So here is the cold, hard truth: On the exterior, I look my age to the outside world (best case, “middle-aged”). This is a fact I accept, sometimes. (I don’t buy Oil of Olay, for example, but I do spend a great deal of money to camouflage the undesirable natural color of my hair).
On the “inside”, I believe I am still wildly young. Most of the time, this somewhat contradictory perception doesn’t enter my consciousness or alter my approach to work. But during one (bad) week earlier this year, it was brought into sharp focus when I heard in one instance that I was so enthusiastic I lacked ‘gravitas,” and then in another business setting just a few days later, that there was a lack of “youth, energy, and enthusiasm.”
Some weeks, you just can’t win. So, taking the “mature” approach to negative feedback, I decided while I may not win, I can still learn. This conflicting feedback, and my interpretation that my inner/outer ages were on display at inopportune times, got me thinking about the perception of age and the meaning of the term ageism in the business world.
The media is extensively covering the difficulties “older” workers are having during the current recession, including this sobering story from the New York Times. Who are these poor workers perceived as “older”? Generally, those over 50 years of age or more, who have this not-so-rosy employment outlook:
- “…because it will take years to absorb the giant pool of unemployed at the economy’s recent pace, many of these older people may simply age out of the labor force before their luck changes.”
So, can you blame me when I become a tad sensitive about the fact that my “perceived” maturity level is coming into play during business functions? However, it’s not just us “old folk” that are experiencing workplace ageism. Younger workers too, sometimes suffer. Take nurses, for example:
- In 2009, the Vermont AHEC Office of Nursing Workforce Research, Planning and Development reported that Vermont’s nurses’ median age was 49.7 years. That same year, 95% of nurses reported being somewhat to very satisfied with their current positions.
Bottom line? Most of Vermont’s nurses are older and staying put in their jobs, extending their employed years and delaying retirement. This fact is making it much more difficult for young nursing school graduates to enter the healthcare field. But this older workforce is seen as a very good thing for Vermonters, as noted by AHEC: patients are “receiving quality care from an older, very experienced pool of Registered Nurses (RNs).”
Certainly the healthcare field is one where I for one, and most consumers, appreciate lots of experience and a “few grey hairs.” However, I suspect that my own field, marketing and communications, is one for which customers harbor a preference for youth – equating young marketers with innovation, boldness and edgy creativity.
Consider the common words and phrases used to describe “young” and “old:”
| Young | Old |
| Pipsqueak | Geezer |
| Green | Grey |
| Upstart | Retired |
| Inexperienced | Overqualified |
| Energetic | Credible |
| Enthusiastic | Wise |
| Fresh | Seasoned |
| Innovative | Experienced |
| Eager | Set in their Ways |
| Freshman | Senior |
| Rookie | Veteran |
These terms instantly bring stereotypical images and feelings to mind — both positive and negative. I bat these words around frequently — but that makes me guilty of what I call accidental ageism. But perhaps I am not alone — people bring age into the discussion often, and it is rarely welcomed. (Like the joy my husband and daughter take when they remind me that I am older than my spouse. For the record: it’s just by a couple months, we are certainly not an Ashton Kucher and Demi Moore situation.)
Surely context matters a great deal. As a marketer, obviously I have to hold the “target demographic” foremost in my work. However, demographics and behaviors surely change — just as quickly as opinions and trends do. I have worked on projects targeting youth — and seniors. So the messages, the medium, and the tone all matter tremendously — and they all can differ greatly depending upon the profile of the target audience.
I have come to believe that perhaps it makes the most sense to communicate in the business world more like we communicate within the ideal family — in a multi-generational fashion — using an approach that seeks, seizes and capitalizes upon the viewpoints of the young and old and of course, all who are in between. And by doing so, we will take age (and ageism) out of the equation. Surely all professions can benefit from all perspectives, most of all during this recession.
For another interesting take on ageism, I recommend the following: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/320206
