The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) just turned 50—but age stereotypes in the workplace abound. Experts say that organizations need to move beyond outdated labels and embrace the value that older workers bring to the table.
“Our culture fears aging,” said Cathy Ventrell-Monsees, senior advisor with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in Washington, D.C. She was speaking on a panel at the American Bar Association’s recent 11th Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference.
Ventrell-Monsees identified five major assumptions about older workers that need to be removed from workplace ideology. These stereotypes are easy to identify because they are so commonly accepted, but research refutes all of them, she noted.
