Older people are treated with considerable respect in certain cultures. They are valued for the wisdom they have accrued over time, wisdom they can share with those younger than them. Sadly, that’s not always true in U.S. workplaces where getting older is sometimes viewed as a sign that a person would hinder rather than enrich the business.
These beliefs can sometimes translate into discriminatory actions against employees. Here are some of the stages of employment at which an employer might commit age discrimination.
1. Hiring for jobs
Employers may discard applications from people of a certain age or give them less weight. It might not even be a person doing it, but the computer program used to filter applicants, due to the parameters someone programmed in long ago. Employers sometimes use AI to try and eliminate such discrimination, but if it is fed recruitment data from a system that has traditionally been discriminatory based on age, then it can perpetrate that same way of thinking.
2. Training and promoting staff
Employers want value when they train someone, and they sometimes decide they will get more value out of training someone who is younger than someone who is older. Their theory is that the person will stay with the company longer, but even that is misguided. It may also be unlawful.
3. Laying off staff
Employers sometimes need to make cuts, but they must ensure that age does not enter into their decision-making. While it may seem logical to them to terminate a person who is close to retirement rather than one with a long way to go, acting on that thought could amount to discrimination.
California gives employees over 40 protection against age discrimination in the workplace. Those affected may want help to examine their options.