Preview

Age Discrimination in the Workplace - Essay

Best Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1409 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Age Discrimination in the Workplace - Essay
Age Discrimination in the Workplace

The purpose of this paper is to review six professional articles to obtain the professional consensus on age discrimination in the workplace. Ageism and age discrimination is alive and thriving in today’s workplace. Age discrimination continues to be a problem for both male and female workers over the age of 40 and more regulations should be implemented to protect workers rights in all age groups, both in the younger and older generation.
A recurring theme throughout the articles reviewed was that recruitment and training of older workers needs to be improved upon in order to combat age discrimination against older workers in the workplace. “In short, aging workers are under-represented in recruitment and training and over-represented in early exit from employment.” (Walker 371) This means that the Human Resources Department needs to be a supportive environment. It is also very clear that management plays a large role in combating age discrimination. Managers need to follow “good practice.” Good practice, in general, in the employment of older workers is defined as “action to combat age barriers, whether directly or indirectly, and providing an environment in which each individual is able to achieve his or her potential without being disadvantaged by their age.” (Walker 370)
While good practice seems to be the main component in the fight against age discrimination, there also needs to be a level of commitment from the employee. In order for an employee to feel that they can or will commit to an employer to continue working when approaching retirement age, the employee needs to know that the support from management is there for them.
As well, age discrimination is not simply limited to the “older” worker. “Our study’s goal is to investigate the pattern of reporting of age discrimination across the adult life course in order to examine the predictive validity of such reports. A life course perspective views aging as

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (n.d.). Age Discrimination. Retrieved March 14, 2009, from http://eeoc.gov/types/age.html…

    • 893 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Applewhite On Ageism

    • 1199 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In this The New York Times article, “You’re How Old? We’ll Be in Touch”, written by Ashton Applewhite, the author touches on the controversial topic of age discrimination. Ageism is the discrimination against people of a certain age. Applewhite aims to show the audience how even those individuals who have honed their skills for years and have many different professional experiences under theirs belts, still have difficulty finding work due to reason not necessarily justifiable. The author also argues that the age at which this discrimination starts is lowering, meaning that even middle age individuals may begin facing this prejudice. Applewhite, a well established author of a book targeting ageism, talks about different examples of clear discrimination…

    • 1199 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) of 1967, as amended, seeks to address the long standing problem of age discrimination in the workplace. The ADEA, which prohibits employment discrimination against persons over the age of 40, was enacted “to promote employment of older persons based on their ability rather than age; to prohibit arbitrary age discrimination in employment; [and] to help employers and workers find ways of meeting problems arising from the impact of age on employment.” The ADEA makes it unlawful for an employer “to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual or otherwise discriminate against any…

    • 1910 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) was passed by Congress to make it unlawful for an employer to base employment decisions or discriminate based on a worker’s age. It was designed to address to eliminate ageism based on stereotypes about the weakened skills of older individuals by forcing employers to judge older workers on their merits, not age-based myths, prejudices or stereotypes. The ADEA covers workers age 40 and older. The ADEA was amended by Older Workers’ Benefit Protection Act (OWBPA) in 1990 and 1998 to give workers increased protection. Due to the aging workforce, age discrimination would become more prevalent. Workplace age stereotypes are beliefs and expectations about workers based on their age (Hamilton…

    • 230 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    There have been many laws implemented and policies implemented to deal with different types of discrimination against age. Before these policies were in play it was much harder for a person of old age to get a job and their old age may have been a major…

    • 1570 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    1 The older generations often time experience unequal treatment in the workplace and are subject to prejudice and discrimination. (Pearson, 2012)…

    • 1297 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    According to text, ageism is defined as prejudice and discrimination against older adults, which reflects a deep uneasiness among young and middle-aged people about growing old. For many, old age symbolizes disease and death, which serves as a reminder that they too may become old and infirm one day. The presence of ageism influences diversity in society because the elderly are the ones afflicted by it. In society today younger generations are being hired to replace experienced older workers because some employers feel that younger workers are more productive (p. 395-396). However, if employers were to only seek younger employees there would be a lack of diversity within working environments.…

    • 2060 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    “The federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) which went into effect in 1968, was passed to protect workers 40 years of age or older from being fired because of their age and replaced with younger workers who presumably would receive lower salaries” (Schaefer, 2012, p. 396). The ADEA provides a resource when there are suspicions of age discrimination in the workplace when it comes to hiring or not promoting or training ageing workers.…

    • 1183 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    One of the oldest and most often type of discrimination is related to the age of a person. Irrespective of the fact that, it happens in every country & in every system, but mostly at workplace. It has been observed that people beyond a certain age develop a certain type of complex from their younger counterparts about their skills, their needs in the same organization.…

    • 341 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    New research from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) reveals 33 per cent of all older people experience apparent age discrimination, with less wealthy older men being at highest risk. The study highlights the high levels of age discrimination faced by older people, a situation that worsens as they age. 26.6 per cent of people aged between 52 and 59 reported age discrimination, a figure which rose to 37.2 per cent for adults aged between 70 and 79. 20.7 per cent of men over the age of 52 felt that they were accorded less courtesy because of their age, in comparison to 15.2 per cent of women. ten per cent of men and nine per cent of women over the age of 52 felt that they had received poorer service or treatment from doctors or hospitals than younger people because of their age.…

    • 887 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The aging population that experiences unfair treatment within their employment are being protected by the Age Discrimination in Employment Act since 1968. This is not a fix all for all issues within the workplace it does allow for more job security for the aging population. In each state there are programs that are designed to help the aging population procure jobs. Although stereotypes and prejudices towards our aging population, it is still an ongoing battle. Through places of employment, schooling, as well as laws that are in place we learn to adapt and change our mindsets.…

    • 1228 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Age discrimination in the workplace is more prevalent than many would care to believe. Older workers tend to be more expensive and take more time off from work, with this in mind it is not surprising that age discrimination has become one of the most common forms of discrimination in employment. While this form of discrimination is technically prohibited by statute, it is also by far the most difficult to enforce. Age discrimination differs from most discrimination laws in the fact that it must be proven that age was the dominant factor as opposed to simply being a factor. In this paper I will analyze the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 by exploring its history, and analyzing four unique cases filed…

    • 2231 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In late adulthood our society sees older adults as useless and non-existent, older adults have transitioned from operating as productive and viable workers in the workforce to facing the myths that older adults are less productive, out of touch, and incompetent. During this stage older adults begin to retire from their lifetime jobs and find the current workforce to be very intimidating and discriminatory.…

    • 615 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Personally, I have never witnessed age discrimination, but I think it is morally wrong. I feel that individuals who are older should have the same opportunities and experiences as individuals who are young. Even though the younger generation is faster and more prone to succeeding with technology, older individuals have experience and wisdom to help and assist their consumers and clients. Because I have a passion for the older generation, I believe it is important to make them feel wanted and needed in our daily tasks and events. I have a very close family friend who is approximately 80 years old, and she continues to work for my local Walmart in my hometown. She has been with the company for a very long time, and although she cannot perform…

    • 263 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    econ 112

    • 473 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Nkomo, Fottler, & McAfee, Applications in Human Resources Management: Cases, Exercises, Incidents, and Skill Builders, 7th ed. (Cengage, 2011). ISBN: 0-538-54807-6…

    • 473 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays