Ageism in the work place

“Irrespective of our age or the generation we were born in, we look forward to live, love, lead, learn, and we all need to leave a legacy – hide not your talents, they for use were made.“

Globally the working generations are broadly classified into:

• Baby Boomers: Born between 1946 and 1964. They are currently between 56 and 74 years old. They have seen hard times and scarce resources, and therefore focus on savings and stability with no conspicuous consumption. 
• Gen X: Born between 1965 and 1980 ; they are currently between 40-55 years old. They have seen more stability and better times. Rise of private sector jobs and mobility and movement to other countries with changes in lifestyles. 
• Gen Y: Millennial's were born between 1980 and 1994; they are currently between 24-34 years old. All basic need met, no scarcity. Instant gratification, more conscious of environment, much more comfortable and dependent on technology. 
• Gen z: The newest generation and were born between 1996 and 2015. They are currently between 5-24 years old. Born with abundance of everything including technology. Extremely high dependency on technology. Focus on higher order things. 
• Gen Alpha are the kids today born after 2015 . 

Ageism, also spelled agism, is stereotyping and/or discrimination against individuals or groups on the basis of their age. This may be casual or systematic. The term was coined in 1969 by Robert Neil Butler to describe discrimination against seniors, and patterned on sexism and racism.

Diversity is the variety or differences we see around us, and inclusion is when every member feels that they belong to the team and the organisation. It refers to an organisational effort and the practice in which different groups or individuals having different background are culturally and socially accepted and treated equally. What makes us do different things are social conditioning, value and belief system, past experiences, need to align with majority, creating biases and Prejudices. 

Generation is a group of people who are born and live at the same time, regarded collectively. There are commonalities in the way a generation thinks, act and behaves because of the time period they live in, events - historical, social, economic, political, value and belief systems, aspirations, approach to life and career. 

This is important because we have four generations working together - so generational diversity is already there. Each generation brings unique strength which can help the organisation. It generates different perspective, ideas, thinking, skills. Multi generational teams perform far better in the long run. Not understanding and working with this aspect of diversity could be counterproductive, leading to conflicts, delays and dissatisfaction. 

How and where the generations differ are:

1) Communication: Traditional/ Baby boomers prefer formal and proper channel of communication, acknowledgement is not always expected as it was low; Gen X has a mix of formal and informal communication, expect acknowledgment in terms of fair compensation and other benefits. Gen Y prefer direct/informal communication. Expect acknowledgement, praise, growth, regular feedback and support. Gen Z is comfortable with multiple mode of communication including phase to phase. A lot more imaginary and like videos with shot attention spans and preference for digital communicaiton.

2) Work Life Balance: Traditionalists/BB have no such expectation, Gen X has less rigid boundaries, personal life is acknowledged as important, For Gen Y fluidity between work and life and productivity  is more important than time spend at work, Gen Z is more likely to pursue their passion, they get work done, anytime, anywhere, split tasking. 

3) Aspirations and Growth: For Traditionalists/BB growth  is based on years of work and experience. For Gen X years of work along with results determine growth. For Gen Y performance determines growth, Gen z will want to work with organisations that support the right cause, will expect flexibility and growth, may switch jobs more frequently more focused on domain than on designation. 

4) Relationship with leadership and authority: Traditionalists/BB respect and rarely question leadership and authority, they are formal and distant. Gen X has a more casual and respectful relationship, for them collaboration and merit become important, Gen Y has casual relationship with authority, Performance is more important than authority, respect has to be earned and is not automatically given to a position. Gen Z respect authority, but also expect an equal relationship. They expect closer and friendly relationship with people in hierarchy. 

5) Use of and dependency on technology: Traditionalists/BB use only on need basis, Gen X added a lot more technology into their life and work, this became a tool for their growth and productivity. Gen Y cannot imagine a life without technology. For Gen Z technology is like breath, they are born with it, and is well versed in it. 

Irrespective of which generation you belong to, what is common is that all generations look for effective leadership, appreciation and recognition, making an impact, growth, respect, work life balance, safety and security. We are not responsible for our generational background. Understand and be sensitive to the challenges and needs of each group. Value their values. Communicate with all generations without judging or assuming. 

Some Do's and Don't to remember when managing different gen's are : do your homework, treat others the way they want to be treated, educate self;  listen, respect others values, built an open culture, seek everyone's ideas, share were the organisation is going, how they fit in and how they prepare, giving feedback will often mean guiding not evaluating. Understand personal lives are important. Rethink policies, Pay and benefits must satisfy the needs of each generation's unique perspective, attitude and values about work. Don't judge people based on any one aspect of diversity, don't  always follow status quo, don't equate performance solely with seniority and position, don't discriminate and differentiate people. 

It is interesting to note that we hear a lot about the 'digital natives'; well baby boomers are digital founders. When baby boomers go out of the way and do things like variety coloring of their hair, fancy dressing etc. we call them bold, but when the Gen z does the same, some call them crazy why? Some understand and accept people as they are

Born in 1933 and died in 1920 at the age of 87, Ruth Bander Ginsburg or Notorious RBG as she was affectionately called, she spend her life working for gender equality and women's right. So this is not a new concept. What we enjoy today, is the gift from our elder generation, and it's our right and our duty to protect it and make it better for the generations to come. 

Ruth Bader Ginsburg/Quotes

My mother told me to be a lady. And for her, that meant be your own person, be independent.

I said on the equality side of it, that it is essential to a woman's equality with man that she be the decision-maker, that her choice be controlling.

Women will only have true equality when men share with them the responsibility of bringing up the next generation.

The state controlling a woman would mean denying her full autonomy and full equality.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg spent a lifetime flourishing in the face of adversity before being appointed a Supreme Court justice, where she successfully fought against gender discrimination and unified the liberal block of the court. She was born Joan Ruth Bader on March 15, 1933 in Brooklyn, New York. Her mother heavily influenced her early life and watched Ginsburg excel at James Madison High School, but was diagnosed with cancer and died the day before Ginsburg’s high school graduation. Ginsburg’s success in academia continued throughout her years at Cornell University, where she graduated at the top of her class in 1954. That same year, Ruth Bader became Ruth Bader Ginsburg after marrying her husband Martin, who was a first-year law student at Cornell when they met. After graduation, she put her education on hold to start a family. She had her first child in 1955, shortly after her husband was drafted for two years of military service. Upon her husband’s return from his service, Ginsburg enrolled at Harvard Law. Instead of creating sweeping limitations on gender discrimination, she attacked specific areas of discrimination and violations of women’s rights one at a time, so as to send a message to the legislatures on what they can and cannot do. She was playfully and notably dubbed "The Notorious R.B.G." by a law student, a reference to the late Brooklyn-born rapper The Notorious B.I.G., and she later embraced the moniker. Her attitude is that major social change should not come from the courts, but from Congress and other legislatures. This method allows for social change to remain in Congress’ power while also receiving guidance from the court. Ginsburg does not shy away from giving pointed guidance when she feels the need. 

In the absence of time, our maturity alone can count our age, all that is needed is empathy.

“It’s not loving a man that makes life harder for gay guys, it’s homophobia. It’s not the color of their skin that makes life harder for people of color; it’s racism. It’s not having vaginas that makes life harder for women, it’s sexism. And it’s ageism, far more than the passage of time, that makes growing older harder for all of us.”
― Ashton Applewhite, This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism