I Was a Manager in an Ageist Workplace by Nicole D. Smith

Author: Nicole D. Smith

A few years back, I decided to chat with one of my team members, a man in his late fifties. I had recently started a new position as a manager—was just a few weeks on the job—and I wanted to see how people were adjusting to the change.

We found a quiet room and started discussing weekend plans and work projects. As the conversation continued, I found a moment to bring up something I’d been thinking about: “So I have an idea.”

“OK,” my employee replied, slightly suspicious yet curious. During my short time leading the team, I’d learned he was admired for both his talent and his tenure, so getting his buy-in could mean others would be open to my idea.

“I think we should get together with the digital team and learn more about what they do,” I said. “They seem to be smart and innovative. I think they could really help our work and take us to the next level.”

He was silent, which made me a little uncomfortable. But I pressed on, explaining what the collaboration could mean—like learning new tools and fostering the support of a creative, visible group.

But as I outlined my vision of partnering with coworkers who were mostly in their twenties, he was less than enthusiastic. In fact, for a moment I thought I saw worry in his eyes.

After what seemed like forever, he awkwardly shifted his body. “You’re not going to force us to work with them, are you?” he asked.

This was the first of numerous concerning conversations I had over the next several days. I discovered that most of my team members—people in their fifties and sixties, many cherished contributors to our organization—had no desire to work with “those young people on the other side of the room.”

I also learned I was in a culture that normalized ageist behavior—one where making surface-level assumptions about younger colleagues was acceptable. And it went both ways: Younger employees often disparaged older colleagues’ supposed lack of technical skills and unwillingness to learn. They lamented, publicly and privately, that their knowledge, insight, and skills weren’t appreciated and that they were being obstructed from developing and advancing.

After I required my team to work on projects with younger coworkers, they eventually began to collaborate with the digital team openly and often. But this was the first time I’d worked in an organization where people perceived each other’s value, to some degree, in terms of their age rather than their contribution, commitment, and potential.

Combating Ageism at Work

Combating ageism all comes down to understanding. Lindsey Pollak, author of The Remix: How to Lead and Succeed in the Multigenerational Workplace, says managers can ignite change by creating multigenerational committees and seating arrangements: “What you tend to see in an office is all the executives of one age sit in one place, all the young people are in the bullpen, and all the middle managers are elsewhere. And I think that should be abolished.” She also says managers must be deliberate in getting to know employees of all ages—and getting them to know one another.

Leaders don’t have to let ageism quietly simmer, either. To spark change, start with language. Consider the comments, jokes, or labels people use to describe younger and older employees and whether they are microaggressions or are biased or insensitive. Overt terms such as old-timer and youngster should be eradicated, as should euphemisms like seasoned and newbie. Needless references to someone’s age set the stage for conflict. Think, too, about what your work culture values. Studies show that organizations commonly use reward systems to shape norms. In your company, are managers who hire up-and-comers as celebrated as those who recruit established stars? Do leaders equally laud the skills of digital natives and the institutional knowledge of older workers? Both are needed for an organization to thrive.

Younger workers (and hiring managers of all ages) should be encouraged to think about the assets that older workers bring to the table: experience, social skills, the ability to work independently. Similarly, older workers should understand what younger peers can offer, such as being tech savvy and valuing diversity.

Finally, recruiting strategies should yield a diverse group of people, including older and younger candidates. Advertise with organizations that have members 55 and older as well as on job boards for college students and other relevant, frequently visited employment sites.

What I Learned

I still think about when I wanted to bring that group of older employees together with the younger digital team.

As a manager, I had to understand how ageist ideas were affecting our work—and then be brave enough to change the culture and create an environment where everyone, however young or old, felt comfortable. Knowing this problem wasn’t something I could tackle on my own, I asked other managers to have their teams work on projects with my direct reports; to set a good example, we got in the trenches with them on those collaborations.

I also built a mixed-age team by hiring people over 60, under 30, and all ages in between; helping young and older workers see their ideas through and become more visible in the organization; offering training in new technologies to my team members; and promoting one of my oldest employees.

Despite the initial apprehension, my team and several others in the office eventually learned to work together without worrying about age. Through the years, we became more inclusive and creative. We challenged the status quo, and in some ways, we became the personification of the adage, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Our differences helped us learn, and we made each other better.

Today, I challenge managers in my professional network to see the value in mixed-age teams. And I’m asking you to help all employees—from recent college graduates to those nearing retirement—see how pivotal their contributions are to your outcomes and organization.