The Three Types of Ageism in the Workplace

Ageism in the workplace is still a problem. The pandemic has served as a particularly unpleasant reminder for some people. Ageism was considered a driving factor in layoffs and other unjust labour practices before the outbreak.

Of course, ageism also displays itself outside of professional settings and situations. However, understanding some of the ways, it manifests itself in the workplace can provide a valuable framework for identifying ageism in other facets of life. 

Here are three of the generalised forms of ageism that are most prevalent. 

 

1. Individual Ageism

In the late 1960s, Dr Robert Butler invented "ageism." Individual ageism is "personal ageism," or the beliefs, attitudes, beliefs, and actions of individuals biased against other persons or groups of people because of their older age.

Since this type of ageism is so personal, internalised attitudes and beliefs might be difficult to detect in others. It is, nevertheless, a good beginning point for assessing our personal relationship to ageist views. For instance, if one of your senior coworkers was assigned to a project that involves advanced tech, would you question why? 

It is also worth noting that younger people might be targets of ageism. Consider the following scenario: You are at a large meeting when a new colleague arrives to present. They seem to be in their early 20s. Would you be sceptical of what this individual was saying because you assumed they were inexperienced?

 

2. Interpersonal Ageism

This type of ageism happens between persons; an individual's ageism will most likely lead to interpersonal ageism.

Assume you overhear a colleague cracking an "OK, boomer" joke. Or your younger employer expresses amazement that you have such a strong social media presence. Other examples are:

• Your employer introduces a new effort for "digital upskilling." Training and seminars are put into your schedule, but you do not notice the younger team members participating.

• Work is becoming increasingly hectic. Your manager requests that you pick up a colleague's slack and stay late because "they have young children at home, and you don't."

• When applying for a job, you may be asked why "somebody with this much experience" would seek the job, or they may tell you that you are "overqualified."

• A speaker is sought for a workplace function; the role is assigned to a much-younger coworker, who is commended for bringing a "new perspective" and "energy.

• A question regarding contemporary pop music in a company-wide virtual trivia game is immediately referred to your Gen Z colleague because it is presumed that you will not know the answer.

 

3. Institutional Ageism

Lastly, institutional ageism refers to policies and practices that discriminate towards individuals or groups of people due to their age. Ageism is typically justified and integrated into a system or organisation's activities, with or without support at the individual level, most frequently in official policy.

One instance is mandatory retirement. Although it is marketed as something designed to benefit workers, with the concept being that everyone wishes to retire one day, in truth, it can be a way to ensure that older workers are not "taking up" responsibilities that young people could have. It is worth noting that these young adults would be compensated less for these roles.

Another instance of institutional ageism, this time affecting younger people, would be being told at age 24 that you are not qualified for promotion since that position at the company is only held by those with postgraduate degrees. Although age is not legally a factor in this criteria, it does mean that younger persons are less likely to receive promotions because they have less time to pursue additional education.

 

Be it employers, HR, or even employees, we must all do our part to prevent ageism from taking control of our workplace. 

 

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