The “Too Old to Work? Says Who—Your Wi-Fi Password?” 😜
In the age of rapid innovation, where companies name products after fruits and job interviews feel like Olympic trials, one group is often quietly shown the exit: older workers. Age discrimination in the workplace—also known as you’re-great-but-we’re-looking-for-someone-more-‘dynamic’ syndrome—is alive, well, and absurd.
Why Does This Happen?
- Tech Stereotypes: There's an irrational fear that anyone born before colour TV can’t operate Slack or find the "any" key on a keyboard.
- Cost Assumptions: Employers often assume older workers demand higher salaries, forgetting that experience actually saves money (fewer mistakes, fewer "oops-my-bad-we-lost-the-client" moments).
- Youth Fetishism: Modern work culture often values ping pong tables and “vibe” over wisdom. Which is fine—until the vibe crashes the server and someone needs to fix it without Googling “what is a server?”
The Benefits of Bringing Boomers Back
Older workers come with actual, battle-tested experience. They’ve survived faxes, floppy disks, and five-day workweeks—without mental health days. They’re less likely to quit after six months to start a kombucha business, and they’ve mastered the ancient art of reading a room (not just the analytics dashboard).
Plus, having generational diversity means companies can finally understand both how to post a TikTok and write a coherent email.
Final Thought
Age discrimination isn’t just bad ethics—it’s bad business. The idea that someone’s value declines with age is the kind of thinking that made Blockbuster ignore Netflix. And we all know how that turned out.
So maybe next time you're hiring, don’t ask how old someone is. Ask if they can get the job done. And if they remember dial-up tones? That just means they know patience. Which is more than we can say for your last intern.
Side note: at my age I can still bench press, leg press and curl heavier weights than most of the young bucks in the gym! Age is just a number! 😉 🏋️♀️
Comments thoughts welcomed as always!
MC 🤘🎸🤘
