by CIO Staff

Ways to Avoid Age Discrimination

News
May 15, 20011 min
IT Leadership

  • Recognize that people are living and working longer. Social Security is phasing the retirement age up to 67 and no longer penalizes beneficiaries for income.
  • Keep in mind that a candidate who has only five years left until retirement may still stay around longer than the average new hire.
  • Don’t make assumptions about a candidate’s salary requirements.
  • When evaluating job candidates and employees, use structured methods that will help avoid unwitting discrimination.
  • Put older and younger workers together on teams so that they can learn from each other.
  • Provide training, and show that you value skill development by including it in evaluations.
  • Be sure that everyone who speaks with a candidate knows age discrimination laws. They apply to everyone and not just those who make final decisions.
  • Set a good example, and make it clear to your staff, human resources department and recruiters that you don’t want to discriminate.