Age discrimination for people over the age of 50 still in work appears to be rife, with a new report revealing that four out of ten employees in this demographic have experienced this at work, in shops and also in their local GP’s surgery.
The SunLife Direct study indicated that the workplace is the most likely setting for age discrimination, with 62 per cent of those who have had such experiences saying they think they’ve lost out on a job since turning 50.
In addition, nearly half of those asked said they thought they’d been overlooked for promotions because of their age, while 50 per cent said they feel ignored by shop workers and three in ten believe their doctor treats them differently now than when compared to when they were younger.
Marketing director Ian Atkinson said: “50 is definitely not ‘old’, and with life expectancy (and retirement age) rising year on year, life after 50 certainly doesn’t mean the need to slow down or ‘take it easy’ – and more brands and businesses need to realise that.”
There are many advantages to hiring older people. For example, employees above a certain age do make good leaders because they may well have better communication skills than their younger counterparts. They are also typically more interested in stability and are less likely than younger people to be seeking that next big opportunity – so could represent a sounder investment for your business. Their network is also likely to be bigger, which could also prove beneficial to your company.
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