Mr 27, on the scrap heap with nowhere to go (Ageism and Employment)

Member Name: dave27

Product:	Ageism and Employment
Date:	22/10/02 (168 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: None really

Disadvantages: Eliminates many useful people

Many years ago, dave27 was quite chuffed when there were a load of adverts for accountants which stressed that no one outside the age range 30-40 would be acceptable. Back then with my years falling fairly and squarely in the thirtysomething bracket, I had no problem with such blatant ageism, but of course as you approach the big 40 you start to develop a slightly different view of life, wishing that the Fat Cats (whoever they may be) would move their magic band up to 35-45 or even (oh no) 40-50.

Of course, in these days of political correctness run wild, ageism is only one of a whole pile of isms which are suddenly strictly to be avoided. You know what I mean, chauvinism, racism, even (God forgive us) fat-ism.

Unfortunately, however, ageism is a bit different to all the others, at least I always thought so. But is it really any different?

Discarding huge chunks of the population on the basis of the colour of their skin is clearly a pretty reprehensible approach because we are all essentially the same and I am convinced no one would really argue otherwise. Chauvinism is the same, with many women being at least as good as the men with whom they compete in the jobs market, although they are undoubtedly different. However, differences are what make the world go round and would any of us really want to be exactly the same as everyone else in the company we work for.

It may be annoying and even stressful at times to have to work with people who differ fundamentally in background or outlook to you, but the creative tension is what really sparks excellent companies as long as the tension can be effectively channeled.

The differences in age you find in the work place are exactly the same, although it is with the wisdom of age that real performance arrives, even though the physical abilities start to wane. However, we are always convinced that we are the perfect specimen and therefore that we have exactly the right amount of
wisdom and the right physical condition, and everyone else is somehow flawed. I know I do, but then I'm always right.

So in general ageism is every bit as appalling as all the other nasties you get out there. Although in one respect age does have an impact which none of the other isms do - we all face retirement from employment at some stage (honestly) and so the older we are the less years an employer can get out of us before we start gardening and wearing zip up slippers. It doesn't make differentiation on the basis of age right of course, but it certainly does make it quite understandable.

If you're between 30 and 40 and competing for a job with someone who's 55, then inevitably you are significantly more attractive to the employer than your rival, just on the basis of the potential years you have left to offer them. However, bearing in mind that the young upstart is almost certainly going to leave the job of his own accord within the next four or five years (if you're lucky), is even that point relevant. You know it isn'tm even if we all prefer to have the young and beautiful people around us, convincing us that we share their youth and beauty, and somehow enjoy immortality.

Ah well, we all know that ageism exists and will always be there in employment terms.

However, think about the recent example of B&Q and their experience when they opted for positive discrimination in actively seeking out the oldies when they were seeking to take on a horde of new recruits to staff their expanded numbers of warehouse stores. They found themselves besieged by the grey hordes and pronounced themselves universally satisfied with the results of their approach. Undoubtedly, they managed to take on a stable and capable set of employees who were far more committed to their new employers than a thousand and one spotty herberts fresh out of school.

On the whole I think ageism is a bad thing in terms of emplo
ying people, although I am as guilty of it as anyone else. Admit it, we all are. The fact is that ageism will always be there niggling away at us. Unless you're in the realm of the silver surfers you console yourself with the thought that at least you're alright.

Signed

The Old Codger

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