Madrid, January 29, 2024.- Not surprisingly, the Covid-19 virus has given rise to some other new “viruses”.
Some were already present among us and have since proliferated and even grown stronger. Undoubtedly ageism is one of them.
Unfortunately, in a prior period I suffered it with an unprecedented cruelty unknown to me and to connections with the world of employment and professionalism. Those were weeks of emptiness, vertigo and disorientation in an oblivious society to this “ageism virus. “
I am saying oblivious because we all experience or are susceptible to experiencing its effects, and its symptoms and consequences often go unnoticed. Uttering the word ageism is equivalent to saying cancer. The individuals who were once a part of your life and surroundings may persist or not, but your new reality is different; you find yourself enveloped in a bubble that undermines your professional accomplishments, your identity as a competent and effective individual for any organization. And you are left isolated. Merely because they offer you a smile during job interviews, be it in person or virtual, and then the phone falls silent. You hear the blunt statement: “We are seeking someone with a longer track ahead of him.” And you are left alone rethinking your entire professional life.
We often recall only the positive moments of our lives, while we either erase the negative ones or our brain conceals them in compassionate neurons. I must emphasize that despite this challenging ¨virus¨, there is always a glimmer of hope to overcome it.
Once again, the best prevention is information. Equip yourself with reasons, arguments, figures, and constructive conclusions to enlighten other human beings. I have found these important tools in the following UN study. While I’ve selected only a few excerpts, it is advisable to read the entire investigation.
The dark reality of ageism
Ageism seeps into many institutions and sectors of society including those providing health and social care, in the workplace, media and the legal system. Healthcare rationing based solely on age is widespread. A systematic review in 2020 showed that in 85 per cent of 149 studies, age determined who received certain medical procedures or treatments.
Both older and younger adults are often disadvantaged in the workplace and access to specialized training and education decline significantly with age. Ageism against younger people manifests across many areas such as employment, health, housing and politics where younger people’s voices are often denied or dismissed.
“Ageism towards younger and older people is prevalent, unrecognized, unchallenged and has far-reaching consequences for our economies and societies,” said Maria-Francesca Spatolisano, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs. “Together, we can prevent this. Join the movement and combat ageism.”
Ageism has serious and wide-ranging consequences for people’s health and well-being. Among older people, ageism is associated with poorer physical and mental health, increased social isolation and loneliness, greater financial insecurity, decreased quality of life and premature death. An estimated 6.3 million cases of depression globally are estimated to be attributable to ageism. It intersects and exacerbates other forms of bias and disadvantage including those related to sex, race and disability leading to a negative impact on people’s health and well-being.
“The pandemic has put into stark relief the vulnerabilities of older people, especially those most marginalized, who often face overlapping discrimination and barriers – because they are poor, live with disabilities, are women living alone, or belong to minority groups,” said Natalia Kanem, Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund. “Let’s make this crisis a turning point in the way we see, treat and respond to older people, so that together we can build the world of health, well-being and dignity for all ages that we all want.”
Ageism costs our societies billions of dollars. In the United States of America (USA), a 2020 study showed ageism in the form of negative age stereotypes and self-perceptions led to excess annual costs of US$63 billion for the eight most expensive health conditions. This amounts to US$1 in every US$7 spent on these conditions for all Americans over the age of 60 for one year (see note to editors).
Estimates in Australia suggest that if 5 per cent more people aged 55 or older were employed, there would be a positive impact of AUD$48 billion on the national economy annually. There are currently limited data and information on the economic costs of ageism and more research is needed to better understand its economic impact, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
“Ageism harms everyone – old and young. But often, it is so widespread and accepted – in our attitudes and in policies, laws and institutions – that we do not even recognize its detrimental effect on our dignity and rights said Michelle Bachelet, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. “We need to fight ageism head-on, as a deep-rooted human rights violation.”
The report notes that policies and laws that address ageism, educational activities that enhance empathy and dispel misconceptions, and intergenerational activities that reduce prejudice all help decrease ageism.
All countries and stakeholders are encouraged to use evidence-based strategies, improve data collection and research and work together to build a movement to change how we think, feel and act towards age and ageing, and to advance progress on the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing.
The Global report on ageism compiles the best evidence on the scale, the impact and the determinants of ageism, effective strategies to tackle the problem and recommendations for action to create a world fit for all ages. The report is directed at policymakers, practitioners, researchers, development agencies and members of the private sector and civil society.
In the USA, ageism led to excess costs of US$63 billion for a broad range of health conditions during one year. This amounts to US$1 of every US$7 spent on the eight most expensive health conditions for all Americans over the age of 60 during one year. The excess health care spending due to ageism was derived from the following: (a) number of Americans aged 60 years or older in 2013; (b) prevalence of interpersonal and self-directed ageism based on percentage of people that agree to the following statements: “You are treated with less courtesy or respect than other people”, “Forgetfulness is a natural occurrence just from growing old” and “The older I get the more useless I feel.” (c) evidence of the impact of such ageist statements on the eight health conditions; (d) prevalence of the eight health conditions in 2013, the most recent year for which health care spending was available; and (e) Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) costs per person of the eight health conditions in 2013.
54 years, the limit to be useful
Xavi López, Director of the Human Resources Department at Forcadell, has published a reflection with which I fully agree. Ageism linked to the world of work is particularly harmful:
Year 2023, 21st century. New technologies are advancing by leaps and bounds, steps imposed by an even more incipient capitalism that seeks to increase profits by reducing time, that seek to be even more productive without taking into account the price that must be paid, that continue to generate more differences today. between rich people and poor people.
It seems that in this new technological stage that brings us closer and closer to the future that we saw in science fiction films, ageism, the term coined by Robert Butler in the sixties to refer to the existing stereotypes and prejudices regarding age once again takes center stage as unexpected as it is counterproductive.
People over fifty-four years of age begin to have no place in the world of work, that world of work that is increasingly more competitive and less human. A world of work in which stereotypes prevail more than values, where many companies still discard candidates due to their age, sex or origin.
Today, one of the most used terms in people management departments is talent retention. Allow me to disagree with this term and change it to another: build loyalty. We must retain all the people who, with their talents and human values, help companies to help other people, because we must not forget that all companies, regardless of the sector to which they are dedicated, provide services to other people. , they help them. Build loyalty, not retain them… retention is temporary, loyalty goes beyond spaces in time.
But what about the search for these people, these talents? Why can’t a person over fifty-four years old, sixty years old, for example, be one of those people who, with their work and life experience, with their values and character, can become a finalist in these endless selection processes and finally become a new addition to companies?
And what can we say about empathy, about putting yourself in the shoes of others. I hope it never happens to us that we reach this age, that we are only a few years away from retiring, but that we do not have the necessary years of contributions because we have not been able to find work in the last years of our working life.
Hiring people by prioritizing their values, talent, abilities and experience promotes age diversity in a workforce and prevents discrimination against workers based on age. Hiring a young man in his twenties and a man or woman in his fifties will allow the company to have a global perspective in both knowledge and skills. A BENEFIT in capital letters, in short, finding this balance in junior and senior talent teams, both for companies and their clients.
Finally, for any man or woman who feels harmed by ageism, I highly recommend reading the UN study
LUÍS MORRAL, Sales Director - Americas Construction at ALIMAK GROUP 
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