Facilitating psychological protection for ageism

One line of research suggests mitigating ageism by designing intergenerational teams to increase the opportunity to share intergenerational wisdom. Credit: Getty Images/vm

The emerging field of psychological health and safety (PHS) continues to educate employers on how the environment influences the employee experience physically and socially. The North Star for psychological health and safety is reducing mental harm and promoting mental health.

One critical element for achieving mental health in the workplace is the early identification of psychosocial hazards that can cause mental harm. Anyone facilitating PHS in a workplace context must understand that any psychosocial factor, like work demand, can be a mental drain or a charge.

For example, if a person feels OK with their workload and believes it is fair and meaningful, work demand can be a charge. However, if they believe their work demand is unrealistic and chronic, it is a psychosocial factor drain that can result in mental harm and become a psychosocial hazard.

As PHS emerges, it spotlights psychosocial hazards such as isolation (e.g., lone and remote workers), increasing employees’ risk of loneliness and mental harm. Further, discussion of AI and the future of work may be perceived by some employees as a direct threat to job and financial security. What these two examples have in common is that increased mental stress raises the risk of mental harm.

The idea of “Freedom 55” has been declining rapidly as more people continue to work past age 55. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety reports an 11 per cent increase in over-55 workers from 1996 to 2018, and in 2019, near parity of numbers of workers 55 and over and 25 to 34. Meanwhile Statistics Canada reports a growing number of adults working past 65.

The risk of more people working past traditional retirement ages is that more individuals experience workplace ageism. One recent study reported that 75 per cent of women reported age-based stereotypical bias, and 50 per cent felt disrespected by colleagues.

The American Psychological Association published a cover story in 2023 suggesting that ageism is one of the last socially accepted prejudices. This article defined ageism as a form of discrimination against older workers because of age only (i.e., how they look and move). This prejudice is driven by unconscious bias informed by stereotypes based on capability.

The American Medical Society reported that 96 per cent of 44 studies found ageism directly impacted mental health and increased the risk of mental illnesses like depression.

Growing old is hard enough for many individuals who become isolated with age. Feeling discriminated against in the workplace because of age is another stressor.

Having reached the age of 60, I feel somewhat qualified to write this article. I have never been one to worry about skin creams, hair dye, Botox or facelifts. However, I have seen male and female peers invest significant dollars in the hope of holding on to a bit more youth to avoid moving into the older category. I now hear more and more friends express concerns that they may be unable to find work because of their age.

Considerations for facilitating psychological protection for ageism

Start by evaluating how your organization addresses this concern. A mature diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) program provides education, clear direction and coaching to hiring managers on ageism to ensure they do not assess a candidate’s potential based on age or appearance. A thoughtful PHS strategy ensures prevention and support programs are accessible to all groups and provide value.

The following are tactics employers can consider to protect workers from ageism:

• Monitor and report on workforce demographics — Monitor the workforce demographic in 10-year increments to determine the percentage of employees in each category. Use surveys to determine the percentage of the workforce who may feel discriminated against by age in each category.
• Educate senior leaders on the benefits of older workers — Besides the human factor, experienced older workers have something some employers under-value: tacit knowledge (i.e., what is not written down about how things work). When senior leaders understand that institutional knowledge is gold, they are more likely to ensure that PHS and DEI programs prevent their workforces from allowing ageism to be a barrier or psychosocial hazard.
• Design intergenerational teams — One line of research suggests mitigating ageism by designing intergenerational teams to increase the opportunity to share intergenerational wisdom. This can help younger workers change their attitudes toward older workers’ experiences and help them discover new ways of operating.
• Promote zero tolerance for ageism discrimination — Ensure policies and safe and respectful workplace training mention human rights protections for all workers and the need to treat everyone with dignity. This makes sense because many employers’ success depends on retired workers willing to return to the workplace in some capacity.
• Educate the workforce on ageism — Remind workers that everyone ages and consider how they would like to be thought of and treated as they get older. Anchor the construct “never judge a book by its cover.” I am sure my two 25-year-old nephews and son, who all played major junior hockey, wondered what was happening when they could not beat this old man on the golf course. The goal of educating a workforce is to bust stereotypical and stubborn ageism prejudices. This applies to all workers because even older ones can harbour prejudice against their peers based on looks. All workers must understand that getting older is a phase of life. If they can maintain good health and avoid chronic diseases associated with aging, workers can thrive as long as they want. Key research from Yale professor Becca Levy reports that a critical success factor for older workers is believing they are still learning and growing, so they are more likely to thrive.

Dr. Bill Howatt is the Ottawa-based president of Howatt HR Consulting.