There are many things that are adversely affecting the workplace these days. These factors include gender discrimination, disable people and minorities as well as gay people but amongst all these factors – there is one thing that has a prevalent and evident adverse impact on the workplaces i.e. ageism.
Age Discrimination at Workplace
Age discrimination is adversely affecting the workforce settings. Regardless of the younger generation and elderly employees – age discrimination has a negative impact on workforce.
What Is Ageism?
Ageism is a specific term that is used to define age discrimination against people who are older in age. Ageism is further sub-categorized into many other types. This includes unintentional ageism, inadvertent ageism and positive ageism. Age prejudice against the older employees in the organization, who are 50 years of age and above, is much prevalent most particularly in the western part of the world i.e. the United States, Canada and Australia.
How Ageism Affects Workplace?
Here is a look at how ageism is affecting the older employees in workplace settings prevalently.
1. Salary Does Not Increase
The first adverse impact of ageism at workplace is lower incomes or failure of increase in salary in older employees. The pay scale for older employees is generally very low in comparison to the younger and energetic employees. Another thing that is prominent is the lack of increase in the salary of the older employees. The older employees are expected to continue working at a very moderate pay scale without expecting an increase in the wage.
2. Lack of Newer Job Opportunities
The constantly evolving career opportunities all are majorly for the younger men rather than the older ones. Ageism impacts the older generation of people by limiting career choices for them. Any new opportunities that come along are often limited within an age bracket.
3. Lack of Career Progress & Advancement
Career advancements and promotions are restricted for the older people; owing to ageism at workplace. Ageism refrains the older employees from getting a chance to excel in their work field. Career progress is virtually near to nothing.
4. Negative Attitude Towards Elderly Employees
Ageism develops a negative and aggressive attitude towards the employees at workplace. The older employees are treated unkindly and with minimal respect. The caliber and potential of the elder employees is questioned and doubted. This is very unhealthy as far as the productivity of the employees is concerned. It also makes the confidence of the employees deteriorate. Ageism results in the self-doubt in employees.
5. Failure to Keep Up with Expectations
With the passage of time and development of businesses these days, the expectations from the employees has also drastically risen. Employees are expected to be creative and innovative in their work output. Ageism rules out the chance of the older employees to be creative and innovative at workplace. This also means that the ageism will make it harder for the older employees to match the expectations from them at workplace.
Posted by Randy Blakeslee – GetnSocial
