Careers & Employment Information

Age Discrimination is Alive and Unwelcome Here!


Common sense appears to be a rare commodity these days. Why is this so?

In an era when the emphasis seems to be on all things young, beautiful and sometimes shallow its about time we took stock of ourselves and did our businesses a favor by employing older workers! Age discrimination is a terrible injustice that has far reaching effects on our economy where ever we are.

When I was much younger I used to watch these older workers with wonderment and ask myself 'how did they get to be so smart' many of them didn't even have degrees! Now 25 years in the workforce has educated me with some answers.

It was a lesson that was to educate me through the years as I often learnt that the most successful and balanced poeple in society where those who were older and often weren't highly educated as we think education means.

They were street smart and wise in the ways of the business world and usually displayed compassion and the willingness to share. As a young accountant I was fortunate to be mentored by some very smart older people who took the opportunity to help me develop. When I left the accounting profession I had a reputation as an excellent manager.

On one occasion this well known business identity confided in me that many experienced poeple his age would 'give their eye teeth' to mentor other younger business people and willingly without charge.

So why this discrimination and why do we take away the hope that older workers have!

Because of the reducing birth rate in Australia it is estimated that by 2010 the percentage of employees aged between 45 and 60 years of age will be 65%. Many industries are not presently equipped to cope with this radical change in age demographics and it is now time for industry and government to work together preparing the way ahead. Australia is nt alone!

Recent studies have belied the myth in respect to older workers and concluded that mature workers are productive, however, there still continues to be muddied perceptions about age related workers (Productivity of Mature and Older Workers: Employers' Attitudes and Experience - ACIRRT 1996).

Grey power will increasingly become more important as enterprises endeavour to stay ahead of the pack and retain mature aged workers who have skills, experience and competencies to contribute to industry and business.

Discrimination in employment

Discrimination in employment can include where an employer treats less favorably a worker

? in any variation of the terms of work; or
? in denying or limiting access to opportunities
? in dismissing a worker; or
? by treating a worker unfavourably regarding work.

Answer

The answers to age discrimination aren't blowing in the wind! They are really common sense. Where can you buy maturity and wisdom. You can't! Maturity and wisdom is earnt and proved in the furnace of lifes experiences.

? Employment - do you have a policy on older workers?
? Employment policies - Discrimination?
? Grievance policy for all complaints
? Flexible work practices

Finally as an example I was once employed to manage a company which was heading towards Chapter 11. I inherited an older worker who was near retirement. Se proved to be a key difference in turning the company around!

Go ahead and make someones day. Its your people that make you money, yes old and young, employ the best person and don't discriminate. Old age grows on us all! For more information and to subscribe to our monthly ezine visit www.biz-momentum.com

Philip Lye is Director of Biz Momentum Pty Ltd and provides professional management services for -

? Strategic Human Resource Management
? Employee Relations Advice
? Workplace Health & Safety Compliance Strategies
? Management Skills Training

Philip holds qualifications in Accounting, Leadership, Human Resource Management, Industrial Relations and is a qualified accountant.

Prior to starting Biz Momentum Philip began his career as a junior clerk in banking and finance and progressed through various industries to CEO. Visit http://www.biz-momentum.com


MORE RESOURCES:
Google

Reuters

Why tech jobs are beating the employment odds
ZDNet - Jul 3, 2008
... impressively choreographed fireworks displays, we?re capping off one of the most depressing weeks for employment reports in the better half of a decade. ...
Treasurys rise ahead of employment report The Associated Press
US employment slump 'may continue into 2009' Vedior
Treasurys advance after ADP jobs report MarketWatch
International Business Times - Forbes
all 161 news articles


Boston Globe

Little doubt that US is in recession; rest of the world can't ...
The Age, Australia - 6 hours ago
"Employment continued to fall in construction, manufacturing, and employment services, while health care and mining added jobs," the department said in its ...
Fragile economy takes toll on jobs Los Angeles Times
Jobs continue to fade Chicago Tribune
Six Months of Job Loss Push Economy Toward Recession ABC News
Amerisurv (press release) - BusinessWeek
all 372 news articles


Earthtimes (press release)

Trouble for Small-Business Employment
U.S. News & World Report, DC - Jul 2, 2008
Last month, I declared small-business employment "not too shabby" after looking at May's survey from Automatic Data Processing and the consulting firm ...
ADP National Employment Report Shows US Employment Decreased by ... CNNMoney.com
ECONOMY: Little to Cheer on US Independence Day Inter Press Service (subscription)
DJ: ADP Sees June US Private Sector Jobs Down 79000 Onet.pl
New York Times - TheStreet.com
all 81 news articles


BBC News

Amid ugly job picture, tech related employment holds up
ZDNet - Jul 3, 2008
The US economy lost 62000 jobs in June for the sixth straight month of employment losses with an unemployment rate of 5.5 percent, but underneath the ...
Labor Department to Release Employment Report WJTV
Payrolls Shrank Again in June; Wall Street Journal
US non farm payrolls continue rolling downhill in June International Business Times
Forex Pros - The Australian
all 195 news articles


US stocks advance as employment report comes as expected
MarketWatch - 23 hours ago
By MarketWatch NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- US stocks end mostly higher, offering a benign reaction to the government's report on employment, which fell only ...
US stocks advance as employment report comes as expected MarketWatch
Dollar loses ground after weak jobs report MarketWatch
US stocks mostly higher in the wake of jobs data MarketWatch
all 26 news articles


Survey shows biggest decline in employment for six years
Financial Times, UK - 19 hours ago
By Daniel Pimlott in New York The US suffered its largest drop in employment in nearly six years in June in a sign of the deteriorating economic environment ...


Outlook Darker as Jobs Are Lost
New York Times, United States - 8 hours ago
Responding quickly to the government employment report, issued Thursday, the presidential candidates called for action, beyond the recent stimulus package, ...
Jobs Continue to Be Lost ToTheCenter.com
Employers Cut Workers for a Sixth Month New York Times
all 11 news articles


June is sixth straight month of job losses
Kansas City Star, MO - 17 hours ago
Since December, payroll employment has fallen by 438000 jobs. Another indicator, also reported Thursday, suggested further upward revisions in jobless ...
Job market: No bottom until '09 CNN
Why Lousy Jobs Numbers Might Be OK U.S. News & World Report
all 5 news articles


Getting The Deal Through - Labour & Employment 2008
Mondaq News Alerts (subscription), UK - 6 hours ago
As Australia is a federation, employment law is governed by laws made by the parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia (federal law) as well as by ...
Who Owns IP Produced "On The Job Mondaq News Alerts (subscription)
all 2 news articles


SJ: COUNTY SUPES OPPOSE FEDERAL ELECTRONIC EMPLOYMENT VERIFICATION ...
CBS 5, CA - 52 minutes ago
The SAVE Act would require all employers to verify the employment eligibility of all workers by using Basic Pilot/E-Verify, a system that relies heavily on ...

Employment - Google News

home | site map
© 2006