AGEISM IN THE WORKPLACE

Abstract

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines ageism as “stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination against people on the basis of their age” regardless of their age groups (World Health Organization, Citation2020). This is age discrimination, which can manifest itself in the workplace in the form of precedent-setting, unwarranted assumptions about the capabilities and competencies of employees based on their age.

There is a substantial body of scientific literature that has concentrated on unfavorable perceptions of older workers, including that they are less productive, less driven, less adaptive, rigid, and resistant to change than their younger colleagues. (Levy & Macdonald, Citation2016; Marchiondo et al., Citation2019).

Nevertheless, ageism is not only associated with older workers, but also with workers from all other age groups (Snape & Redman, Citation2003). For instance, younger employees may face unfair disadvantages in promotions and deployment because they are viewed as unfit for particular positions or as being less devoted to their employer than older employees. Therefore, I believe it is essential to discuss ageism in the workplace, regardless of an individual's age, as discrimination may appear with regard to any of the age categories.