Age Discrimination in the Workplace Essay 2

The Americans with Disabilities Act, protects individuals on the basis of mental or physical disabilities. The Age Discrimination in Employment protects individuals 40 years of age and older.

“The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) prohibited employers from discriminating against individuals who were 40-65 years old. The Act pertains to employers who have 20 or more employees for 20 or more calendar weeks(either in the current or preceding calendar year); unions with 25 or more members; employment agencies; and federal, state, and local government subunits”(Mondy, Wayne 2010 pg.62,63). Gelato Cheese Company’s entire cleaning crew is under the age of 30 and that makes them not in compliance with the Age Discrimination in Employment Act law. There are some major changes that need to be made at this company in order for them to not have law suits filed against

| The Equality Act 2010 brought together existing regulations that already gave protection against ageism and other forms of discrimination, and extended them.  Since October 2010 this has been the main law relating to age discrimination, protecting you against ageism in employment, education and training.The law maintains your right not to be disadvantaged or treated badly at work because of your age.

According to The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (n.d.), “The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) protects individuals 40 years of age or older from employment discrimination based on their age and it applies to both job applicants and employees. With regards to condition, any term or privilege of employment, it is against the law under the ADEA to discriminate against a person because of his/her age which includes layoff promotion, compensation, hiring, firing, training, job assignments and benefits. It is also unlawful for an employer to discriminate against anyone for opposing employment practices that discriminate based on age or for filing as age discrimination charge, testifying or participating in an in an investigation proceeding or litigation under the ADEA” (para.1).

their age; neither can they force anyone to leave employment just because of their age.

First, Age discrimination is a very common reason why some people are not employed. However, there are laws in place that prohibits this kind of discrimination. Miller gave an explanation on the about age discrimination act (ADEA) of 1967, it prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of age against individuals forty years of age or older (Miller,2013).

It is somewhat surprising that employers continue to violate employment laws dealing with discrimination. One case, Catterson v. Marymount Manhattan College, litigated and settled in 2013, was especially egregious. According to the EEOC (2013), the college had refused,

This says it is unlawful for an employer or potential employer to discriminate against you at work because of your age.

The United States workforce is aging and as health care improves the older population is living longer. Because of this older individual are staying the job market longer, an employer or human resource person should keep this in mind and possibly review the office procedures and hiring processes. Age discrimination claims will continue to increase as the workforce continues to grow older. Human resources, managers, and employers must be proactive versus reactive to have policies in place in the event of a suit happens. There is more to discrimination than what is on the surface of things. According to Walsh, in his book Employment Law for Human Resource Practice, 4th Edition, “discrimination can be further separated into four legal theories, these being: disparate treatment, adverse impact, failure to reasonably accommodate, and retaliation” (Walsh, 2013). One of the main reasons for disparate treatment is that employers must be very careful not to base their decisions about their employees on a protected class’s characteristics. So what exactly is the key issue in disparate treatment? According to Walsh, discriminatory intent is the key. Whether or not the motive was intentional the policy maker created policy that was in violation of the ADEA.

Age discrimination has long been present in society due to the rapid development happening around us. According to Farney, Aday & Breault (2006), this era of ageism is defined as "discrimination against any age group", but it often is pointed to age discrimination among adults which is slowly causing a negative effect for them in the workplace. In the workplace, adults with more experience and longer history behind them are targets of this ageism belief that companies and employers tend to have (Farney, Aday, & Breault, 2006). They are shunned and even fired in favor of accepting new and fresh faces for the company they have worked for. Unknown to most companies and employers, this notion of favoring the young and banishing the old can

The Age Discrimination Employment Act (ADEA) was passed over 40 years ago (in 1967) prohibiting the denial of employment, forced retirement, hours of employment, compensation, or termination of individuals due to the person's age, and it was meant to encourage the employment of older individuals based on their abilities and invaluable experience. However, age discrimination and ageism still permeate American society and the workplace.”(Tate)

Age discrimination has some special aspects that make it different from other types of employment discrimination. My research will discuss this more in detail. Included will be several court decisions of great importance, the history of the Age Discrimination Statute, and other important data in regards to Age discrimination. Also there is information included on how to file a complaint with the

The law also strongly (and word strongly should be emphasized here) prohibits against harassment of a worker basing on her or his age. Harassment can range from derogatory or offensive remarks about an individual age to promotion denial. Nevertheless, the law does not prohibit offhand comments, simple teasing, isolated incidents that are not serious.

Age discrimination is an issue today, more than ever especially when companies seek to avoid having to pay retirement or medical benefits and do so by firing older employees who might be about to invest in their pension or who might need medical attention. Another reason is that older employees may be paid more than new hires, so companies replace older workers with new workers just for that reason. This type of change is in addition to those who are simply biased against older workers and who take any opportunity to remove older works and bring in new blood

Age discrimination is a completely unlawful type of discrimination. Due to median age of twenty six in India, it is one of youngest nation in the world. Most managers are hesitant when it comes to hire young blood for their company because in their mind sets it is obvious that this new generation is completely different from them and they will not obey them or follow them blindly. With a constant increase in population, we are seeing high numbers of young people coming out of colleges to enter in their respective field. These young lads are not only well educated but they are also sophisticated, independent, aware of technology and have a limited sense of loyalty for their employers. There are many Indian companies who are aware of this situation, for example; Infosys has a strategic vision for its young employees. They hire young talent on constant basis by selecting them through an entry test which is designed to test the skill sets of each individual. If we have few more companies like this in India then it is assured that discrimination will end soon in Indian workspaces (IdeasMakeMarket.com, 2013).