{"id":1906,"date":"2012-06-29T08:15:32","date_gmt":"2012-06-29T12:15:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?p=1906"},"modified":"2012-06-29T08:16:09","modified_gmt":"2012-06-29T12:16:09","slug":"second-verse-fighting-age-discrimination-new-aarp-survey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?p=1906","title":{"rendered":"Second Verse: Fighting Age Discrimination: New AARP Survey"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kerryhannon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/images.com_.jpeg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"1908\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?attachment_id=1908\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kerryhannon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/images.com_.jpeg?fit=192%2C64&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"192,64\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"images.com\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kerryhannon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/images.com_.jpeg?fit=192%2C64&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kerryhannon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/images.com_.jpeg?fit=192%2C64&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-1908\" title=\"images.com\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kerryhannon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/images.com_.jpeg?resize=150%2C64&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"64\" \/><\/a>Ageism. Say the word out loud. When I do, it forms awkwardly in my throat, clinging to the back of my palate. Then, it pushes out with a distinct hissing, like a viperous snake.<\/p>\n<div id=\"leftRail\">\n<div>\n<p>Go ahead, try saying it.\u00a0Age discrimination\u00a0<em>is<\/em>\u00a0insidious. And it\u2019s creeping like kudzu into the workplace. It\u2019s no longer the \u201cunspoken\u201d feeling that\u2019s lurking behind why you\u2019re not getting hired or why you\u2019ve been \u201claid-off\u201d in a corporate restructuring. It\u2019s pretty obvious.<\/p>\n<aside data-position=\"4\">And believe me I never think of myself at age 51, or my 50 +friends, as old, or certainly not too old to be sought after by an employer.<\/aside>\n<p>But we are apparently. Since 2008, the number of colleagues I know who have stressed for three years or more grasping to find a full-time job is cold hard reality. Many haven\u2019t found one at all and are self-employed in contract and part-time jobs.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Consider this:<\/strong>\u00a0The average length of unemployment between jobs for older workers is at an all-time high \u2014 well over a year. On average, it takes someone age 55 or over three months longer to find a job than a younger person.<\/p>\n<p>Age discrimination charges filed with the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.eeoc.gov\/\">U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission<\/a>\u00a0now account for a nearly a quarter of all complaints. In 2011, the EEOC received 23,465 age-related charges, up from 16,548 in 2006.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AARP\u2019s findings.<\/strong>\u00a0A new\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.aarp.org\/work\/employee-rights\/info-06-2012\/POWADA.html\">survey<\/a>\u00a0by AARP released today is further evidence of the serious toll older workers face from employer ageism. In May, the telephone poll \u00a0of 1000 registered voters 50 and older found that over one-third reported that they or someone they know has experienced age discrimination in the last four years. Sixty-four percent of respondents think that people over age 50 face age discrimination in the workplace.<\/p>\n<p>The impetus for this survey: To find out of older Americans support bipartisan legislation to combat age discrimination in the workplace\u2013a piece of legislation that is near and dear to the hearts of AARP\u2019s members to be sure. I first reported on this legislative effort back in March via my column\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/kerryhannon\/2012\/03\/14\/want-to-live-comfortably-in-retirement-your-job-hunt-starts-now\/\">\u201cWant to Live Comfortably in Retirement? Your Job Hunt Starts Now<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aarp.org\/work\/employee-rights\/info-06-2012\/POWADA.html\">The AARP poll<\/a>, conducted by GS Strategy Group of Boise, ID, found that roughly 8 in 10 favor passage of the bipartisan\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.govtrack.us\/congress\/bills\/112\/s2189\">\u201cProtecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act\u201d (POWADA).<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The legislation, sponsored by Republican Senator Chuck Grassley and Democratic Senators Tom Harkin and Patrick Leahy is designed to overturn a divided (5-4) U.S. 2009 Supreme Court decision (Gross v. FBL Financial Services) that made it much more difficult for older workers to prove claims of illegal bias based on age.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike the rules that apply to workers who have been discriminated against due to race, sex, nationality, and religion, older workers must now prove that age was the decisive factor, making it far more difficult to prove their case.<\/p>\n<p>For decades, if an older worker showed that age was one motivating factor in an adverse employment decision, even if other motives also played a role, the employer had to prove that it would have made the same decision without considering the employee\u2019s age.<\/p>\n<p>Since the Gross decision, employees instead must prove that the employer would not have taken the adverse action\u00a0<strong><em>\u201cbut for\u201d<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0their age \u2014 in other words, that age played the determining role \u2014 a significantly higher standard of proof.<\/p>\n<p>The aim of the legislation is to restore the previous legal rules and protections that existed before the 2009 decision.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Workers figure what\u2019s the point?<\/strong>\u00a0My guess is that a lot of jobseekers 50+, \u00a0who have lost a job, figure it\u2019s futile to fight discrimination. Plus, they \u00a0would rather focus resources and energy to finding a new job. The hope is this legislation will make employers\u2019 more accountable and the playing field \u00a0fair to older workers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is hard to really provide facts that you didn\u2019t get a job because of your age,\u201d Laurie McCann, AARP Foundation senior litigation attorney, says. \u201cBeing aware of your rights is your best protection.\u201d For her tips on job seeking, go to my earlier column\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/kerryhannon\/2011\/02\/27\/theres-a-lawsuit-here-five-tips-for-older-jobseekers\/\">\u201cThere\u2019s a Lawsuit Here: Five Tips For Older Jobseekers\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The fact is many of us don\u2019t have a traditional pension, haven\u2019t saved enough for retirement (yet) and have been shut out of the workforce as the recession seeped across corporate American in recent years.<\/p>\n<p>As I have been reporting, along with many others in this field, older Americans are putting off retirement either to make ends meet or to save money for retirement. Not surprisingly, that\u2019s exactly what the new AARP survey found, too.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Only 29 percent of non\u2010retirees surveyed say they have or are close to having enough to retire comfortably.<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0Twenty\u2010nine percent also say they will have to work for a number of years more to retire comfortably, with 36 percent unsure when they will be able to retire.<\/li>\n<li>Among retirees, 16 percent say that they may need to return to work.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Why you should care.<\/strong>\u00a0Age discrimination is in my view a major reason why it takes so much longer for older jobseekers to land a new job. And even when you have a job, you probably feel vulnerable. Your chances of promotions may be increasingly limited \u00a0and\u00a0there\u2019s a nagging feeling that when the music screeches to a stop, there will be no chair for you.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve been paying pretty close attention to this stomach-churning phenomenon and been writing about it for Forbes and as AARP\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.aarp.org\/work\/experts\/kerry-hannon\/\">Jobs Expert<\/a>. In fact, I have dedicated a chapter to the topic with tips and strategies on how to deal with it in my upcoming book:\u00a0<em>AARP Great Jobs for Everyone 50+: Finding Work That Keeps You Happy and Healthy \u2026 And Pays the Bills\u00a0<\/em>(John Wiley &amp; Sons), which will be out in September. Stay tuned.<\/p>\n<p>On a personal level, my spouse, Cliff Hackel, recently joined this choice group. At the age of 58, he is peering out at the landscape after his employer CNN\u2019s \u201crestructuring\u201d and wondering what the odds are of ever being hired for a full-time in-house gig with benefits at his age?<\/p>\n<p>I have to swallow and tell him bluntly, based on my research in this area, they aren\u2019t good. I have faith in him, though, because he was a freelancer for 25 years and as an award-winning documentary producer\/editor, he is at the top echelon of his field, so he will find his opportunity.<\/p>\n<p>Many older workers aren\u2019t as fortunate to have an in-demand skill and expertise. That makes job hunting extra tough, but not impossible. There really are great jobs out there. Trust me. You have to know where to look and how to prepare and market yourself to land one.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/pictures\/eeli45hiel\/10-things-to-do-when-you-lose-your-job-3\/#gallerycontent\">Click for full photo gallery: 10 Things To Do When You Lose Your Job<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs-images.forbes.com\/kerryhannon\/files\/2012\/06\/image0023-150x1503.jpg?resize=75%2C75&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"75\" height=\"75\" data-orig-height=\"75\" data-orig-width=\"75\" \/>I\u2019m\u00a0the author of\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0811871150?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=kerrhann-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0811871150\">What\u2019s Next? Follow Your Passion and Find Your Dream Job<\/a>, available here\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/\">www.kerryhannon.com<\/a>. I am a\u00a0MetLife\u00a0Foundation Journalists in Aging fellow. To learn about great jobs for retirees, check out my\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.aarp.org\/work\/experts\/kerry-hannon\/\">column\u00a0<\/a>at\u00a0AARP. My weekly column \u00a0at PBS\u2019s NextAvenue.org is\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nextavenue.org\/expert\/kerry-hannon\">here<\/a>. Follow me on Twitter,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/KerryHannon\">@KerryHannon<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/pictures\/eeli45hhif\/dont-make-rash-moves-2\">images<img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/specials-images.forbes.com\/imageserve\/0bsB84f9HTaOW\/176x176.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/pictures\/eeli45hhif\/dont-make-rash-moves-2\">Photos:\u00a0How To Plan For A Second Career<\/a><\/div>\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/pictures\/eeli45glih\/do-a-budget\">10 images<img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/specials-images.forbes.com\/imageserve\/08Jx2rO4jK9j9\/176x176.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/pictures\/eeli45glih\/do-a-budget\">Photos:\u00a0Ten Financial Planning Moves For The Big Career Shift<\/a><\/div>\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/kerryhannon\/2012\/02\/16\/older-workers-staying-on-the-job\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs-images.forbes.com\/thumbnails\/blog_1185\/pt_1185_3760_o.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/kerryhannon\/2012\/02\/16\/older-workers-staying-on-the-job\/\">Older Workers Staying On The Job<\/a><cite><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.forbes.com\/kerryhannon\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs-images.forbes.com\/cache\/gravatars\/kerryhannon_40.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Kerry Hannon\" \/><strong>Kerry Hannon<\/strong>Contributor<\/a><\/cite><\/div>\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/kerryhannon\/2011\/11\/22\/great-way-for-boomers-to-prepare-for-nonprofit-work\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs-images.forbes.com\/thumbnails\/blog_1185\/pt_1185_3090_o.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/kerryhannon\/2011\/11\/22\/great-way-for-boomers-to-prepare-for-nonprofit-work\/\">Great Way For Boomers to Prepare for Nonprofit Work<\/a><cite><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.forbes.com\/kerryhannon\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs-images.forbes.com\/cache\/gravatars\/kerryhannon_40.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Kerry Hannon\" \/><strong>Kerry Hannon<\/strong>Contributor<\/a><\/cite><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - http:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"http:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-small.png?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top:5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"StumbleUpon\",\"Digg\",\"Reddit\",\"Bebo\",\"Delicious\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"small\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\" Second Verse: Fighting Age Discrimination: New AARP Survey  \";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ageism. Say the word out loud. When I do, it forms awkwardly in my throat, clinging to the back of my palate. Then, it pushes out with a distinct hissing, like a viperous snake. Go ahead, try saying it.\u00a0Age discrimination\u00a0is\u00a0insidious. And it\u2019s creeping like kudzu into the workplace. It\u2019s no longer the \u201cunspoken\u201d feeling that\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - http:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"http:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-small.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top:5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"StumbleUpon\",\"Digg\",\"Reddit\",\"Bebo\",\"Delicious\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"small\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\" Second Verse: Fighting Age Discrimination: New AARP Survey  \";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1433,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7,20,95,6],"tags":[341,96,60,61],"class_list":["post-1906","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-boomers","category-career-change","category-older-workers-2","category-second-verse-blog-on-forbes-com","tag-aarp","tag-ageism","tag-jobs","tag-older-workers"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kerryhannon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/forbes2.gif?fit=300%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3YFQS-uK","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1906","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1906"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1906\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1920,"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1906\/revisions\/1920"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1906"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}