Age discrimination is alive and well in corporate America. It can be subtle and oftentimes somewhat intangible. Are you being denied advancement opportunities with no clear explanation as to why? Maybe your company regularly lays off their older employees and then hires younger employees for less money. A colleague of mine experienced blatant discrimination in her prior company – and she fought back.
Landmark Case – June 2018:
Earlier this year, Codie won the largest age discrimination case of its kind in Los Angeles legal history. Codie spent 19 hours on the witness stand. She rode an emotional roller coaster as she re-lived some difficult moments. Codie believed that her former employer’s practice of firing more mature employees and replacing them with younger (less experienced, but less expensive) employees was wrong. Her supervisor used bullying as a way to get her to quit voluntarily. Codie was routinely subjected to comments such as “you are outdated,” “we need younger workers here” and derogatory comments about being a “dumb female.” A man in his 20’s was hired to replace Codie when she decided to resign.
What Can You Do?
Liz Ryan reminds her clients:“Age discrimination is everywhere. I hear more examples of age discrimination than I hear about sex discrimination, racial discrimination and every other kind put together.” Remember, after age 40 you are protected by law in the United States.
Are you looking for a new job and suspect being over 50 is the issue? According to Ms. Ryan there is a flip side of the age-discrimination challenge: “If you know what business pain you can help solve and you can talk to the hiring manager about that pain, they can’t afford to care how old you are.” Businesses who see a ‘fixer’ will welcome you regardless of your age. Those who won’t – well, you simply do not want to be part of that organization!
If you feel age discrimination may be a factor in your career, read Liz Ryan’s article The Ugly Truth About Age Discrimination. Prove them wrong when someone suggests you may be adverse to change. Why? Because you are fabulous – be strong!
