A recent AARP article, aimed at the organization’s member audience, contains information for older job seekers. It also contains a veiled, two-part warning for employers: Discriminating against older workers is illegal; age discrimination is widespread.
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Employers would be wise to take note of several points the article makes, as more older job seeker are now armed with this information and on the lookout for discrimination.
Widespread Reach
AARP is not a small organization. Formerly known as the American Association for Retired Persons, the nonprofit serves Americans 50 years of age and older and boasts 38 million members.
The article, “Age Discrimination Goes Online,” appears in the December 2017 issue of the association’s free print publication AARP Bulletin, which members receive via U.S. mail. It also appears at the AARP website.
The Message
The print article includes the subheading “50 years after the landmark legislation to protect older workers, bias is on the rise in job recruiting,” while the subheading of the online version reads, “50 years after landmark legislation, bias is on the rise.”
Citing U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) data, the article points to how a rise in age discrimination claims filed with the EEOC and subsequent award amounts coincide with the rise of the internet.
It also cites an AARP survey that finds 72 percent of women and 57 percent of men answered “yes” when asked, “Do you think workers face age discrimination in the workplace today?” Among respondents age 45 to 56, 62 percent responded “yes”; among respondents 57 to 64, the number jumps to 71 percent.
In addition, the article explains how online recruiting facilitates age discrimination.
Employer Takeaways
Among the examples it cites are “many online applications use drop-down menus that only go back to the 1980s, effectively screening out anyone who graduated or had work experience before those dates.”
It also notes that “some” online applications “require birth dates, and if you try to skip the question, the application won’t be accepted.”
Additionally, the article indicates that “some job listings now state a preference for ‘digital natives’—people who grew up using computers—deterring those over 40.”
While these are generalizations, they should not go unheeded. An article with this reach and these comments should have recruiters and hiring companies scurrying to review their online application, job ads, and hiring processes.
Even though an employer may never intentionally discriminate against older workers, job seeker perception matters—a lot. Therefore, when conducting a review, look at your company through an older applicant’s eyes.
If you’re still not convinced that this issue requires your attention, consider this: The online version of the AARP article links to “Age Discrimination: 10 Facts” and a video titled “Signs of Age Discrimination.”
AARP also advises its members that the average EEOC settlement award for an age discrimination charge with a favorable outcome is $26,600.
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Paula Santonocito, Contributing Editor for Recruiting Daily Advisor, is a business journalist specializing in employment issues. She is the author of more than 1,000 articles on a wide range of human resource and career topics, with an emphasis on recruiting and hiring. Her articles have been featured in many global and domestic publications and information outlets, referenced in academic and legal publications as well as books, and translated into several languages. |