Ageism in the workplace

1. AGE DISCRIMINATION
In The Workplace
Justin L. Doss
Wisconsin Lutheran College
Culture & Diversity in
Organizations BML-421
July 19, 2011

2. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace

3. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace
What is Age Discrimination?
The denial of privilege or other unfair
treatment based on the age of the
person who is discriminated against.

4. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace
Sources:

Book/Articles

Age Discrimination
in the American
Workplace: Old at a
young age

Various Article
Writers

5. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace
Author's background:
For over 40 years Raymond Gregory practiced
law in New York City, first as a member of a mid-
sized law firm and later as the leader of his own
firm. He devoted his practice to civil rights law,
protecting those confronting discrimination in
employment,including discrimination based on
age, race, sex, religion, and national origin.

6. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace
The Authors Objectives:
Gregory may have a self serving agenda
because he was an attorney that dealt with
discrimination cases; however his book is
helpful for those who need to know how to
defend themselves against discrimination
and the information covered is interesting
material for anyone to know.

7. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace
The Authors objectives:
Various Article Writers:
Brian Mahaney
Stephanie Armour
Michael C. Webb
Alistar Darling
Others …..
These writers want to raise awareness about ageism and its affects

8. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace
Covered Material

Civil Rights Act of
1964

ADEA

EEOC

9. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace
Civil Rights 12
Act of 1964 10
8
Column 1
6 Column 2
Column 3
4
2
0
Row 1 Row 2 Row 3 Row 4

10. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Civil Rights Act of 1964 made discrimination on the basis of
race, color, national origin, religion and sex illegal, it
omitted "older persons" or age as a protected class.
Changes to the Act were addressed in 1988 and a modified
version of this act was passed in 1991 .

11. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace
ADEA:
Age Discrimination
In Employment
Act

12. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace
ADEA:

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act
of 1967 (ADEA) protects individuals who
are 40 years of age or older from
employment discrimination based on age.
The ADEA’s protections apply to both
employees and job applicants.

13. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace
ADEA Continued:

Under the ADEA, it is unlawful to
discriminate against a person because of
his/her age with respect to any term,
condition, or privilege of employment,
including hiring, firing, promotion, layoff,
compensation, benefits, job assignments,
and training.

14. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace
Different sides of the Issue: (3) Main Sides

Those who see themselves as being discriminated
against because of their old age

Those who feel like they are being discriminated
against because they are too young in age

Those who feel like age is not a factor and some
people are simply not qualified

15. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace
Advantages
and
Disadvantages
Of
Age
Discrimination
Laws

16. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace
Advantages:

Older workers who are qualified cant be
tossed out simply because they are old

Older workers cant be tossed out because
they have a high salary

Young workers wont be hired simply
because they are young

17. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace

Young workers can't be paid poorly simply
because they are young

Qualified applicants can feel like they have
a fair opportunity to be hired despite of
their age

Older employees tend to be more loyal and
committed to your company

18. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace

Older Job seekers can find jobs more
easily

Older employees can't be rejected for fear
that they may be sick a lot due to old age

Young employees cant be rejected
because employers assume they don't
know anything

19. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace
Disadvantages:

Older employees who are not qualified feel
entitled and protected undeservedly

Older workers who are qualified will slack
on improving their skills and progressing
with the times for the same reason
unqualified workers feel entitled and
protected (set ways)

20. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace

Younger workers have a harder time
getting jobs

People start to treat any and every form of
rejection as a reason to sue for age
discrimination

Companies no longer have the right to hire
and fire who they want based off what the
company desires

21. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace
Business
Reasons
for
Case

22. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace
Business Reasons For the Case:

Ageism is not considered as serious as
other forms of discrimination in the
workplace

Employers, for good business reasons,
need to realize the value of older workers

23. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace
Business Reasons For the Case:

Employers should not discriminate against
anyone of any age

Negative effects on the American work
place

24. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=IambNYKJ4R0&feature=re

25. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace
Role of the Culture

26. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace
Role of the Culture:

Youth, beauty, and vitality are highly valued
by Americans

Good health is also promoted heavily by
Americans.

The fear we have of dying,elderly people
remind us of our greatest fear

27. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace

Americans make jokes and comments
about growing old that perpetuate negative
stereotypes about aging and older people

28. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace
What Was Done?
Cases that were a
result of Age
Discrimination

29. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace
What was done?: (Cases: as a result of
Age discrimination)
Miscellaneous Cases from 60s til 2000's

1966- A group of stewardesses were fired
prior to standard retirement ages of their
airlines

30. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace

1978 Assurance Society of the United
States discriminated against more than 400
employees because of their age during a
siege of company wide layoffs.

31. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace

1996 Forty-three of 60 men fired by
Monsanto OBGYN associates sued
Monsanto for age discrimination

32. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace

2002 A former Sprint Corp. employee in
Kansas City sued the company for age
discrimination when she was dismissed in
a work force reduction.

33. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace

2005 Megan Thomas, 20, claimed that she had
been dismissed from her job as a membership
secretary at the Eight Member Club in Ohio
because managers told her that at 19 she was
not mature enough to deal with members.

34. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace

2010 The EEOC has filed suit against Abbott Laboratories, a major
pharmaceutical company, for firing a long term employee because of
his age. The suit was filed in a Milwaukee, Wisconsin federal court.
According to court records, John Ziegler, a sales representative with
over 30 years experience at Abbott, was fired because of his age.
The government says that Abbott replaced Ziegler with a younger
employee with less experience.

35. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace

2010 Nini v. Mercer County Community
College: Rose Nini was a Dean at Mercer
Community College from 1982 until 2005
when her contract expired and was not
renewed. She was 73 years old at the time.

36. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace

2011 Present day there are many cases all
over America and even Worldwide due to
age discrimination.

37. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace
What Was Done?
Combating Ageism

38. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace
What was done? (Combating Ageism)

1967 Congress passes the Age Discrimination in
Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) protecting
individuals who are between 40 and 65 years of
age from discrimination in employment.
Originally, the Department of Labor - not the
EEOC - has enforcement responsibility.

39. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace

1968 Although EEOC cannot file lawsuits
directly against employers, the agency
begins to submit amicus or "friend of the
court" briefs in cases brought by individual
employees.

40. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace

1972 Congress gives EEOC the authority to file
lawsuits against private companies. It also
applies Title VII to the entire federal government,
and to all state and local government agencies
with at least 15 employees.

41. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace

1978 President Jimmy Carter transfers
responsibility for enforcing the Equal Pay
Act and the Age Discrimination in
Employment Act from the Department of
Labor to EEOC.

42. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace

2011 Today the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission is led by five Commissioners and a General
Counsel appointed by the President of the United States
and confirmed by the Senate. Commissioners are
appointed for five-year staggered terms. The General
Counsel's term is four years. The President designates a
Chair and a Vice Chair. The Chair is the chief executive
officer of the Commission. The Commissioners have the
authority to establish equal employment opportunity policy
and to approve litigation. The General Counsel is
responsible for conducting litigation under the laws
enforced by the Commission.

43. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace
What Should Have
Been Done?

44. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace
What Should have been done?

The people of America should have been
more informed on the seriousness of age
discrimination

Parents should have reinforced respect of
older generation

Older generation should have prepared for
future changes in technology and
advances

45. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace

More programs should have been put in
place in the American workforce to avoid
so many ageism cases

More harsh penalties for companies that
have discriminated because of age

The media should have been more
sensitive about the way they depict the
elderly on television and films (stereotypes)

46. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace
What Should You Know That You Didn't Know
Before?:

47. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace

Older workers are not the only victims of
Age Discrimination

48. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace
Maturity Works, the web recruitment service for
older people, interviewed 150 people in April
2009 to investigate the social impact of workplace
ageism. The objective was to give a voice to the
actual victims of ageism. The average age of
respondents was 53 (ages ranged from 34 to 67),
56% were male and 44% were female.

49. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace
Facts:
79% Of respondents interviewed by Maturity
Works have been victims of ageism;
·
83% Of the victims are frustrated as result of
being rejected due to ageism, while 71%
are anxious about the future
·

50. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace

53% Believe their age has made them a
target for redundancy

For 78%, the impact of discrimination on
grounds of age has stayed with them, while
only 4% say it’s had no impact

51. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace

13% have experienced workplace ageism
under age of 40, while 61% experienced it
before they reached 50

In some instances, ageism is affecting
workers under the age of 35
·

52. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace

65% Are not confident of securing another
job

90% Believe ‘experience’ is the most
valuable skill they could still contribute to a
workplace
·

53. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace

Respondents also believe that ‘reliability’
(55%), ‘ideas and creativity’ (48%) and
‘enthusiasm’ (38%) are their valuable skills

For 71%, ageism has made an impact on
their mental well-being

54. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace

31% Say it has affected their marriage

62% Say it has affected their social life

91% Say it has affected their wealth

55. Age Discrimination
In The Workplace
?????Any Questions ?????