Does age matter in the workplace?
Even if it’s the unspoken rule, age does matter. When it comes to hiring, no one wants to hire someone who’s too old and might have one foot through the retirement door already, or is considered stubborn or set in their ways, or not technologically hip (even if it’s not true). And once they have been hired, new ideas by older people aren’t taken seriously because they aren’t up on current pop culture/trends/technology. And then again, no one wants to hire a young person for a high-ranking position (even if they’re qualified) because they might be immature, tempermental, or flaky. Plus young people get reputations as job-hoppy and unsettled. And then there’s a matter of pride. Young people just aren’t supposed to be more successful than their older counterparts. And once they have been hired, new ideas by younger people aren’t taken seriously because they aren’t seasoned. Whether these stereotypes are right or wrong, they do matter. And it makes a difference.
