"Ageism in Reverse"?


In spite of the fact that the headline irks me(there is no such thing as "reverse discrimination", in any event youth suffer far more ageism than seniors), this is a good article. What are your thoughts?
http://jobs.guardian.co.uk/officehou...936111,00.html


Ageism in reverse

It's not only older workers who are discriminated against. A new survey reveals that young employees suffer too, says Kate Hilpern

Monday April 14, 2003
The Guardian

The TUC is calling for a minimum youth wage to boost the income of thousands of young workers. Currently, the national minimum wage doesn't kick in until employees are 18. "A government report from two years ago said that the days of employers paying workers £1 or £2 an hour are gone," says TUC general secretary Brendan Barber. "But there are reports of 16- and 17-year-olds being exploited in this way, and without an enforceable minimum wage they have nowhere to turn."

The move is one of a series of attempts to tackle "youth ageism" - with under-25s being its latest victims, according to organisations such as the Employers Forum on Age (EFA) and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). Not only does this age group claim their youth can detrimentally affect their salaries, but it can also hold them back in the selection process and act as a block to them climbing the career ladder.

"Our latest survey found that more than half of under-25s say they have been discriminated against on the basis of their age," says Dianah Worman, policy adviser at the CIPD. Among the most common experiences cited were being discouraged from applying for a job because the advert indirectly indicated age restriction and suffering from age discrimination during a job interview.

Other recent reports have found that many job seekers have been told explicitly by a recruitment agency or employer that they are "too young" for a job, despite having the right qualifications.

Meanwhile, other respondents claim they have had to leave their current employer in order for their ideas to be taken seriously or to get promoted. "The chief reason for age discrimination against the young is the stereotype that they are inexperienced and lack responsibility and dependability," says Worman. "Coupled with the fact that we live in a climate where there is growing pressure on managers to find someone who can do exactly what they want right now - as opposed to recruiting the talent for tomorrow - youth ageism is becoming rife."

In the past there has been considerable focus on training and nurturing new employees, with the hope that they will stay loyal and committed to the employer for years to come. "In fact, I would say that organisations are still able to talk a good story about wanting to develop people," says Hazel Bunston, service development director for Penna Careers Consulting. "But the cost of recruiting, and the fact that most companies have been stripped pretty lean, means they tend to buy in proven - rather than potential - talent."

A further problem is what Bunston refers to as the "apprenticeship syndrome". "It's incredibly difficult for people who join an organisation as a trainee of any kind to ever be seen by colleagues as anything other than the person they were when they joined. So if you join as Sue, the 16-year-old trainee accountant, and five years later you are a fully fledged accountant, there's a good chance you'll still be seen as Sue, the trainee. For many people, this means they have to join another organisation to be recognised as a 21-year-old with significant experience and skills. The company that has invested five years of training in Sue, only to find she's left because her career can't flourish within their organisation, is usually unwilling to then invest in someone else. It becomes a vicious circle."

Occupational psychologist Andrew Martin believes many companies simply don't want to recruit Generation Xers - those born in the 70s and 80s - because they are perceived as fickle. "This group saw the jobs of their parents' generation axed time and time again and many are determined to take charge of their own career development. They will work hard, but move on once they have learned what they can from an organisation. Many employers, understandably, don't want to invest in such people. Rather, they want workers who they feel will be loyal, committed and retainable."

According to the EFA, as the issue of ageism against older workers gains greater publicity, employers are less likely to stereotype them with myths such as being slow to learn. "But we have noticed that in turn they are becoming more willing to attach stereotypes to younger people - such as that they are disloyal and more interested in their social lives than work," says Samantha Mercer, the EFA's campaign director. "The result is that younger workers are currently fair game for ageism."

It doesn't help, she says, that more and more employers are demanding a certain number of years' experience for roles that actually don't need experience. "Anyone under 24 is unlikely to have five years' experience - which is what is often asked for - and are therefore being directly discriminated against."

The good news is that some employers - particularly those in the public sector - are waking up to the fact that they are employing an ageing workforce. Oxfordshire county council is among them. "We suddenly realised that only 13% of our workforce was under 30 and a mere 1% was under 21," says a spokeswoman. Among the changes the council made to widen the age profile was introducing work-experience placements, increasing the number of full-time posts and expanding training and career development.

Meanwhile, other companies are expanding IT and computing facilities, which tend to attract younger workers, as well as quirky perks such as "duvet days", pool tables and visiting hairdressers.



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Alex Koroknay-Palicz
President & Executive Director
National Youth Rights Association
www.youthrights.org