Inclusive Extension

Addressing ageism in the workplace

Camaya Wallace Bechard

I have been tracking news articles that focus on aging and age discrimination over the past year. Some headline themes include stereotypes, institutional ageism, generation gaps, signs of ageism in the workplace, and new research on aging – among others. These headline themes are often juxtaposed with commercials about anti-aging products and memes about getting older. Messages about age and aging are across personal and professional spheres and are present within the work we do in Extension. 

What is ageism?

Age is a protected category in the workplace. However, the problem of ageism continues to resonate, and the importance of addressing this topic cannot be understated as workers continue to report experiences with age bias and discrimination. “Ageism refers to the stereotypes (how we think), prejudice (how we feel) and discrimination (how we act) towards others or oneself based on age” World Health Organization. Identifying ageism is important for understanding the experiences of all workers along the life course. 

The University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging indicates that 93 percent of older adults say they regularly experience at least one form of ageism. These include the assumption that older people have difficulty with cell phones and computers and don’t do anything important or valuable. Older adults (45 percent) also reported experiences of interpersonal ageism where another person assumed they were having trouble using technology, seeing, hearing, understanding, remembering, or doing something independently. 

Research by Coulon and colleagues (2024) indicates younger and older employees are stereotyped at work. These researchers lead a daily diary study to learn about potential workplace events (e.g., interactions, comments, actions) that may affect workers' perceptions of age-based stereotypes they experience during work hours. They found that the accumulation of workplace events within a day affects feelings of stereotype threat (risk of confirming negative stereotypes). The days when employees experience greater feelings of stereotype threat, they also experience poorer outcomes such as greater stress and a poorer sense of belonging. In other words, when employees report experiencing negative comments or attitudes about their age, it affects their experiences in the workplace. These findings complement other work which suggests that societal messages about aging can affect people’s health and well-being, and perpetuate myths and misconceptions about age and aging that are harmful. 

Understand how age-based stereotypes may cause harm.

According to the American Psychological Association (APA), older adults are mostly giving support through the contributions they make in the workplace, and through volunteering and caregiving - than they require support. People of all ages have conscious and unconscious age biases, and the workplace is not immune to those biases. Falsehoods about age in the workplace can affect hiring processes and promotion decisions. How employees are treated by their colleagues and leaders may play a role in how the employee experiences age-based stereotype threat (Coulon et al., 2024). So, what can each of us do to help reduce age bias?

Change our language.

The language we use matters and is often influenced by the stereotypes we learn. Let us remove outdated terms that are harmful from our vocabulary. As a former educator, I worked closely with different centers and organizations that serve older adults, and I have used outdated terms [or mirrored terms those agencies use] such as senior and elderly to refer to older adults.  When I joined the financial education team, the team had changed programs to reflect more cultural humility and inclusion (for example, changing one of my favorite lessons to Financial Exploitation among Older Adults). As research and practices change, so should our language. Continue to work with colleagues, volunteers, and communities to adopt person-first language. 

Challenge the stereotypes.

We can challenge the stereotypes through intervention strategies to reduce age segregation in the workplace. The assumptions we have about who will collaborate with us can block intergenerational opportunities to work with colleagues with different experiences. Additional techniques to challenge these stereotypes may include:

  • Examine personal beliefs and biases. 
  • Reject underlying assumptions and myths about aging.
  • Participate in professional development opportunities to build skills and knowledge.
  • Avoid mirroring outdated terms and concepts in your language. 
  • Build on opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborations. 
  • Avoid “elderspeak” such as dear, sweetheart, and love which can be patronizing to older adults. 
  • Encourage and support organizational processes.

Age and ageism are layered topics that are essential to address in the workplace. Each of us can play a role in reducing ageism in the workplace and dismantling it as a socially acceptable prejudice.

 

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