{"id":5857,"date":"2016-10-02T15:40:40","date_gmt":"2016-10-02T19:40:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?p=5857"},"modified":"2016-10-02T16:03:26","modified_gmt":"2016-10-02T20:03:26","slug":"how-to-combat-age-discrimination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?p=5857","title":{"rendered":"How to Combat Age Discrimination"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"download\"<\/a>\u00a0A few weeks back, a friend confessed he was worried about finding work after he turns 50. His admission came shortly after a fortysomething acquaintance wrote this on Facebook:<\/header>\n
<\/header>\n
\n
\n

 <\/p>\n

Just spilled my coffee on a Millennial talking about how he won\u2019t hire anyone who has\u00a0been on the work circuit for more than 15 years.<\/em><\/p>\n

(This article appeared previously on\u00a0Grandparents.com<\/span><\/a>)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As they move into their 40s and 50s, members of Generation X <\/a>are confronting the reality of ageism in the office, something older workers know all too well. For boomers, it\u2019s been a fact of life for decades, making it difficult to find and keep jobs in fields dominated by younger and younger coworkers.<\/p>\n

“Older workers are more loyal, tend to be more engaged in their jobs and have a bigger network to pull from in terms of getting the job done.”<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 Kerry Hannon, career exper<\/strong><\/em>t<\/strong><\/p>\n

The situation was only exacerbated by the Recession of 2008, which led many older workers to find themselves out of work for weeks, months and even years. Some have never recovered, financially speaking. Some never will.<\/p>\n

\"Getting-the-Job-You-Want-Book-Cover1\"<\/a>It has everything to do with widespread, culturally ingrained age discrimination. \u201cAgeism is alive and well in the workforce,\u201d says Kerry Hannon<\/a>, career expert, Next Avenue blogger<\/a> and author of\u00a0Getting the Job You Want After 50<\/a><\/em>.<\/strong> \u201cAnd you don\u2019t need to sugarcoat that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read on PBS Next Avenue<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The Facts About Age Discrimination at Work<\/h3>\n

Ageism begins during the job search. While the current unemployment rate<\/a> for people 45 and over is comparatively low \u2014 about 3.5 percent versus 4.9 percent nationally \u2014 older workers are at a disadvantage when looking for new gigs. They take longer to find work and make up about 45 percent<\/a> of the long-term unemployed.<\/p>\n

When they are hired, it\u2019s frequently in occupations that are different from their previous jobs, and they often settle for less money \u2014 especially if they\u2019ve been out of work for an extended period. In a 2014 survey<\/a> of roughly 2,500 older workers who\u2019d been unemployed in the previous five years, 57 percent said \u201cemployers think I am too old\u201d was a barrier to being hired.<\/p>\n

Research supports their claims. Last year, University of California Irvine economist David Neumark sent out 40,223 resumes<\/a>, and found that workers age 29 to 31 were 18 percent more likely to get a callback than workers age 49 to 51, and 35 percent more likely than workers age 64 to 66.<\/p>\n

From offensive comments to unexplained layoffs, ageism doesn\u2019t stop once you\u2019re on the job, either.<\/p>\n

About two in three\u00a0workers between age 45 and 74 have experienced it at work, according to AARP. Most people believe ageism starts in their 50s, though research suggests it actually begins around age 35. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 was supposed to address this unfairness, but in 2015, over 21,000 complaints were filed with the government.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my experience, most have been people who have been employed for a long time, who have gotten up there in age and wind up being terminated,\u201d says Scott M. Behren<\/a>, a Florida-based lawyer who handles age discrimination cases. \u201cA lot of time the older employees are making more money, and the companies want to get rid of the higher-paid employees.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sadly, such cases almost never see the inside of the courtroom. \u201cDiscrimination claims are difficult,\u201d says Behren. \u201cThere\u2019s usually a harder standard of proof.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why Age Discrimination Happens<\/h3>\n

Unsurprisingly, age discrimination<\/a> is rooted in preconceived notions of older workers. \u201c[Management] worries that you\u2019re not up for the job, that you don\u2019t have the stamina and energy, that you\u2019re not up to speed with technology, that you\u2019re stuck in your ways,\u201d says Hannon.<\/strong> \u201cThey\u2019re worried that your salary demands are high and you\u2019re expensive in terms of benefits. They\u2019re concerned you won\u2019t be happy reporting to a younger boss, that you\u2019re not in it for the long haul \u2014 that it\u2019s a holding place until you actually retire.\u201d<\/p>\n

As it turns out, however, mountains of research contradict these harmful stereotypes.<\/p>\n

\u201cOlder workers<\/a> are more loyal, tend to be more engaged in their jobs and have a bigger network to pull from in terms of getting the job done,\u201d says Hannon<\/strong>. One 2012 Journal of Personnel Psychology meta-analysis<\/a> of over 400 studies found that negative stereotypes associated with older workers \u2014 including low energy levels, more health problems, extra family commitments and resistance to change \u2014 were totally unfounded. Another 2015 AARP report<\/a> discovered that employees over 50 cost less than expected and displayed \u201cgreater professionalism, a stronger work ethic, greater reliability and lower turnover.\u201d<\/p>\n

What to Do: Getting Hired<\/h3>\n

Despite all the evidence, preconceived notions about older workers persist. Hannon<\/strong> has four tips to combat ageism while job searching:<\/p>\n