B2 – Upper Intermediate
A newbie does not have enough experience. A senior colleague is not technology illiterate. These are some common assumptions and generalizations we sometimes make based on a person’s age.
Ageism exists in the workplace. Are we just supposed to just sweep this issue under the rug?
Click on the link below to read more on ageism in the workplace.
Discussion Questions:
- What are the negative effects of ageism on an individual?
- What might be the positive impact of it?
- Does ageism in the workplace exist in your company and/or country? Talk about it.
- Talk about a situation when you witnessed ageism happening.
- What is your stand on this, “This [ageism] isn’t just an issue young people face.“?
3 replies on “Ageism at Work”
I think that ageism has always existed and it affects not only to all people but also all the work environment. Firsty, when someone starts his/her professional career, he/she is thought not to have too much experience and knowledge. But when the person gets to the latest years of his/her active professional life the problem lies on a different subject such they are not familiar with the new techno or they are not willing to learn about different technics to do the same work more easily and profitable.
All these negative points can be summarized in a word: competivity, it is said, it is fear of being taken apart.
The positive part I can extract from this situation is that a person needs to be on the wave along his/her active life, they will have to get new skills, learn new ways to be more productive or even do investigation to improve the already learned.
Some years ago I was working along with a 70-years old workmate. He thought that he had already learned everything he needed to develop his job and he denied learning anything new. He actually knew much more than anyone of us but he had a lot of problems with the computer and its programs which prevent him from finishing his job.
Glad to see you are getting better and better at this! Just note a few words that you can replace your original word/phrase with in order to express your idea more accurately.
to do the same work more easily and profitable
> to do the same work more easily and efficiently/productively
competivity, it is said, it is fear of being taken apart
> competitiveness/competition, it is said, it is fear of being taken down
… he denied learning anything new.
> … he refused to learn anything new.
Excellent job. Just keep going.
1.What are the negative effects of ageism on an individual?
In my opinion, they could be that people can make an unreal opinion about someone or something due to the ageism. It doesn’t matter if we talk about a young guy where you can wrongly think that maybe is not prepared than an older guy who you can guess the opposite, you think he has more expertice or knowledge that reallity.
2. What might be the positive impact of it?
Positive impact, it depends, when you’re young you have lot of time for improving or growing. And when you’re older, you have the knowledge based on the experience.
3. Does ageism exist in the workplace in your company and/or country?
Not at all in my company, however it can exists in the kind of clients that we work for. Regarding my country…it’d be difficult to say, probably yes because our society lots of times base their opions on appearence.
4. Talk about a situation when you witnessed ageism happening.
Well, I’m sure about having a situation like this…it’s difficult to rem.
5. What is your stand on this: “this [ageism] isn’t just an issue young people face.“?
I’m not sure of understanding the question, I’m imaging a situation where somebody has a problem or has done something wrongly and the reason that the people argue is not only due to the ageism, but not sure if it is what they mean.