What’s the worst case of ageism that you’ve witnessed?
• The benevolent computer genius
The idea that older adults cannot work with computers is insulting and wrong. Let them guide the conversation when you want to explain a simple thing to a senior.
• Older people live under rocks, don’t they?
If you believe people older than you cannot learn a new trade, skill, technology, or concept, you are losing a lot of precious mental space.
An example of ageism in the workplace:
You are meeting to discuss a tech company’s new social strategy. Every time the company talks about a new platform, you start explaining to older people about it, although nobody has asked you to do so. Do not suppose they do not know anything; assume they either know, or if the older adults do not, they will stop you.
There was a particular person I knew back in the day who lived in Australia and was a branch manager at a relatively small company. As you may know, an anti-ageism law in Australia forbids asking the interviewee’s age. Once, we were talking, and he started telling us this story about how a certain senior shocked him to his very core. There was an opening for a position in his branch, and he had to interview 40 people to find and hire the right person for the job. One of the applicants was an older man who acted very professional and was well-put.
My friend, the branch manager, didn’t ask about his interviewee’s age and continued interviewing him like every other person. Their conversation was going smooth, and the interviewee tossed around an age-related topic, and my friend asked about his age. The senior person answered him without awkwardness, and the interview naturally moved on to other issues before finishing off and shaking hands. My friend told him that he’s enjoyed the interview and would give the interviewee a call if a second meeting was necessary. However, my friend was surprised by the interviewee’s insistence to visit him that day. My friend eventually agreed, even though he cleared himself up by stating that he was in charge of making the final decision to hire or reject the applicants.
The interviewee entered the room, revealing the truth about his actual age and how he doesn’t get many chances to work in a new and professional workspace without raising questions about his capabilities and how hard it is to get hired and find interviews to attend. He then insisted on withdrawing his application for the job as an act of self-punishment.
My friend appreciated the honesty and said the age doesn’t define anything, so he kept his application to review. This older interviewee acted this way because he had experienced ageism in the past. This story sums up most of the experiences seniors go through to get hired, which is sad, given that they generally know a lot and can help lift the experience levels in a workspace.
Well, worst never means the same thing for all people, and I only can talk about my own experience. After the age of 40, I was regularly told I was “overqualified” for jobs I was perfectly qualified to do. “Overqualified” is code for “too old.” After the age of 50, employment agencies politely took my resume, gave me the requisite tests, complimented me on my experience, and never called again because I was “overqualified.” Ageism in the hiring process is one of the most challenging forms of discrimination to prove, but in my experience, the most frequent and maybe worst of them all.
My worst case of ageism was in 2016; when I was working as an English teacher in a school, I had a lovely elder colleague who taught math. As an observer, I had been in his class to learn how to manage kids and the class atmosphere. He was so kind, straight to the point, easy to connect. He even somehow managed to learn modern techniques and professionally use technology in his class. Unexpectedly, he was fired due to his age. He was 71 or so. I asked about the reason and stated my negative opinion about this decision. The manager told me many parents demanded a younger teacher, although he was young in heart and work. I was surprised knowing that even the manager couldn’t change those parents’ minds. “He is old and needs to retire. He cannot even walk in the class properly,” quoted the manager from those parents. This incident can damage the teacher’s mental health because he did his best, which was pretty enough. “I wish their children won’t do the same,” said the teacher.
