Be aware of age bias at work

Most of us like to think we’re fair-minded, but do we realize we may practice age bias at work? I recently read an article about age bias, where it discussed missing out on opportunities with more experienced candidates, discounting potential employees as overqualified.  And yes, that’s one definitive issue with age bias.  But we also often practice it when we discount less experienced staff, ignoring their opinions because “they don’t know better.”

Based on where we are in our careers, it’s easy to roll our eyes at those younger or older, thinking at least subconsciously that they often don’t think like we do.  And, of course, we know best.  But do we? What opportunities are we missing by closing our minds to those with different life experiences?

Whenever I’ve onboarded staff, I make a point to encourage them to speak up, regardless of years or lack of experience.  They’re coming into an organization with fresh eyes and will be seeing things for the first time.  That’s a great opportunity for us to re-envision our company’s processes and potentially update or get rid of outdated actions.

And yes, people of different ages, younger and older, are going to see things differently.  That’s a good thing and helps us all learn.

So next time you’re having a conversation with someone at work and they make a suggestion that you want to instantly dismiss, make yourself take a step back.  Am I dismissing the idea because of my biases?  Maybe something didn’t work in the past but maybe now could?  Or maybe this is something new we could try out?

Open yourself up to both old and new ideas.  You never know what you opportunities may arise!

#positivity #agebias #management #hrconsultant

And elderly woman and a young woman smile for the camera.