The Employers Forum on Age

Old Dogs, New Tricks?
22 October 1996

79.6% say that you can teach an old dog new tricks - and less than one in five sees acquiring new skills as a problem
Over 92% agree that it's ability, not age that counts
79.5% are in favour of legislation against age discrimination - but less than 30% believe that it will have any effect
25% feel that they have experienced ageism in their career - over half because they were too young.

New insights into the nature and extent of age discrimination in the workplace are revealed in a ground-breaking new survey, TOWARDS A BALANACED WORKFORCE, published today (22 October). This nationwide investigation, which is a joint venture between recruitment and communication consultancy Austin Knight and The Employers Forum on Age, represents the experiences and attitudes of British employees to all forms of ageism at work.

The results are unique - representing the views of employees, rather than employers. Over 2,000 people of all ages and at all levels of the workforce took part in the survey. They came from 20 high-profile organisations representing both the public and private sector throughout the UK. The views of the individual employees - some predictable, some surprising - throw new light on the whole issue of ageism at work.

Both young and old feel that they have encountered ageism in their careers. One in every four employees claims to have been discriminated against on the grounds of age. But it is clear that ageism does not discriminate - there was no particular gender or other bias, although there is evidence to indicate that 40 year old women and 50 year old men are the most likely to suffer.

One of the strongest responses was that the overwhelming majority believe that it is ability, not age, that counts. 80% of employees come out in favour of legislation against ageism, but in contrast, only 30% are convinced that it will have any effect.

Few employment issues are subject to more apparent preconceptions than age - particularly those concerned with working relationships between the generations. The survey results categorically debunk the myth that older workers are inflexible in their attitudes towards work. In fact the reverse appears to be true.

Results indicate that:

You can teach an old dog new tricks - less than one in ten sees acquiring new skills as a problem
Older people are more comfortable than younger people in a workforce that covers all ages (a 'mixed-age' workforce)
Managing older staff can be a problem for the young - but older workers have no problem with younger bosses
The majority view is that older people do not take more time off work - but those who think they do are most likely to be younger workers

Ruth Jarrat, Development Director of The Employers Forum on Age, comments:

"One of the most striking points that emerges from this survey is the strong belief that people should be recruited on merit alone, and yet it is obvious that the workplace abounds in misconceptions about both young and older peoples' abilities. These findings will help us, and out membership of leading employers, understand ageism from the employees' perspective."

TOWARDS A BALANCED WORKFORCE also reveals the reason why the true picture of age discrimination has remained hidden for so many years. One in every six employees who experienced discrimination simply moved on from that particular organisation; around one sixth made an informal complaint but two-thirds took no action at all.

"It appears that there is a 'Quiet Life' mentality present in many workers that has kept the depth and extent of age discrimination in the workplace well hidden. We believe that the contents of this survey could help shape the content of future Human Resources and Career Development strategies", says Anne Riley, Chief Executive of Austin Knight.

back to the archive