A new report from the International Longevity Centre UK (ILC) highlights how pervasive ageism and ableism are excluding far too many people from the workplace as they age.
This is at a huge cost not only to individuals, but employers and the economy too. However, ditching ageist and ableist stereotypes at work could pay dividends, according to ILC, the UK’s specialist think tank on the impact of longevity on society. ILC’s research has found that if countries across the G20 were to enable older workers to work at the same rates as seen in Iceland, this could boost GDP by an average of 7% every year. Supporting health at work, addressing discrimination and ensuring access to training and career development, are key to tapping into this potential, the report argues.
However, last week’s latest ONS report showed that between December 2020 and February 2021, employment rates of 50-64 year-olds have continued to fall from 72.6% to 71.1%, and from 11.5% to 10.4% for those aged 65+, despite an increase in the population of 50+ years in this period. Older workers still in work have also reported working fewer working hours than usual; and a quarter of all employees on furlough (1.3 million) are aged 50 or over, with many worried they will be made redundant once the scheme ends.
TACKLING AGEISM & ABLEISM
Previous research by ILC has highlighted that about a million people aged between 50 and 64 are forced out of the workforce early in the UK, as a result of health or care needs or caring for a loved one. Covid-19 has further exacerbated these trends. While employment participation of older workers had been continually growing pre-pandemic, trends have reversed as the oldest and youngest workers have been hardest hit by the economic fallout caused by the pandemic.
ILC is therefore urging employers to tackle ageism at work, ensure better access to training and support employees’ health to remain competitive in the post-pandemic recovery. Drawing on research by the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam) and the University of Kent, ILC’s report highlights that despite being formally banned as part of the Equality Act of 2010, both ageism and ableism are rife in the workplace; and that the two overlap. Interviews analysed as part of the research reveal that employers and older workers often see training and professional development as more relevant for younger people.
CREATING INCLUSIVE WORKPLACES
Additionally, despite formally embracing equality, managers still commonly speak in ageist and ableist terms about older workers being less motivated or less able to undertake training and professional development. These age norms are often also internalised by older workers themselves; with many saying they are “too old” for training and/or promotion and that they should leave that “to the younger ones”. Similarly, the research highlights that internalised ageism and ableism prevents some employees from seeking health support, which may worsen conditions and lead to early retirement.
“To remain competitive when dealing with an ageing workforce, organisations must act to create inclusive work environments,” stated ILC’s Senior Research Fellow and lead report author Dr Brian Beach. “We have known about the barrier that ageism creates for older workers and older jobseekers. This research points to how older people’s own ageist assumptions can limit their opportunities. This work also highlights the partial overlap between ageist and ableist attitudes; meaning efforts to tackle one must also address the other.
He believes employers should educate managers and staff about the social model of disability, which recognises that conditions are only disabling when the surroundings make them so. “This shifts the emphasis onto making sure work fits the person rather than the other way around. Occupational health services should also act as an advocate for the worker; and future efforts must focus on ongoing support to enable the worker to stay in work rather than just get back to work,” he added.
WHY LANGUAGE MATTERS
The language managers use to talk about older workers and the way those older workers frame their own thoughts about work, extending working lives and retirement are also important, highlighted Sarah Vickerstaff, Professor of Work and Employment at the University of Kent. “Age stereotypes are routinely employed with respect to older workers’ capabilities and potential. Age norms about what is appropriate for different age groups are often used to talk about training and development or extending working lives. In this sense, ageism is normalised in organisations, taken for granted and to a large extent unexamined. Ageist language does not seem to have the power to shock in the way that overtly racist or sexist language nowadays might.”
Part of what may be referred to as ageism may be “hidden ableism”, noted Dr Mariska van der Horst, Assistant Professor of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. “Changing the narrative to stress that ‘not all older workers have health problems’ is not helpful as this may increase ableism and could reinforce the message that work is for ‘the healthy’. Instead, we need to better teach and understand what is referred to as the social model of disability; to what degree are people disabled by barriers in society rather than by a potential health issue? How can we make the employee more central and supported in the workforce? How can we make the job fit with the person, rather than the person fit the job?”
EMBRACING AGE DIVERSITY
In short, workplaces must ensure that health isn’t policed or used as a tool to pick people off. Employers must embrace diversity in age and health to enrich their workforce; demonstrating proactive efforts and strategies to support their workers and adapt to changes that arise, according to the report. Fundamentally, workplaces will need to strengthen the tools at their disposal (for example, by learning about the social model of disability) to ensure they are inclusive, open environments.
The report identifies three priority themes for future policy and practice development, that will help employers to position themselves well during the post-pandemic recovery period and beyond. Recommendations include:
- Educate managers and staff about the social model of disability to combat ageist and ableist attitudes.
- Promote realistic attitudes that focus on adapting the job to fit the person.
- Foster ongoing support that helps workers to succeed in their current job and to explore new opportunities.
Click here to download the full report. Often stereotyped as ‘too experienced’, many older workers are continuing to be disadvantaged and discriminated against during their job search, reveals another recent report. Click here to read more.
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