Age discrimination should be avoided at all costs; it’s bad for business and could land your company in a legal battle. However, a new study released by phsy.org reveals that almost a third of Australians surveyed say they’ve faced age-based discrimination as young as 45 years old.
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According to the study, which included information from a survey of 2,100 Australian men and women aged 45 years and over, the most common form of perceived discrimination was negative assumptions about older workers’ skills, learning abilities, or cognition. Respondents also reported limited or no opportunities for promotion or training, working in an organization that undervalued them, and difficulty securing work because of age.
Respondents cited the most common forms of age-based discrimination being limited employment, promotion, or training opportunities and perceptions that older people have outdated skills or are too slow to learn new things.
Older adults in the study described a subtle pressure from their colleagues and management to stop working in order to “make room for the younger generation.” This was regardless of their experience, enduring capabilities, or working preferences. Workers also faced patronizing attitudes, where employers or colleagues assumed they would struggle to pick up new technology or work systems quickly because of their age. Some survey participants felt they were not afforded the same promotional or training opportunities as their younger colleagues.
Experiences differed for men and women in the survey. Men were more likely to suggest discrimination based on assumptions about their physical abilities or working pace, and women reported the organization they worked for undervaluing older workers as a group. To avoid discrimination, respondents reported using strategies such as minimizing health conditions, concealing their age, or maintaining a “youthful” appearance when it came to applying for jobs or new positions.
According to the study, age-related discrimination traverses all industries in disturbing proportions. Industries where age discrimination was particularly common included construction, administrative services, education, manufacturing, information technology, and professional service industries.
Over two-thirds of retirees in the study, who had experienced age-related discrimination, attributed their retirement to involuntary factors such as “having no choice,” joblessness, or dismissal. Negative experiences at work (with a colleague, management, or client) or dissatisfaction with organizational changes were often the triggering events for retirement.
Education, training, and a steady working history were not guaranteed to help survey participants in their search for employment. Some respondents had found it necessary to accept work for which they felt overqualified. Jobseeker services in particular were considered ill-equipped to assist older, highly experienced, and often well-educated adults. These findings are in line with similar research in which study participants interpreted suggestions from potential employees that they were overqualified or overexperienced for a role to mean they were “too old.”
The study implies that younger managers can feel intimidated by older workers. This may be based on concerns regarding an older employee’s ability to take instruction from somebody younger, learn new work methods and technologies, or readily adopt change.
While this study only applies to Australians, U.S. employers should note that it is illegal to discriminate against an employee or job applicant on the basis of age. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) prohibits employers with 20 or more employees from discriminating against employees and applicants on the basis of age (29 USC 621 et seq.). The ADEA protects individuals who are 40 years of age or older. The laws of individual states or municipalities may set a lower age limit at which the age-bias laws apply.