When it comes to workplace inclusion, age bias isn’t always top of the agenda. While significant strides have been made by many organisations in addressing discrimination involving race, gender and disabilities, age-related discrimination is too often left unchallenged and not taken seriously.

Age bias, which happens when individuals are discriminated against because of their age, can impact employees on both ends of the career spectrum. But older professionals in particular, despite being among the most experienced, are often hit harder by negative age-related stereotypes that unfairly question their relevance, adaptability, tech know-how and future potential. This sadly makes it considerably harder for them to be considered for roles, promotions and training.

Combatting the age bias within an organisation, no matter how subtle it might be, is not only good from a fairness and diversity standpoint– but it’s actually a smart business move in today’s business landscape too. As the workforce continues to age and people remain employed for longer, organisations will soon have little choice but to consider hiring older professionals to fill their roles or risk drastically falling behind.

In this guide, we’ll dive into the impact of age bias on workplaces and D&I and look at the benefits of hiring older professionals. We’ll also be sharing advice on how organisations can start to tackle their own age bias and create a more inclusive hiring process.

Age bias in the workplace

Age bias is an issue that continues to quietly shape organisations across the UK in subtle yet significant ways. From the hiring process to promotions and training, negative assumptions based on age can strongly influence decision-making, limit opportunities and create unnecessary divides between older and younger generations.

Challenges ranging from talent shortages, skill gaps and the ageing UK population should be a catalyst for greater hiring of the over-50s. Yet, research from the Age without Limits campaign found that older professionals are far less likely to be hired, with a third of their respondents believing they have been rejected for roles due to their age. Another report by Rest Less found that the over-50s are twice as likely to face long-term unemployment compared to younger age groups, despite being the fastest growing demographic of UK workers.

Age bias and discrimination is also impacting older professionals within the workplace too. In our recent DelTra ED&I report we found that 14% of our respondents who had experienced bias and prejudice in the workplace reported that ageism was a factor in how they were treated. This can manifest in various ways including being overlooked for training and promotion opportunities and being excluded from team discussions or decision-making processes.

This is backed up by Corndel’s Workplace Training Report which found that more than half of over 55’s had not received any management or leadership training in their current role, compared to two thirds (67%) of professionals aged 23-38.

Despite having a legal duty for prevent it from happening under the Equality Act 2010, 1 in 5 employers acknowledged that age discrimination occurs within their organisations, according to the Age without limits campaign. In some cases, age bias has the potential to evolve into harassment, which sadly isn’t uncommon in UK workplaces and can include intimidating behaviours, patronising remarks, relentless jokes about retirement and openly mocking someone for being “too old” or “past it”.

Whether experiencing unemployment, being denied opportunities for progression or enduring harassment at work because of their age, older professionals can understandably begin to feel frustrated, underappreciated and isolated. This can destroy their confidence and productivity, causing many talented, experienced professionals to either leave prematurely or be overlooked completely.

This can also affect organisations by contributing to skills and labour shortages, while resulting in the loss of valuable expertise and experience. It also limits the potential benefits of multigenerational teams, such as enhanced innovation, improved problem-solving and increased productivity.

Diversity and Inclusion

When it comes to ED&I policies and initiatives, emphasis is often placed on race, gender and disabilities. While there’s no denying these areas deserve attention, many organisations fail to see age with the same lens when creating their policies, despite the significant impact it has been proven to have on organisations and individuals alike. This is often due to a lack of understanding and awareness and outdated assumptions, which causes many to consider it less critical than other forms of discrimination.

In a recent study by Work Together, 31% of business leaders agreed that an emphasis on inclusivity and diversity initiatives is important in creating a positive work culture for a multigenerational workforce, yet only 18% include age in their EDI policies, only 16% have a menopause support policy and only 13% have age champion schemes.

When organisations fail to include age in their ED&I policies and initiatives, discrimination related to age within their hiring process, career progression and training is allowed to continue and leave older professionals without protection, harming employee engagement, retention and morale significantly.

Common misconceptions

For many older professionals, negative misconceptions about their age or way of working continue to drastically limit their career progression opportunities. These assumptions include beliefs that older professionals are harder to train, more expensive to employ, less ambitious, resistant to change, lack digital skills and that they stand in the way of opportunities for younger professionals.

According to the Age without Limits campaign, one in four people admitted that they think it doesn’t make business sense to employ someone over 50 because they will be a slow worker who cannot adapt. Their research also found that more than one in five people also think it’s a waste of resources to give in-job training to someone over 50 because they believe they won’t stay in the role for long. In short, these assumptions paint hiring older professionals as being a harmful decision for an organisation, both financially and productively.

However, all of these assumptions are generally unfounded and don’t represent the majority of older professionals working today. In reality, hiring older candidates can be beneficial to an organisation, not detrimental. They’ve often had to adapt to countless technological and organisational changes throughout their careers, making them highly resilient and adaptable. They tend to have highly developed technical and soft skills, making them valuable mentors for knowledge transfers but also open to learning new skills too. They can also demonstrate strong commitment and loyalty, leading to increased retention and stability within the workforce.

Become an age inclusive organisation

 Creating a more age inclusive organisation means more than just good intentions and ticking boxes. It requires intentional changes that remove bias and celebrate experience at all organisational levels, from the hiring process through to your workplace culture. Here are some proven, actionable measures you can introduce that tackles age bias while also helping older professionals feel respected, welcomed and valued within your organisation.

Invest in training to combat age bias

Unsurprisingly, investing in unconscious bias training is one of the most effective ways of raising awareness about age bias (and other forms of bias). It can challenge the harmful stereotypes that impact older professionals in the workplace and hiring process and provide tangible strategies to tackle it, such framing interview questions fairly, evaluating experience objectively and using age inclusive language in job ads. Hearing the experiences of older professionals has also been proven to be particularly effective. However, this training shouldn’t be treated as a one-off exercise and should instead be considered on-going learning for employees and leadership teams alike.

Create an age-positive workplace

If older professionals can see that you’re an age-positive workplace that recognises that value that employees of all ages can bring, whether via social media or through word of mouth, it can make your work culture very appealing. This could include using age-neutral imagery on your social posts or website or shouting about the achievements of your mature employees. Promoting your teams’ multigenerational collaborative efforts can also help to break down harmful stereotypes about older and younger professionals being unable to work alongside each other.

Seek input from current employees

Actively seeking input from current employees can uncover hidden barriers older professionals may face, that leadership may be unaware of. These challenges may include job applications that feel exclusionary or limited access to career growth in the workplace. Without this direct employee feedback, these issues remain invisible and continue to cause issues. Engaging employees in surveys, focus groups or employee networks can be effective ways of gaining this insights and enables organisations to find solutions that address age-related barriers.

Offer more flexible work options

Research from the Flexible Over Fifty report found that 72% of people over-50 are searching for roles with flexible work options to help improve their work-life balance. Having this flexibility can also help them to manage their health needs or caring responsibilities while maintaining their careers. Offering options like hybrid or remote working, phased retirement, flexitime or job sharing can make your roles far more attractive and accessible to experienced older candidates, who might have had no choice but to leave the workforce altogether.

Create more inclusive job ads

Consider if the language being used in your job ads is unintentionally reinforcing age bias. Using phrases such as “recent graduate” and “digital native” could imply a preference towards younger candidates and deter older professionals from applying. Age inclusive job ads focus on experience and broader skills such as adaptability, problem-solving or leadership that candidates of all ages can demonstrate. By excluding biased language and prioritising expertise over age, organisations can attract a wider range of candidates and shows a genuine commitment to inclusivity.

Collect and analyse age data

Collecting age-related data throughout the hiring process, from applications to shortlisting and job offers, can provide crucial insights into whether older professionals are being treated fairly and progressing equitably. It can help to uncover trends and barriers that may disadvantage candidates based on age, such as lower interview-to-offer ratios, application withdrawals or progression delays. By using evidence rather than assumptions, organisations can begin to make targeted improvements, leading to more transparent and equitable hiring practices that benefit candidates of all ages.

Standardised application and interview process

If hiring processes lack structure and consistency, it can be easy for unconscious bias of all kinds to creep in. To ensure all candidates are measured against the same criteria, it’s crucial to standardise applications, assessments and interviews. This might mean introducing structured interview questions, competency-based assessments or blind application reviews. A more standardised approach can make it easier to identify top candidates based on merit, increases fairness for candidates of all ages and highlights a commitment to equitable and inclusive recruitment.

Conclusion

As with all kinds of bias, age bias can’t be solved overnight. It will require ongoing commitment, education and action through every level of your organisation to tackle it effectively – but it’s definitely a worthwhile endeavour.

By addressing the often-subtle ways age bias and discrimination can occur, from workplace culture to training and promotions, organisations can ensure the wealth of industry insights, honed skillsets and credibility that many older professionals possess is valued and respected, while building stronger, more inclusive teams in the process.

For additional support, you can read more of our guides for over 60's here or get in touch with the team for further guidance.