Companies and individual employees can discriminate against others for all kinds of reasons. People frequently talk about sex discrimination and racial discrimination, but age discrimination isn’t as hot of a topic.
However, it still affects thousands of workers in the United States every year. Understanding some of the ways that companies discriminate against workers over the age of 40 can help you identify if you have experienced age discrimination.
Turning cold when older applicants show up at interviews
You have made certain to keep up with the technological advances that affect your industry and have a modern resume. You have positive interactions with the hiring manager or team lead, only to receive a very cold reception at your job interview.
If your age and no other factors seem to have influenced how the interview cost you a job opportunity, then it’s possible that age discrimination played a role in the company’s decision. Especially if you know that the position and other open positions went to much younger applicants, it’s possible that bias affected the decision.
No longer promoting more experienced workers
Workers over the age of 40 may plateau in their careers and find that no matter how hard they work, they can’t seem to move up any more at their company.
They get passed over for promotions or projects for which they are perfectly qualified. They watch all of the best opportunities go to much younger and less-experienced staff members, leaving them feeling like their career will go no further.
Companies refusing advancement opportunities to older workers is a common form of age discrimination.
Pushing older workers to leave, or finding reasons to fire them
After a certain age, an employee might start to experience pressure from the company to retire, or worse, to leave their position despite planning to continue working. Other times, a company may start applying arbitrary standards unfairly to an older worker in an effort to create a paper trail that justifies a wrongful termination.
Businesses should consider you as a worker or an applicant. Your age should not cut you off from new job opportunities or promotions. Fighting back when you experience age discrimination can help you get your career back on track and protect others from the same experience.