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Causes, Effects, and Prevention of Age Discrimination to the Old in Tech Companies

Age discrimination, also called ageism, is the stereotyping, discrimination against,

and prejudice of people on their age instead of qualification competencies in the workplace.

Ageism cuts across both older and younger people in the labor market. However, higher

records of ageism show that older people face age discrimination when applying to occupy

job vacancies, seeking a job promotion, and job retention. Additionally, age discrimination is

rampant in tech companies and companies that deal with technical production. Tech

companies like Google and Facebook has younger employees below thirty years old.

Employers have their arguments on the need to employ and maintain younger workers in tech

companies. Others do not intend to be ageists but find themselves hiring and retaining most

younger workers at a higher percentage than older workers. Employers' need for

technological inclined, risk-taking and less obligated workers causes ageism, leading to

mental and physical illness, poor standards of living, and compromised social interactions to

the old and, therefore, should be mitigated through employers, employees, and government

initiatives.

Three major reasons cause age discrimination in tech companies. First, tech company

employers need young people for they are technologically inclined. Employers usually are

interested in hiring self-motivated people in their work (Rosales 83). Young people are

motivated to work in Tech Companies to exploit their full potential. Employers consider

young people to have the self-drive towards technology than the older (Mitchell).

Additionally, employers consider young people as the ones with the ability to learn and adapt
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quickly. Technology keeps on upgrading day after day. Older workers are considered hard to

train and develop when it comes to technological advancement. It usually takes long periods

before the older workers understand a concept about an upgrade in one discipline of

technology like programming. They are also not flexible like youths, and working in a tech

company like Facebook and Google, requires high levels of flexibility. Therefore, employers

choose to hire and retain young technology-inclined employees.

Secondly, young workers are more probable to embrace risks compared to senior

workers in tech companies. Generally, youths of age 20 to 30 years old are explorative and

tend to try new things. Due to stiff competition between tech companies, each company

wants to develop a higher technology than their competitors do; employers hire those who

can take the risk of trying new things in the industry. It is taking worthwhile risks that many

companies have developed new upgraded technologies (Rosales and Jakob 82-83). According

to Super’s five career development and life stages, older people, especially those above 44

years, are considered to be at a stage of life where they aim at maintaining what they have

achieved over their young age (Mitchell). Tech companies need risk-takers who work beyond

expectations and explore new ways. Employers argue that the right workforce for that is the

youth because they are at the exploration stage of career development.

Finally, tech company employers consider having youths in their organizations

because they are less obligated outside the office. It is a strategy designed by employers to

increase production at a lower cost. Young people do not have big families, investments, and

societal obligations as older people have. Unlike the young workers, older workers demand

occasional leaves, and unplanned offs to take care of family emergencies and leave their job

at the recommended time by labor laws- they are unwilling to stay for overtime tasks. On the

other hand, young technology enthusiastic employees volunteer to work overtime to further

their experience in tech jobs and earn acknowledgments and promotions (Mitchell). In the
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process, they increase work productivity in tech companies without necessarily getting high

remunerations, hence incurring the low company costs of wages and salaries (Rosales and

Jakob 83). Therefore, employers prefer them to the old and obligated workers.

Because of age discrimination in tech companies, potential older workers and already

older employees face various problems. Age discrimination affects the probability of the

senior acquiring jobs, keep one, and get a promotion. First, it lowers the standards of living

and limits the life expectancy of the old. Age discrimination leads to the unemployment of

older workers. Ageist tech companies lay off old workers because of the reasons mentioned

above, which affects the livelihood of the older workers. Many old unemployed people

complain of their inability to earn an equitable income to meet life demands. This is because

laid off or turned down older job applicants leave them unemployed with no income to take

care of their families and medication costs. Many of them are affected by chronic diseases

and settle their loans and mortgages. That leads to overdependence on their children for

financial support- indicating a poor standard of living.

Secondly, age discrimination in Tech Companies also leads to physical and mental

illness of the old. The old end up being unemployed, and the younger employees despise

them by referring to them using nicknames like "old Jim." There are two main channels that

unemployment of the old can affect their mental health. Number one is employment causes

immediate costs, as discussed above. The accompanying persistent and sharp cut of

individual income to job losses makes the old make unlikely adjustments in their spending

(Anthony). They tend to cut drastically their expenditure that can have adverse effects on the

nutrition quality of their diet, health care, and housing (Lídia et al., 4). Additionally,

according to Lídia et al. (4), financial constraints contribute to unemployed peoples'

psychological distress. Secondly, laying off the old separates them from those they used to

relate closely to within the company and deprives their sense of control, self-esteem, and
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meaning of life, which causes adverse health issues (Lídia et al., 4). That causes distress and

physical harm to the old.

Finally, older workers experience deterioration in relationships with those who

surround them. As a result of discrimination in the workplace because of age, older workers

lose work relationships with their younger counterparts. That not only affect the old, but it

also affects the productivity of the company. Poor relationships among employees limit

sharing of knowledge and expertise from the old to the younger employees. It also reduces

senior employees' motivation to work and loses the confidence of continuity to work in a tech

company. Additionally, older workers are unable to relate well with their families and society

(Anthony). In the beginning, the laid-off old workers were breadwinners and providers to

their families and society. Once they become unemployed, those who depended on them

suffer. This comes in conjunction with the disadvantages of early retirement. In an attempt to

maintain their obligations, the old workers claim their retirement funds earlier that incur them

loss of retirement benefits by 30% ("The Pros And Cons Of An Early Retirement | Metro

Credit Union"). That distorts the relationship between the old and their families.

There are various approaches to combat those adverse effects of age discrimination in

tech companies. These are employers’ initiatives, employees’ initiatives, and government

initiatives to combat age discrimination in the workplace. Company employers can

implement various proactive measures to prevent both explicit and unconscious age

discrimination or bias from adversely affecting the treatment of employees. These measures

include leading as an example from the top management. Executive management should set

the tone that it only intends to retain the best people and not to avoid the old employees

(Shannonhouse et al., 2017). The leaders should also prohibit ageism comments and

nicknames (Shannonhouse et al., 2017). They can also implement a policy that prohibits

employment discrimination. The policy should include forms of harassment, discrimination,

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and retaliation and the process of reporting cases of discrimination. According to

Shannonhouse et al. (2017), employers should also organize binding diversity training that

addresses the company's policy, employment discrimination, and the process of complaining.

Finally, employers should implement disciplined strategies of reducing staff that ensure

consciousness of retaining an age-diverse workforce (Shannonhouse et al., 2017). By doing

so, employers would ensure a significant reduction in age discrimination in their tech

companies.

Employees can individually or collaboratively combat age discrimination in tech

companies through various approaches. Firstly, employees should familiarize themselves

with the workers’ rights (Shannonhouse et al., 2017). When discriminated against because of

age factor, an employee should report immediately to the manager or employer that they are

aware of their rights as stated in The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967

(ADEA) (Shannonhouse et al., 2017). Additionally, employees should socialize with their

colleagues even outside the workplace. That enhances comfortability and conformity of

employees even outside the office, thus, good relations and respect when working in the

office (Ngan). Also, employees should participate in programs of reverse mentoring (Lee 17).

These programs aim at connecting junior employees or fresh college graduates with older

workers. During the program, junior employees may be more knowledgeable about current

tech tools but have inadequate professional experience and exchange knowledge and

experience with the more senior employees (Lee 17). Therefore, employees should engage in

continuous training and development to be at par with current tech tools, hence, remain

relevant in the tech company.

Finally, the government has a role in combating age discrimination in tech companies.

States’ governments should enforce legal penalties to ageist tech companies as a way of

warning other companies that might intend to stereotype, discriminate against, and prejudice
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people on the grounds of their age (Ngan). In the past, several governments have charged

tech companies with age discrimination. For example, in 2019, Google Company was

litigated for cases of ageism in its workforce (Gurchiek). More than 200 older job applicants

at Google filed a lawsuit against Google with claims that they were denied employment

despite being qualified. The court fined Google a settlement of $11 million and further

ordered it to train its management and employees on age discrimination. Additionally, the

government should address age discrimination through funding research on ageism and

campaigns against the myths associated with older workers in tech companies. Finally,

governments should encourage age-diverse and age-inclusive tech companies (Ngan).

Governments are the big financers to training programs to fight against ageism in the

workplace.

Age discrimination in tech companies is against the ADEA. Employers in tech

companies willingly or unwillingly exercise this vice when employing and reducing workers

in their companies. The reasons behind age discrimination in tech companies include

employers’ need for technological inclined, risk-taking, and less obligated workers. Young

people (especially those fresh from college) best suit the needs of tech companies' employer.

The employers can utilize their availability to work at late hours without demanding higher

extra payments for overtime job. However, age discrimination has adverse effects on the

older workers seeking new employment, promotion, and job retention in tech companies. It

leads to mental and physical illness, poor standards of living, and compromised social

interactions with the old.

Therefore, there is a need to mitigate age discrimination to exercise equity and justice

in tech companies. That can be achieved by implementing employers, employees, and

government initiatives to combat age discrimination. The government ensures that tech

company employers follow the laws in the ADEA 1967. Older employees should also ensure
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continuous learning to advance their tech tools and technologies. They should also participate

in in programs of reverse mentoring to learn from the fresh or younger employees. Employers

should also prohibit ageism during hiring, promotion, and laying off processes. They should

also implement policies that enhance teambuilding and cohesion among the old and younger

employee. By doing so, ageism in tech companies would be reduced, leading to rescue of

older workers from their tribulations.

works Cited

Anthony, Mitch. "Are You Suffering From Sudden Retirement Syndrome?". The Globe And

Mail, 2016, https://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/retirement/retire-

lifestyle/are-you-suffering-from-sudden-retirement-syndrome/article27893910/.

Accessed 30 Apr 2021.

Gurchiek, Kathy. "Google Ends Age-Discrimination Suit With $11 Million Settlement".

SHRM, 2019, https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/behavioral-

competencies/global-and-cultural-effectiveness/pages/google-ends-age-

discrimination-suit-with-11-million-settlement.aspx.

Lee, Chin Chin, Sara J. Czaja, and Joseph Sharit. "Training older workers for technology-

based employment." Educational Gerontology 35.1 (2008): 15-31.

Mitchell, Stewart. "Life Ends At 40 In The Tech Industry". Itpro.Co.Uk, 2019,

https://www.itpro.co.uk/business-strategy/recruitment/354296/life-ends-at-40-in-the-

tech-industry.

Ngan, Raymond Man Hung, Ping Kong Kam, and Jacky Chau Kiu Cheung. "Age

Discrimination in the Labor Market." The crisis of welfare in East Asia (2016): 147.

Rosales, Andrea, and Jakob Svensson. "Perceptions of age in contemporary tech." Nordicom

Review 42.1 (2021): 79-91.

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Shannonhouse, Laura, Amanda Rumsey, and Mary Chase Mize. "Combating ageism."

(2017).

"The Pros And Cons Of An Early Retirement | Metro Credit Union." Advice.Metrocu.Org,

2019, http://advice.metrocu.org/retirement-planning/saving/article/the-pros-and-cons-

of-an-early-retirement.