Too young to know - too old to apply it?
Featured in the Valuing Diversity at Work training manual
By Ken Birkett & Val Rowland
Category: Diversity
Credit price: 3 download credits (Single user)
Ageism – discriminating in employment on the basis of age – has become widespread in the last 20 years. When organisations restructured they removed complete layers from the middle of the hierarchy. This had the effect of throwing large numbers of 40 to 50-year-old people either on to the labour market or into early retirement. At the lower age spectrum, and in a contracting workforce, people had to compete hard to get a job. Where possible, jobs were down-skilled with a corresponding low salary. From all this there seems to have been spawned the twin myths that people under 25 know nothing and people over 50 years are past it!
You begin this training activity with background information and statistics on how the population is changing in terms of age structure, and ask questions about whether or not age makes a difference in the workplace. The participants examine some of the typical attitude problems prevalent in an organisation and consider some possible responses to such attitudes. They next explore what an organisation can do to create a positive and rational environment for its older workers and the benefits that can come from so doing. The training activity closes with a review of the key points of the training activity.
Who is it for: This training resource is intended for use by trainers to help organisations examine whether age should make a difference in the work place and how organisations can benefit from the older worker.
| Resource Type: | Activity |
| Min Group Size: | 4 |
| Max Group Size: | 12 |
| Typical Duration: | 02:10:00 |
| No of Pages: | 19 |
Resources: View standard resources for Fenman training activities
Purpose: This training resource is intended for use by trainers in any training situation as the implications cover all aspects of employment from beginning to end.
Download the training activity, Too young to know - too old to apply it? as featured in the Fenman training manual; Valuing Diversity at Work