Article abstract: Whereas 90% of older staff report experiencing age discrimination, related fears have an effect on all demographics in right now’s polarised society. The foundation concern isn’t age however office mistrust, lack of transparency, and unclear decision-making standards. HR leaders can handle this by analyzing their very own biases, establishing clear promotion and hiring standards, facilitating cross-generational collaboration, and rallying groups round shared targets somewhat than competing for perceived scarce assets.
Current analysis suggests that almost all of older staff have skilled age discrimination at work.
The survey by Resume Now discovered that 90% of respondents over 50 had skilled age discrimination within the office, and 47% felt they have been typically disrespected by youthful colleagues. Moreover, 58% mentioned they earn lower than youthful colleagues for a similar work, whereas 27% have been advised they’re ‘overqualified’ attributable to their age.
Older persons are not alone in feeling discriminated in opposition to
So as to add some context, the 2025 Edelman Belief Barometer reported that worry of discrimination is hovering throughout all demographics. So, no matter your age, race, gender, faith or socio-economic standing, almost two-thirds of individuals worry being discriminated in opposition to for some purpose.
This isn’t to undermine the sensation of these within the age discrimination survey, it’s only to level out that we’ve a much bigger downside – the polarisation of our society. A rising battle that inevitably makes its method into the office, setting folks up in opposition to one another in competitors for what are perceived as scarce assets.
Scarce assets incite worry
At work, scarce assets may be wage, promotion, recognition, job safety, affect or standing. When folks worry that there isn’t sufficient to go round, they see one another as a risk.
A 2024 survey carried out by UK Youth and KFC discovered that 93% of younger folks within the UK had encountered unfavorable therapy at work due to their age – a bounce from 88% three years beforehand. And whereas 69% had missed out on promotions due to their age, 75% have been outright rejected for job alternatives for a similar purpose.
And people within the center? In addition they declare to expertise discrimination based mostly on age. In response to Pearn Kandola’s Age Discrimination at Work (2024) report, a big proportion of millennials felt they confronted unfavorable stereotypes and discrimination at work.
This tells us that no matter age, many individuals fear that their years will depend in opposition to them at work, or that different age teams are unfairly advantaged.
When there’s a lack of know-how, a vacuum is created. Into that vacuum floods hypothesis of the worst variety
Addressing the core concern: it’s not about age
The difficulty will not be age. The issue is extra associated to mistrust, lack of transparency, and unclear decision-making standards. I recall a supervisor complaining to me about their Gen Z staff coming, as a bunch, to bemoan that they have been all on completely different salaries – and the way unfair this was as a result of all of them did the identical job.
The supervisor was uncomfortable explaining that a few of them have been merely higher at what they did and extra deserving of a better wage. It could even have been that the inequity between salaries wasn’t based mostly on the worth of their contribution.
As a substitute, it could have been as a result of a few of them pushed more durable for a wage bump than others. Or that they have been paid as little as the corporate thought they might get away with. Regardless of the case, the explanations for the disparity weren’t clear…possibly even to the folks making the wage selections.
When there’s a lack of know-how, a vacuum is created. And into that vacuum floods hypothesis of the worst variety. That’s why it’s so essential to speak brazenly and clearly. When ranges of mistrust are excessive in society at massive, notably on the subject of belief in info sources, leaders have to be particularly clear about something that would trigger friction between teams at work.
What can HR do to deal with distrust and polarisation?
1. Unpick your biases
We’re all conscious of the legal guidelines round age discrimination, however are we making seemingly rational selections which are based mostly on stereotypes?
Take into account the next:
- Do you carry beliefs about completely different generations or age teams that impression your hiring, promotion and payrise selections at some stage?
- Does age (possibly dressed up as ‘expertise’ or ‘inexperience’) come into the dialog?
- How will you name these beliefs into query?
- Is rejecting a candidate as a result of they’re ‘too skilled’ for a job they appeared captivated with within the interview, actually age discrimination?
- What in regards to the choice to reject somebody for being ‘inexperienced’ once they’ve demonstrated how briskly they study and develop?
2. Be clear in your hiring, promotion and payrise selections
Know precisely the factors that justify these selections and be constant. And be trustworthy. Is the particular person actually ‘too skilled’? Or did you merely say that because it sounded extra variety than the true purpose they didn’t get the job?
Early in my BBC profession, I misplaced out to a different candidate for a job and was advised, “We actually couldn’t select between you”. However they did. And I’ll by no means know why.
3. Create alternatives for various age teams to work collectively to resolve issues
That is notably essential the place completely different groups are generationally distinct. For instance, the place your digital workforce is especially youthful and your amenities workforce is especially older. How do they discuss one another? How do they marginalise or under-estimate one another?
By sharing experiences and insights throughout completely different age teams and technical views, they’ll begin to see the respective worth one another brings. You may want to supply assist and facilitation in order that individuals can see if the true reason for rigidity is age-related, and never attributable to, for instance, unequal ranges of affect. (Take heed to Adam Grant’s podcast on whether or not generational variations are exaggerated for some provocation on this concept.)
4. Rally folks round shared targets
Inner competitors for recognition, assets, affect, standing or info creates mistrust and rigidity between individuals who ought to be working collectively in the direction of the organisation’s shared objectives.
Take into account the next:
- How do you unintentionally pit folks in opposition to one another?
- What fuels the sense that assets are scarce and the one method to get extra for your self or your workforce is to throw shade on another person or one other workforce?
- How are silos or sub-groups bolstered and the way do leaders collude with this to serve their agenda?
Addressing the ‘us vs them’ mentality comes first
Proper now, many leaders are asking, “How can we get our folks to take possession and play an energetic half in reworking for the long run?”. Keep in mind, any sense of ‘us’ and ‘them’ inside the enterprise sabotages your efforts, rendering success much more troublesome than it’s already.
