What's Age Got To Do With It?

Over the last few months, I've read a lot of articles (most recently this one: Mid-career workers face hiring bias). Note: the comments are worth reading. And I've had quite a few conversations around age discrimination in the workforce - particularly people over the age of 45 being overlooked for promotions, as well as jobs with other companies. As someone who is over 40, I wanted to weigh in on this. So that's what I'm doing with my lunch hour today.

First of all, not only is this bias, it's discrimination...and it's absolutely shameful and disgusting. Yes, I said disgusting, because the very definition of "disgusting" is atrocious, foul, horrid, nasty, nauseating, offensive, repellent, repulsive, revolting, sickening, ugly, unwholesome, vile. Though I have not yet had this happen to me (or if it has, I'm not aware), it has happened and continues to happen to many people - including people I know.

Second...I'm tired of it! Seriously! Where do companies (hiring managers, recruiters, decision makers) get off "turning their noses up" at and overlooking people 45 and older?!?

Another article from 2020 that dives into this: Americans over 40 are half as likely to get hired - and it's worse for workers over 50. Check out this statistic from the study referenced in this article.

When managers could determine an applicant’s age group, those over 40 were between 46% and 65% less likely to get a job offer than those under 40.

Who determines what age is "too old"? What does "over-qualified" even mean? And who decided that anyone under the age of 45 is more qualified, smarter, is a better fit with the company culture, is more open-minded (I could go on and on) than someone 45 and older? Can someone please give me a clue? I've gone through this over and over in my head and just can't come up with a logical answer.

Ageism is "alive and well". Comments that older workers don’t understand the technology and social media or can’t work as hard is an example of age discrimination. If a company only spends time with the younger workers, that might be a sign of discrimination. If a company only lays off older workers, and then have younger workers be assigned their job duties under a different job title, or hire a younger person externally, this could be a sign of discrimination. And these things happen more often than anyone knows. Most often it never gets reported - unfortunately.

And I want to address one of the responses to the article referenced above. The comment was, "What I am reading in this article is that Gen Xers are victims. That is so not true! Victim hood is off putting to everyone. Who wants to hire someone who doesn’t take charge of their own career? Everyone has a choice in their careers. Be proactive and go get training. There is no excuse not to. You can go back to school online now, get certifications online. Invest in yourself and don’t wait for a company to do it. That should be reflected in your resume and in your conversations with recruiters. No matter what age you are, we are each responsible for our own paths."

I can only speak for people I know...and for myself. I am NOT a victim. And I AM in charge of my own career - and have been for many years. I am very proactive person and a lifelong learner. I have always searched out learning opportunities, stretch assignments, job swaps, job shadowing, informational interviews, mentorship, sponsorship and more. And I continue to do so. Going back to school at a college or university (and getting the first degree or another degree) is not the only option for learning, enhancing your knowledge and skills, and advancing in your career. As a matter of fact, many companies like Apple, Google and Facebook no longer require degrees for many roles. While some people might be (as you say) making excuses and playing the role of the victim, many are not.

I can tell you - without hesitation - and I'm not bragging. I'm not being cocky. I'm simply confident. Companies are missing out in a big, big way if they overlook me. I'm going to make an NFL reference here, because I am a huge NFL football fan. ?? I consider myself the "Tom Brady" in my areas of expertise. Nothing has been given to me. I've worked for everything I have. And I have given my "blood, sweat and tears" to most of the companies I've worked for...even when I really had no reason to (other than the paycheck and benefits).

I realize that people 45 and older are not the only ones who experience age discrimination. But I seem to hear about bias and discrimination towards older workers often in the last year. This article includes some age discrimination statistics - some of which were quite alarming.

I've got laugh lines. I've got wrinkles. I might wake up with more bags under my eyes now. I've got crow's feet and under-eye lines. Occasionally I might have a few aches. But, as my doctors in Boston recently shared, I'm as healthy as a 21-year old. And you know what else I have?

• Emotional intelligence
• Leadership skills (and not just people management skills)
• Years and years of experience
• Lifelong learning experience
• Grit
• Heart
• Passion
• Compassion
• Motivation
• Determination
• Wit
• Wisdom
• Grace
• Courage
• A constant need to help others
• A drive to change hearts and minds (one person at a time) with the ultimate goal to make the world a better place

I am 100% authentically me. I'm vulnerable at times. I make mistakes, but I learn from them. I get better every single day. Please feel free to ask me what else I have to offer.

As Justine Bateman said in a recent interview:

You’re looking at f***ing determination and truth and creativity. You’re looking at loss and sorrow and the effort for a deeper perspective. You’re looking at satisfaction and happiness. You’re looking at a manifestation of a connection so deep and rooted that it’s more real than I am. You’re looking at my face.

Ageism in the workplace affects us ALL. Let's be clear.

We all know typically with age comes experience. Employers who do not provide opportunities for older workers lose valuable experience.

Age discrimination takes a serious toll on those who want to remain in the workforce later in life and have adverse affects on mental health.

People want to work in an environment that is welcoming. Age discrimination creates a negative work environment.

So, for any hiring managers or recruiters looking for new talent, don't overlook people 45 and older. You could very well miss out on one of the very best employees you've ever hired.

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