We live in an age of -isms. Some communicate community and common interests, like feminism or nationalism. Many signal prejudice, oppression and alienation, like racism, antisemitism, nepotism, and sexism. Others simply categorize, like absurdism, cubism, and socialism. Some are ancient, like Catholicism, while others are newer, like lesbianism or transsexualism. Isms are philosophical categories that shape reality, provide public identity, and drive action.
There is one -ism that has yet to receive much attention: ageism. Ageism is defined as derogatory prejudice aimed at those who are of different ages. A substantial amount of the nation’s workforce is above 60. This group has enormous experience over their 40-year careers. They have worked for several firms, in numerous locations, and assumed varying positions, providing a breadth of exposure. They are seasoned veterans who were loyal. They are core competencies nested in experience.
An accessible example is the movie The Intern where the older protagonist takes an internship at an online fashion firm. He arrives at work in a suit and tie whereas his fellow workers wear shorts and T-shirts. Flummoxed at first, he sees through the glitz, and identifies fundamental issues yet struggles with skepticism because of his age. Old school, his ideas save this new model company,
How Ageism Manifests
According to The Bureau of Labor Statistics, 23% of the US workforce is 55 or over with another 19% being 45-55. It’s estimated that 93% of adults ages 50-80 experience some form of ageism daily. This trend is supported by a 2022 AARP study among workers aged 40-65 years reported that 80% of them witnessed or experienced ageism in their workplace. Half of the people reported they were asked to show their birth date at the time of application. The AARP states these trends demonstrate nearly two in three adults acknowledge age discrimination as a common form of workplace discrimination.
Major corporations and government agencies have been called out for the practice of ageism. In 2022, pharmaceutical giant and Olympic sponsor Elli Lilly had an Equal Employment Opportunity lawsuit pending about bias in hiring younger as opposed to equally qualified older people. In 2023, The Washington Post featured a report about a 95-year-old federal judge was forced out of her job because of her age. Another example of ageism from the BBC is the 49-year-old executive who was told to remove graduation dates on LinkedIn to prevent potential employers from calculating his age.
Birth rates have diminished over the last three decades. Organizations have shifted towards more inclusive policies. Older employees are not part of these inclusive policies. In fact, the segment of America’s workforce that is growing over the next ten years is those 75 years and older. To effectively address ageism in the workplace, we must be able to identify ageism in its obvious and nonobvious forms. Coded remarks, unbalanced hiring, layoffs, ability assumptions, and segregation are all common ways ageism presents itself, according to AARP. In addition to identifying ageism, understanding its influences on the workplace and organizational performance, can help create a culture of diversity and inclusion by drawing from the full range of talented people.
Ageism has toxic effects on the psychological well-being and overall performance of an organization. A 2022 review in Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine highlights how age discrimination triggers anxiety and depression. The belief is that older people are just not capable. Yet research shows that older workers are at least as productive as younger ones.
Ages Past
For all time societies have revered older people for their determination and wisdom. Colonel Harland Sanders founded KFC at age 62, Grandma Moses began painting in her 70s, and Ray Kroc expanded McDonald’s at age 52. Laura Ingalls Wilder published her first “Little House” book at 65. Julia Child published her first cookbook at age 49 and became a TV chef in her 50s. They were all leaders in their fields. They just hit their stride a little later in their lives.
Why does ageism persist? Maybe it’s a belief in a “new paradigm” where work has evolved to the extent that the half-life of knowledge and contribution has expired. Maybe, bizarrely, it’s a bulwark of the terror of growing old. Maybe it’s just a youthful uprising. As Dylan sang fifty years ago: “Your old road is rapidly changing. Please get out of the new one if you can’t lend a hand.”
Ages Forward
Countering ageism is among the many forward-thinking organizations must address. The DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) movement has gained fair ground. But where is ageism listed among the prejudices that erode human value? How do we preserve and celebrate those with 40 years of experience and a round eye to the past and a sharp one to the future? Here are a few recommendations to counter ageism.
- Emphasize that age is an element of diversity to be welcomed and valued.
- Educate the workforce that older employees are repositories of history, culture, and other informal elements that contribute to success.
- Communicate that older employees have invaluable nested institutional knowledge.
- Encourage interactions across the entire firm so that social bonds are formed.
- Promote that your organization explicitly embraces age as part of its framework and action for advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Aesop’s able “The Tortious and the Hare” depicts a running contest in which the hare is clearly superior. In arrogance, the hare naps, confident of victory. The determined steadiness of the tortious leads to ultimate victory. The tectonic shift in age distribution and technological advance are the hare. Swift, sleek, and current. Those older employees are the tortuous. Steady, stalwart, and secure. These two forces—swift and steady—are natural partners: collaborative, not competitive.
Ageism is prejudice. More importantly, the disposal of such a precious organizational resource is folly. Leaders should commit themselves to integrating younger and older employees in a manner that capitalizes and energizes their joint potential.
If sustainable and meaningful change regarding ageism is to take place, it must start with a Human Resources (HR) solution. HR associates have been dealing with unjustified dismissals for decades. They know the process and the law. HR is by far the best qualified to craft policy that protects older folks from being arbitrarily discharged. However, as always, HR needs the unwavering support of the C-suite and the Board of Directors. Both of those parties are quick to highlight progressive policies and equally quick to defund or drift them. Perhaps it’s worth reminding these distinguished ladies and gentlemen that they got to the top through long and worthy tenures. That the very thing that lifted them to the rarified air they now breath was experience, learning, success, failing, diversity, and more. Perhaps then the HR recommendations will hold sway.
James R. Bailey, Professor of Leadership at George Washington University.