue. For example, while in the 1990s, only 15% of American men aged between 65 and 69 worked, now nearly 40% do.

These numbers will further skyrocket over the next few decades. The World Health Organization (WHO) expects the proportion of the world’s population over 60 will nearly double from 12% to 22% by 2050, resulting in an older working population.

Ageism can be defined as stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination towards others or oneself based on age. Age discrimination is an aspect of ageism where an employer treats an applicant or employee less favorably because of their age.

Ageism isn’t just an unpleasant reality that older workers must learn to deal with. Perceived age discrimination negatively impacts older adults’ mental health and job satisfaction levels.

An AARP survey found that 1 in 4 workers aged 45 or older has had negative comments about their age from co-workers and are potential victims of age discrimination. A further 3 in 5 older workers have seen or experienced age discrimination in the workplace.

The age discrimination in employment act of 1967 (ADEA) forbids age discrimination against people 40 years of age or older. Despite this, the unemployment rate for US workers aged 65 and older was 2.5 times higher in 2020 than during the 2008-2009 recession, a trend attributed to worsening economic conditions that are often a precursor for age discrimination. As a result, the prevalence of age discrimination claims may increase in the future.

With an aging workforce, the issue of ageism becomes significant. Given the potential impact of ageism on mental health and job satisfaction, employers must identify and tackle it before it creates lasting consequences for the company and employees alike.

A deep dive: how ageism is impacting older workers

Ageism is a form of discrimination that can harm mental and physical health and job satisfaction. It can lead to social isolation, loneliness, financial insecurity, and even premature death.

Older workers often feel alienated from the workplace, which can lead to depression and other mental health problems. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that more than 6 million depression cases globally can be attributed to ageism.

A US study found that women who experienced age discrimination at work were more likely to report depressive symptoms than those who didn’t. The study further found that ageism caused women to experience high levels of perceived financial strain and lower life satisfaction. The study concluded that age discrimination could result in long-term mental health impacts.

Ageism can lead to physical health problems, too.

Because we can internalize ageism, older people sometimes stop looking after themselves due to ageist beliefs about their ability to maintain healthy habits in older age. They may stop working out, for example, as they have a false impression that older people are physically frail by default. This attitude subsequently raises instances of cardiovascular disease and memory impairment and creates a lower will to live in general.

Ageism is a severe problem that employers must address to ensure that older workers can stay healthy and happy in the workplace.

Signs your workplace culture is encouraging ageism

There are many ways that workplace culture can encourage ageism. For example, some workplaces have a negative attitude towards older employees, seeing them as less capable or productive than younger workers. Such a culture can lead to ageist attitudes and behaviors from managers and employees.

Workplaces can also be ageist through the way they treat older employees. For example, ageism can be perpetuated by employers who force workers to retire at a certain age, even if they are still capable and want to keep working. This can leave older workers feeling devalued and unimportant.

Such actions could also be defined as age discrimination and may be dealt with by the equal employment opportunity commission (EEOC).

But there are more subtle signs of ageism that could point to a workplace culture that tolerates, or even condones, age discrimination. These include:

• Only offering professional development and learning opportunities to younger employees and leaving older workers out.
• Leaving older workers out of client meetings and opting for younger workers to be the face of the company.
• Giving younger workers challenging and interesting new projects but leaving older workers with tedious job assignments that won’t lead to professional development or promotions.
• Clearly preferring to promote younger workers, sometimes with less experience, over older workers.
• Promoting a culture where only young workers with children can have flexible time off.
• Conducting layoffs targeting older workers. An example would be where layoffs target those earning higher salaries.

But ageism can start as early as the hiring process. Hiring managers might inadvertently include ageist language like ‘energetic’ or ‘fresh out of college’ in their job descriptions. They might use words like ‘overqualified’ when they reject older applicants.

Individually, this doesn’t necessarily point to age discrimination, and decision-making processes about hiring can be complex. However, if companies use ageist language combined with a clear hiring pattern where only younger workers seem to get jobs, that points to a potential breach of age discrimination law.

How can workplace culture tackle ageism?

Workplace culture plays a pivotal role in the fight against age discrimination. An open and transparent workplace culture that celebrates people of all ages and has a zero-tolerance policy toward discrimination is likely to discourage ageist attitudes.

Offer diversity and legal training for all staff

Education and training are among the best ways to tackle ageism in the workplace by making all workers aware of their unconscious biases.

All staff, from managers to entry-level employees, should be offered training on identifying and dealing with ageism. Frequent refresher courses should happen, too, to show team members that this is a vital issue everyone in the team should take seriously.

This type of training should cover the different types of ageism that might exist in the workplace, such as ageist language or attitudes, unequal treatment of older workers, and aspects of ageism that could be illegal under the ADEA.

Comprehensive workshops ensure that people are aware of the dangers of ageism and how to prevent ageism in the workplace. But, offering training makes sense from a business perspective too.

Ensuring compliance with ADEA makes it less likely that older workers will feel the need to file age discrimination claims. Comprehensive training, therefore, fosters a work culture that discourages ageism while protecting the company.

Implement a zero-tolerance policy toward any forms of discrimination

Employers should adopt a zero-tolerance policy toward discrimination to send a clear message that they won’t tolerate ageism in the workplace.

Any policy should include procedures for investigating any complaints of ageism and outline the possible disciplinary action against those found guilty of discriminatory behavior.

Ageism is as serious as other types of discrimination. Just like you would not tolerate sexist jokes, nor should comments disparaging people based on their age be acceptable.

The goal is to create a work environment where older people feel safe and where their civil rights are respected.

Robust policies regarding hiring and promotions

Businesses should also implement robust policies when it comes to hiring and promotions. This should include clear guidelines on how they make such decisions, what factors they consider, and how they assess candidates.

These policies must be transparent and fair so that all employees are aware of your expectations and know they have a chance to be promoted based on their skills, experience, and job performance, rather than their age.

The correct hiring practices are critical here too. For instance, hiring managers might introduce a policy where they abstain from using LinkedIn to look up potential candidates when shortlisting CVs. This means they won’t come across revealing information about a candidate’s age and therefore risk unconscious bias.

Sometimes affirmative action is what’s needed to shape workplace culture. For example, if a business has been hiring lots of young millennials and ignoring applications from senior applicants, it may need to intentionally hire older people to tip the scales.

Studies show that mixed-age teams are more productive than teams in the same age bracket, so this makes business sense too.

Businesses may need to implement a formal strategy to recruit older workers to achieve this.

Encourage transparency and open communication

Encouraging transparency and open communication is another way to tackle ageism in the workplace. This means that employers should be open and honest with their employees about their policies, procedures, and attitude toward ageism.

Employees should also feel comfortable discussing any concerns with their managers without fear of retribution. This open communication can help build trust and a sense of community within the workplace.

If older workers feel empowered to bring up issues as and when they arise, rather than letting them stew before they become a bigger problem, they’re more likely to resolve the matter in-house rather than feeling the need to file an age discrimination claim. This benefits the company and shows that the business is well equipped to handle age discrimination issues.

Another way to tackle ageism is to raise awareness about the issue. Employers can do this through various initiatives, such as organizing events or campaigns to discuss ageism in the workplace. For example, this could involve inviting guest speakers to talk about their experiences with ageism in the workplace or sharing stories and resources on how to deal with ageism.

Champion older workers for their loyalty and knowledge

While it is essential to address the issue of ageism, businesses should also champion older workers for their dedication and expertise. Older workers often have a lot to offer in terms of skills and experience and can be valuable assets to any team.

There is a lot to celebrate when it comes to older workers! They tend to stay in jobs longer, with average tenures of around 10.4 years for workers over 55 across all industries. This is three times higher than the median tenure for younger workers aged 25 to 34, who, on average, stay in jobs for around three years.

Because older workers stay with the business longer, they carry business knowledge that they can pass on to new recruits. They also build relationships with customers who are glad to be served by the same person repeatedly.

Businesses should celebrate the achievements of older workers and promote them as role models. This will help change the perception of aging in society and show that older workers are still an essential part of the workforce.

Tackling ageism in the workplace through culture changes

Ageism in the workplace is a real issue that businesses must address promptly. Workplace ageism can cause multiple health issues, and employers should tackle it before it becomes prevalent.

Workplace ageism could manifest itself through offhand comments about people’s age or only hiring young people, for example. Even questions about older people’s retirement plans could indicate an age bias.

But businesses can prevent workplace ageism by molding their culture to discourage all forms of discrimination. Companies could achieve this through sensitivity training, a zero-tolerance policy towards ageist comments, and robust policies regarding hiring practices and promoting employees.

Keeping the lines of communication open and encouraging transparency is also key to tackling ageism. Addressing workplace ageism promptly and thoroughly will create a more inclusive and age-friendly workplace.