Ageism at work

12 years in recruitment, most of which was finding great senior people, showed me how sadly prevalent ageism is in the workplace. Clients would brief me saying they wanted someone dynamic, whose career was on an upward trajectory, someone keen to progress, ambitious, all euphemisms for young.

I would always advocate for having young blood in an organisation, bringing new ideas and fresh thinking, helping to keep us all on our metaphorical toes. That said, balance is key to creating harmony: as a coach I use The Wheel of Life with my clients, the idea being that an individual can only be truly happy and satisfied when they achieve balance in all areas of their life, whether career, personal relationships, fitness and health, whatever. Why should it be any different for a business? High performing businesses are made up of a mix of people from different backgrounds, genders and across all age profiles. Avoiding recruiting people over 50 or 60 means that the balance of the business will be upset and performance will suffer.

In some cultures, mainly Asian, age is venerated and advice is sought of the elders in the community. This stems from Confucius, whose thinking and teaching was that the elderly should be seen and treated as family and social treasures, that their wisdom should be respected and they should be consulted on any questions of family or community. British business is ignoring centuries of wisdom by thinking that you have to be under 50 to have a contribution of any value.

What is the age profile of your business?