Click here for the Age Discrimination TBT Script in English

Click here for the Age Discrimination TBT Poster in English

Age Discrimination

• How many of you have heard the phrase, “age is just a number”? What does that mean for you?

• Having an age-diverse workforce can bring an invaluable mixture of experiences and combination of fresh thinking, energy, new ideas, stability, maturity, and corporate memory.

• Working with others with ages different from our own enables us to learn from and support each other.

• Age discrimination happens when we hold close-minded beliefs and assumptions about age and treat others differently based on their perceived age.

• Those types of close-minded beliefs or assumptions about age could include topics like familial relationships or obligations, finances, career aspirations, health, or even religious beliefs.

• At work, this could include assuming that a coworker who you perceive as older will take longer to complete a task than someone who is younger.

• It could also include treating a younger leader with less respect because they are perceived as having less experience.

• As another example, it could include offering a leadership role to a younger applicant because they are perceived as easier to train and will have longevity in the role while an older applicant could be perceived as having bad habits that will be harder to break.

• Making assumptions is natural, but we must be aware of them as they can be damaging to the work environment or even constitute age discrimination under our policies.

• If you become aware of or experience decisions or behavior based solely on age at work, please make sure to raise it to a supervisor, Human Resources, Legal and Compliance, or call RPM’s hotline.

• Your concerns will be taken seriously and investigated where appropriate.

• You will not be disadvantaged for raising concerns in good faith.