Am I too old to work?

Am I too old to work?

It is true that the world is ruled by the young generation because they are full of new thoughts and ideas does it mean that people of middle age should be pushed away? Many middle aged people face age discrimination at their workplaces. Yes of course, there are age limits in every country for work but what if a person faces discrimination at the workplace just because he is above 40? Despite impressive professional achievements and credentials they are put aside.

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Middle aged people are given less preference at the time of recruitment not because they aren’t competent or lack skills but simply because they have a grey hair or two. Discriminating people on the basis of age is an offense to the highly competent and experienced employees and there are laws to protect workers for the same in many countries but unfortunately India is not among them.

In India, one finds age- discrimination everywhere, even various examinations have a certain age limit to apply. Article 15A of Indian constitution says that “The state shall not discriminate against any citizen on the basis of caste, color, place of birth and religion”. How ever protection from discrimination on the basis of age is not mentioned anywhere.

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Age discrimination at the workplace can adversely affect the life of an employee and there are various forms this discrimination presents itself. They are as follows:

• Company considers old and experienced employees more of a liability in terms of paying higher salary, pensions than a younger applicant.

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• It is believed that old people might be less technology friendly as compare to the younger people and this influences the decision of the company at the time of recruitment.

• Sometimes, younger people discriminate against their senior colleagues by passing some offensive remarks about their age.

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• They are also fired from the organization just because they have grown old.

There is no relationship between age and job performance, as a 45 year old is more dedicated and experienced than a 20 year old, but being victims of the stereotypes perpetuated in the society and work spaces the notions that an older employee is less competent than a younger one, the older population of our society continues to suffer.

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In a country like India where there is growing population of youngsters, it is important to safeguard the rights of old employees as they are assets for the organization. It’s been a common scenario in India that if you are above forty and lose your job probably you will not be able to find one or end up working at a lesser salary.

To protect employees from the discrimination, the laws in India should be amended. Like United States have act of 1967 against age discrimination.It is meant to safeguard the interests of employees with an age of forty and above. It includes following areas:

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• Discriminations at the time of hiring, firing, promotions, wages and layoffs.
• Specifications in the job notice or advertisement of job preference and limitations.
• Giving same cost benefits to the old people as the young people.

“I lost my previous job due to some issues and then it was hard to find another one because most of them have age limits.Finally, I got a job but I had to adjust with my salary package. People don’t judge a candidate on their skills rather they see how young you are.” Rohit Mehta, a professional said shedding light on the prevalent discrimination.

So many people are victim of age discrimination at their workplace. Most of the time either they negotiate with the salary or they end up working in the same environment which is not suitable for them.

As is rightly said, we reap what we sow; younger generation should realize that discriminating older people just because they have grown old is a shameful act and may affect everyone because they will also grow old at some point in their lives. Every individual has the right to work with no fear for harm to their dignity and respect.

Picture Courtesy : Kuldeep Pundhir, OneWorldNews

Government should take some action regarding age-discriminationact and enable middle aged people to confidently take legal actions if they face any type of discrimination.