Posted on 01/08/2020 9:27:32 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Young workers tend to be more grateful for a position, and have less demands.
I know a guy who was at the ‘required’ retirement age with 30 yrs at his company. They re-hired him as a contractor....they did not want him to leave as his work has been so advantageous to the company all those years, and he didn’t want to retire. They tweaked his responsibilites just a tad...(no overnight travel) and both are very happy with the arrangement. He wants to work as long as he can and that could be decades!
It’s how I ended up working for the government. Our local and state government agencies are pretty much the only places that do no discriminate against someone 50 and older. A least for jobs between Walmart greeter and high-level exec. Got laid off a few days before my 50the birthday after over 20 years with the same company. 1400 job applications, 31 interviews and 6 temp positions, and a year later I got the position I have now. Still am not making what I was 10 years ago for doing the same thing, and at *my* level the pensions aren’t all that, but it’s a job, and any job has more honor than welfare, unemployment, or disability.
> If only there was a law, oh wait. <
I don’t know how true it is, but I’ve read that the law is part of the problem.
The argument goes like this. Let’s say you have two qualified applicants. One is 35. The other is 45. If you hire the younger one and he doesn’t work out, you just fire him. Case closed.
But if you hire the older one and he doesn’t work out, fire him and you might face a messy over-40 discrimination lawsuit.
Better to play it safe and just hire the younger guy.
No kidding.
You are correct that it’s a two-way street.
The older worker has to be supportive and respectful of a younger manager. Sometimes that’s not the case.
My father is 90 and still chopping firewood. :)
Heard that loud and clear. I was job hunting some years back and looking around, if everyone there was 35 or under... ya ain’t gett’n that job.
I don’t are how much education, experience, qualifications, training, discernment, maturity, etc. you have... ya ain’t gett’n hired.
It was demoralizing being interviewed by people so young with none of those qualifications, but who got to play God with my life.
I remember going through an agency. The slob (messy hair, messy appearance, sloppy messy desk) at the agency said I had to show up at the interview, looking ‘professional’. I was there in her office in hose, heels, dark blue suit, etc. I almost laughed....
When I went to the interview, the kid who interviewed me had on a dirty, wrinkled shirt (NOT tucked in), NO tie, tattoos all over himself, hardware on his face, dirt under his fingernails, sneakers, unshaved, no degree, under 35 years old etc. PLEASE don’t tell me about ‘age discrimination’.
Knowing you were passed over because you are to old, read too expensive insurance wise, even if you would be happy to receive lower wages than what you were paid before being laid off and proving it is very difficult.
The people at unemployment offices have known for a very very long time that older applicants have been discriminated against because of higher health and benefit costs or just as frequently because they don't believe the person will stay because they are just looking for temporary employment until a better high paying job comes around which again costs again costing the employer lost time and money.
Using your logic you should only hire white males 18-39 as those are the only people not protected under EEOC.
I'm retired now myself but when I was working I never had a problem with the age factor as I worked nearly all my adult life on a commission basis and had much experience that I was in demand up and until I actually decided to retire. My last employer when I was working actually tried to talk me out of retiring.
Perhaps it does just come down to money. In my case I made my employer money. I decided to make myself invaluable I suppose at an early age in my adult life and it paid off.
Older employees have been at work for years so they well know if they’re being played. Younger managers tend to think they can pull the wool over their eyes, but they can’t. It’s not a matter of being ‘compliant’ it’s a matter of respect.
On my first full time job over 50 years ago, I discovered that one of my employer’s people who had the same job I did and was nearing retirement was only paid $1k more than I was earning at 22 (professional position). This man had been there for years and years. They knew he wouldn’t seek another position so they paid him little more than a base salary. That really told me what kind of people I was dealing with. Fortunately, I was able to move on after my contract was over.
My father, who was a very proud, self-sufficient person - was laid-off at the age of 52, from the one company he worked for from the time he left the Navy. He and mom still had a couple teenagers at home, and he had never not-worked his entire life (often had two jobs), so the inability to find work was a big psychological hit. It was the early 1980s, so times were bad for everywhere - and especially for older workers.
He was always a very loyal company-man, but from that experience he told me constantly: Develop yourself and career to gain your own independence and freedom. You can’t trust a company, the promises of government, or anyone else to provide for you and your family.
Commissioned sales: The lowest paying easy job and the highest paying hard job. :)
Danm right! Especially for White males!
Have a buddy who was recently bought out of his company....can’t get hired for love nor money.
It’s hard to blame employers for doing this when they are required by law under the ACA to provide medical insurance for their employees. This stupid provision makes an older employee an enormous cost burden for an employer, which more than offsets the valuable experience that employee brings in comparison to younger workers.
Don't forget the third big reason, which is rarely admitted. Younger, less-experienced managers often feel insecure around older, more experienced staff. And they may have authority issues with parental figures which make older workers very unappealing to them.
There is no solution to this problem but to move on. Chronic labor shortages tend to improve the situation.
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