Ryan FowlerThe Age Without Limits campaign has published new research showing widespread ageism in UK workplaces, with significant numbers of people holding negative assumptions about older workers.
Commissioned by the Centre for Ageing Better, the survey reveals that nearly one in four (24%) people believe it does not make business sense to employ someone over 50 because they would be slow to adapt. Additionally, 22% think it is a waste of resources to provide training to employees over 50, assuming they will not remain in their roles long-term.
Dr Carole Easton, chief executive at the Centre for Ageing Better, said: “The proportion of people who fail to see the value and benefits of employing people in their 50s and 60s is worryingly high, but sadly also not surprising.
“Our Age Without Limits campaign has previously highlighted the workplace as one of the most common situations in which people to experience ageism. It is so dispiriting that these attitudes persist when older workers have such potential to tackle skills shortages, help businesses to thrive and grow our national economy.
“It doesn’t have to be this way. By noticing and challenging ageism in the workplace, we can change employer attitudes to older workers and help everyone to fulfil their potential in later life.”
The survey also shows that one in three (32%) people think workers lose competence with technology as they age. Men, younger people, and individuals with higher qualifications were found to hold these views more frequently. Among men, 37% believe older workers become less competent with technology compared to 27% of women. Meanwhile, 46% of 25-34-year-olds think older workers struggle with technology, compared to 22% of those aged 65 and above.
The findings also indicate that individuals with the highest qualifications (Level 4 or above) are more likely to hold ageist views. Nearly one in three (31%) people with a Level 4 qualification or above think it does not make business sense to employ someone over 50, compared to just 17% of those with a Level 3 qualification.
To mark the campaign’s second year, Age Without Limits has launched a nationwide advertising initiative, under the slogan “It’s not ageing, it’s ageism.” The campaign aims to challenge the negative attitudes limiting opportunities for older people and to show the impact of ageism on employment, healthcare, and wider society.
Danielle Barbereau, a supporter of the campaign, shared her experience: “From my own experience, I’ve felt ageism in the workplace when I was made redundant from my senior management role and struggled to find a replacement role in the same sector. I was not the ‘right fit’ for similar jobs and ‘over-qualified’ for more junior roles. It left me feeling so frustrated that I decided to have a complete career change and I set up my own business, using my skills in a different way and now I am thriving.
“I don’t want to be limited by people’s negative assumptions about me because of my age, and that’s why the campaign from Age Without Limits is so important for us all to be a part of. Because, hopefully, we’ll all be old one day.”
Katherine Crawshaw, co-head of the campaign, said: “Ageism in the workplace is a serious and widespread issue that is holding back older workers, employers and the economy. There are age discrimination protections in place but they provide support to just a small minority of the people impacted.
“We all have a role to play in noticing ageism in our own attitudes to ageing, and we all have a role to play in helping to challenge ageism we might see or hear in the workplace, in the café, in the pub, on social media or amongst our friends and family. Only by doing so can we hope to change society for the better and end ageism.”
