Age. The Forgotten Element When It Comes To Diversity

Organizations are being challenged to demonstrate their DEI credentials, yet there remains one area of discrimination that we know is only expected to worsen – ageism - a forgotten factor.

When companies look to reduce costs it’s often managed by way of trimming salaries.  Most often the higher paid, more experienced people are the first to be let go.  Those businesses that pursue this strategy are missing out on the diversity and awesome power of a multi-generational team.  And even more alarming, is allowing the elders to walk out the door without capturing the wisdom learned through decades of experience.

I recently had a conversation with a gentleman who shared his story about being “retired” without his permission.  He was brilliant at reading people, cooperating and negotiating, finding compromises and resolving conflicts with a diverse customer base and his productivity rose year over year.  He was great at seeing the big picture, could see situations from multiple view points and quickly identified patterns to resolve problems.  After 35 years, this high performer quietly walked out of the building and took with him all the experience, strategic thought, and tribal wisdom learned over his illustrious career.  Why would any forward-thinking organization allow this to happen?  There had to have been a better way to manage the situation.

Experience has great value as we draw on past knowledge to make better decisions and to avoid making the same mistakes over and over and over.  Why would any President or CEO allow a new hire stumble unnecessarily when a wisdom worker could have easily pointed out the danger ahead.

It seem that ageism is a socially acceptable prejudice.  Companies are simply not inclined to hire older workers.  How absurd!  Particularly now with so many jobs going unfilled.  Studies also show that the younger the individual running the HR & Recruitment function, the less likely they are to be keen to hire someone who is 50 or older.

And I’m not suggesting that older people should have a monopoly on holding senior positions.  I’ve met my share of leaders who were ready to lead when they were young.  The aim should simply be to fill senior positions with the best people, regardless of age.

Nothing can change stereotypes faster than getting to know the people being stereotyped.  If one of your strategic ambitions is to create a sustainable and powerful workforce, we can help you create an Age Diversity strategy to attract, engage, retain and retrain your over 50 talent.  We even have certified Silver Seals ready to be deployed if you want to look at an out-of-the-box recruiting strategy.