Have you faced "age discrimination" at work (interviewers, unemployed, applications)

[Hemlock140]

I started at my current employer at age 57, was promoted to supervisor in 18 months, hired my replacement who was 53. I’m still there, now a manager, at 67. We have many people in the 60s, though this year about 8 that I know of have retired, 4 were 70-72, the others 65-69. Our industry is somewhat unique and experience is highly valued, but we are getting younger. Most of my lower level people that I have hired requiring 3 years experience have been millennials, the newest starts Monday and is 28.

[ocnjgirl]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

I started at my current employer at age 57, was promoted to supervisor in 18 months, hired my replacement who was 53. I’m still there, now a manager, at 67. We have many people in the 60s, though this year about 8 that I know of have retired, 4 were 70-72, the others 65-69. Our industry is somewhat unique and experience is highly valued, but we are getting younger. Most of my lower level people that I have hired requiring 3 years experience have been millennials, the newest starts Monday and is 28.

What is your field if I may ask? I may need a new one pretty soon LOL.

[Mrs. Skeffington]

I was let go at age 50 from the law firm where I'd worked for ten years. A few months prior to that I was cut to part time, had my three weeks of vacation reduced to one week, and all of my paid holidays taken away. In hindsight, I'm sure it was a ploy to get me to quit and bring in someone younger/cheaper, which they eventually did.

My job search went nowhere. I even sought job search coaching from the local career center and put my resume on line. Yes, the program required I list my age and years worked. I was an experienced secretary with a decade of legal experience, yet no one would hire me. I went to an interview where I was told the legal assistant position paid $8.00 an hour! The career coach suggested I find another field (nursing/medical) and go back to school. I don't like being around sick people and doctors offices/hospitals give me the willies. I'm not the warm fuzzy nurturing type either. Ten years in a law firm killed that. And no more school or college for me...period.

I gave up looking for an office job, and on the career center. Fast forward another decade (I'm now 59), and I'm a school cafeteria cook. I landed this job by pure luck...I started out as a server and worked my way up to cook. I've worked at the school for nine years this coming December. Most of us are in our late 50's, early 60's. I plan on retiring in 3 years, when I turn 62.

[Torontobase]

Originally Posted by Mrs. Skeffington

I was let go at age 50 from the law firm where I'd worked for ten years. A few months prior to that I was cut to part time, had my three weeks of vacation reduced to one week, and all of my paid holidays taken away. In hindsight, I'm sure it was a ploy to get me to quit and bring in someone younger/cheaper, which they eventually did.

My job search went nowhere. I even sought job search coaching from the local career center and put my resume on line. Yes, the program required I list my age and years worked. I was an experienced secretary with a decade of legal experience, yet no one would hire me. I went to an interview where I was told the legal assistant position paid $8.00 an hour! The career coach suggested I find another field (nursing/medical) and go back to school. I don't like being around sick people and doctors offices/hospitals give me the willies. I'm not the warm fuzzy nurturing type either. Ten years in a law firm killed that. And no more school or college for me...period.

I gave up looking for an office job, and on the career center. Fast forward another decade (I'm now 59), and I'm a school cafeteria cook. I landed this job by pure luck...I started out as a server and worked my way up to cook. I've worked at the school for nine years this coming December. Most of us are in our late 50's, early 60's. I plan on retiring in 3 years, when I turn 62.

This happened to me in my 30's and I looked more in my 20's. Law firms paid very low, but I soon discovered if you are connected to a lawyer, you got paid more.

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by ocnjgirl

What is your field if I may ask? I may need a new one pretty soon LOL.

Commercial and industrial real estate and utilities.

You will find less discrimination at public agencies.

[Disgustedman]

Originally Posted by goodtype

As a temp I get to see alot of different workplaces. One thing that seems to be quite common in every place I work is a very young work place. Being just over 50 years old, I seem to be always the oldest worker in the office. It makes it hard to have much in common with the people I work around. It seems like everyone who is hired is 25-40. I do not see anyone my age ever being hired unless it is for a very senior management position.

Where are the baby boomers in today's workplace? I see a few but not many! Have they been put out to pasture?

That's kind of funny. Where I work, I'd guess the median age is 48....There's two dozen over 55. We get younger workers in, the average is 1 out of 22 stick...If the worker is 40 or higher, it's 1 in 10

[bobsell]

The only boomers who are retired are:
* rich and won't need a job
* disabled and can't get a job
* those with juicy pensions

They're like 20% of the boomers.

All the other boomers have to work for a living because they didn't save up enough money to retire.

This means if you're looking to get promoted, you are less likely to be promoted due to the boomers taking the highest ranking spaces. If they get lower ranking jobs, they're not getting promoted.

[tnff]

Originally Posted by Torontobase

...Where I work, there is maybe an equal divide in ages, but there is age discrimination coming from management. Majority of them are young.
...

We see a lot of this. Kind of a mix of ages -- 50 somethings and 20 somethings. But most management is 30/40 and tends to hire and promote younger workers. Those of us in the middle between boomers and millennials are stuck.

Originally Posted by ocnjgirl

In my industry, (health care) it's not so much about appearance as just new grads are much cheaper.

In our world new grads really aren't cheaper, other than first year or two. The pay rate is determined by the job requirements so if you're in the same job, you're paid the same rate. Higher level jobs pay more, but again, doesn't matter the age, everyone in that job is paid roughly the same, the only difference being any performance bonus.

Originally Posted by Disgustedman

That's kind of funny. Where I work, I'd guess the median age is 48....There's two dozen over 55. We get younger workers in, the average is 1 out of 22 stick...If the worker is 40 or higher, it's 1 in 10

We see this too. We hire a lot of new grads, but they don't stick around long in many cases. They expect to be promoted to the senior levels FAST. And even though they are as a group promoted much faster than the previous generation, there aren't enough senior positions to promote all of them

Originally Posted by bobsell

The only boomers who are retired are:
* rich and won't need a job
* disabled and can't get a job
* those with juicy pensions

They're like 20% of the boomers.

All the other boomers have to work for a living because they didn't save up enough money to retire.

This means if you're looking to get promoted, you are less likely to be promoted due to the boomers taking the highest ranking spaces. If they get lower ranking jobs, they're not getting promoted.

Where I work, the boomers do all a lot of senior positions. But they are not working because they have to; they are there because they don't want to be anywhere else. They are workaholics. The real problem is, when a boomer does leave, they skip the X'ers who are waiting below them and promote one of the millennials instead. Ultimately it promotes a "retired in place" mentality. Somewhere between age 50 and 55, the X'ers learn they are no longer promotable and no longer get a performance bonus; they're too young to retire; and they're too old to get another job. During my annual appraisal this past year my supervisor straight up told me they'd intentionally given all the older employees low scores so they could give higher pay bumps to the younger employees.

[fisheye]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

Commercial and industrial real estate and utilities.

You will find less discrimination at public agencies.

Up until July I had worked as a temp for 10 years with the one company. I am retired and it did not bother me. In June I was encouraged to put in for a full time job with company that I have been working for. As of July 1st I am now full time at 72 years old. We have one man that is a temp working at 79. I will ask him when he is going to put in for full time!

I can understand why they do hire some of us older workers. All they have to do is look at the callouts on the weekends. Many younger workers are no shows; especially when the weather is warm and they have so many places to go (other than work).

[mikefong123]

Never happened to me because I left the employment world young. But I did see many good people got fired or laid off when I was still working for others. It is really sad.... the biggest reason why I no longer work for others.