The Bias no one is talking about and it's probably hurting your bottom line!

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) protects certain applicants and employees 40 years of age and older from discrimination on the basis of age in hiring, promotion, discharge, compensation, or terms, conditions or privileges of employment.

Lately there has been a lot of focus on greater promotion of women and people of color into roles of authority. It has always been my own perspective, as should everyone’s, to turn a blind eye to all but an individual’s ability when looking to fill any role. This should always be the case as dictated by integrity, logic, and by law.

In conjunction with this focus we are all inculcated with a plethora of educational requirements regarding Anti-Harassment, Foreign & Corrupt Practices (FICPA), and other compliance training requirements. Significant emphasis has also been placed on “Generational” training with the focus primarily targeted on helping companies ensure they create a welcome environment for the Millennial Generation. From the perspective of the changing demographics this is understandable. On the other hand, from data that indicate changing values among the generations and a large number of Boomers that are postponing retirement, perhaps this “one size fits all” approach is foolhardy. For a quick perspective on the generations here is information from the nationally representative Monitoring the Future project  that has surveyed half a million high school seniors since 1976. Here’s how the generations answered three questions relevant for work ethic:

Boomers             Gen X                   Millennial

Don't want to work hard              26%                       30%                       38%

Willing to work overtime             59%                       56%                       47%

If had enough money                    22%                       26%                       29%

would not want to work

The one thing that seems to be blatantly missing is any real focus on continued hiring of those over 40, 50, 60, or beyond. There also seems to be an absence of any true reference to age discrimination in compliance training materials. It is included but most focus seems disproportionately focused on gender or racial discrimination issues. It would be interesting to have members respond with real data on how many recent company hires are in the over 40, 50, 60, or older category and what level positions they are hired for?

How many of you out there over 40, 50 or more have had great phone interviews only to experience the “look” once you show up in person. Or interview with the hiring manager, someone of your own age group, have them tell you that “you’re just what they’re looking for” then crash and burn with the more junior members of their team. Are you one who has seen a change in their demeanor when they meet you in person and realize your age? Or have you received a “thank you but we decided to go with another candidate whose qualifications more closely match our requirements” only to see the job posted for another 6 months. For all the training taking place to make Millennial and other generations are welcome and ensure the workforce adjusts to their generation, one is not sure this is a two-way street. Is this any more ethical than discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, or any other protected category? We all know the answer. What is your view?