Age Discrimination Quiz

There three principal ways to avoid age discrimination in the workplace. What are they?

  1. Diversity; stereotypes; discrimination.
  2. Diversity; retirement; discrimination.
  3. Stereotypes; social security; training.
  4. Diversity; stereotypes; training.

ANSWER

  1. Diversity; stereotypes; training.

WHY IS IT RIGHT

To avoid becoming a statistic and getting caught up in a costly claim. Follow these tips to help prevent age discrimination in your organization.

1. Strive to maintain a diverse workforce

Hiring managers have a tendency to hire people who are similar to themselves, often without realizing their implicit bias. This can be problematic when it becomes clear that individuals aren’t being hired based on their qualifications for a particular job, but rather how well they’d fit in socially with your team.

There’s a big difference between basing a decision on facts (like job skills demonstrated) and basing it on assumptions (such as assuming older workers don’t want to collaborate with their younger peers).

2. Avoid issues with your job descriptions

Use words like “motivated,” “driven” or “dedicated” that convey a candidate’s passion and work ethic without the consdghnotation that they must be young to successfully perform required duties.

Avoid determining what type of person would fit the role altogether, and instead describe the role itself in vivid detail.

3. Design your job application process with care

What information do you absolutely need to collect on your job applications?

On your job applications and in interviews, be more specific with your questions. For example, “Do you have 10 years of experience in this field?” or “Can you use this software program?”

Don’t ask for unnecessary information.

Keep in mind that if applicant data is only needed for background screening purposes, it can be collected later in the hiring process when the actual screening is conducted.

A reputable recruiting and background screening service provider can help you as follows:

  • Avoid blatant mistakes, such as asking for an applicant’s birthdate upfront.
  • Use a variety of recruiting tools, so you get a variety of diverse applicants.
  • Develop an application that avoids collecting unneeded information.
  • Create structured interview guides for consistency, so all applicants are asked the same questions.
  • Train interviewers to make sure they’re asking appropriate questions and avoiding inappropriate, off-topic conversations.
  • Determine hiring criteria and document how decisions were made, to help you defend every hiring decision.
  • Follow appropriate procedures for background screenings, including state-by-state guidance.

4. Steer clear of stereotypes

Never assume that an employee can’t keep up with new industry trends or won’t understand new technology. Many older employees are eager to take on new challenges and learn the latest technology, and making assumptions based on age can lead to a discrimination claim.

5. Understand the rules of retirement

Someone is older in age; you cannot assume they’re ready for retirement.

Jobs are less physically demanding; workers today often stay in their jobs well after the Social Security retirement age.

Asking questions around when an employee plans to retire is also off limits.

Avoid making disparaging comments about yourself. Like “back in the day” or “my old brain” or “I’m old fashioned” can be problematic. Your words could have the potential to make older employees feel discriminated against.

WHY IS EVERYTHING ELSE WRONG

All employees of all ages should be treated with respect, dignity and fair-ness.

The “words” and “expressions” in the hiring process – including hiring itself, termination, pay, job duties etc. have a far-reaching effect in our workplace:

Words, wrongly positioned intentional or non-intentional, the effect which goes to the heart of age discrimination in organizations.