Ageism is alive and unwell in the workplace, according to Michael North and Ashley Martin. Their research found workers who openly oppose racism and sexism were still prejudiced against older workers. Older women are spared from some of these expectations compared with older men.
There’s this sort of subtle tension where older adults are expected to step aside and get out of the way.” – Michael North
Source: Next Avenue, July 21, 2021. Link. One of the big, misguided arguments against hiring older workers is there’s this belief that older workers don’t perform as well as younger workers. And I’m sure that might happen in some cases, or in some industries or in some roles. But statistically, job performance does not decline with age.
INSIGHTS: We often hear someone say, “Same stuff, different day.” North thinks it’s a healthier view to say, ‘My elders have been there before; I have a lot to learn from them.” And vice versa. We agree.