Age discrimination in the workplace

IT'S AGAINST the law to discriminate against workers on the basis of age, but it can be hard to identify and even harder to prevent.

Unchecked, it can create an intimidating work environment and interfere with work performance, morale and employment and advancement opportunities for older workers. With a rise in insecure work and families struggling financially, it seems as though the retirement age is rising dramatically. It was once believed 60 was an ideal age to retire, the new retirement age is closer to 67. Aside from the necessity, many people enjoy working and want to maintain employment. Because of this, there's been a rise in age discrimination incidents in workplaces. We're more proactive about racism and sexism being unacceptable practices in our workplaces, but ageism is a serious form of discrimination that most workers aren't even aware of. A common view is that the older you become, the less able you are to hold meaningful employment in today’s workforce. Despite invaluable skills, qualifications, experience and wisdom, older Australians often get overlooked in favour of those who are younger, easier to mold and cheaper to hire. If any of the following things are happening or have happened to you in your workplace you may be experiencing age discrimination: • You don't get hired because the employer wants a younger looking person to do the job. • You're fired because your employer wants to keep younger workers who are paid less. • You're turned down for a promotion, which goes to someone younger hired from outside the workplace because the employer says the organisation wants a younger image. • When job losses are announced, most of the staff affected are older, while younger workers with less seniority and less on-the-job experience are kept on. • Your supervisor or coworkers make age-related remarks about you, such as 'you're over the hill' or 'ancient'. If you feel you or a colleague is experiencing age discrimination, be sure to document the incidents with times, dates and specifics and note any witnesses to the events. Age discrimination, like discrimination of any kind, is something you should never have to deal with and it should never be accepted in the workplace. If you feel you're starting to face age discrimination in the workplace, you should know your rights and take action right from the start. HACSUassist offers support and guidance throughout this stressful time and all calls taken are confidential, just call 1300 880 032.