[Reblog] A Workplace Counters Ageism – National Institutes of Health

Just had to repost this. Last week at the Area Office on Aging (where I volunteer 6 hours or so a week), one of my clients was a 70 year old woman.  She voiced much of what the woman below said, including feeling unwelcome.  And this after 30+ years with the company!   Maybe all workplaces should have time to read and discuss the article below…Multigenerational Teams Work best.

Thank you Marti Weston, thank you.

 

From the 13 November 2013 post by Marti Weston at As Our Parents Age

Last Thursday, on the Washington DC Metro, a woman sitting in front of me spoke to a seat mate about ageism, a term first coined by Dr. Robert Butler, the first director of the National Institute of Aging (NIA).

As I eavesdropped, the woman on the Metro spoke about comments from younger colleagues, the tendency of some to roll their eyes when she speaks, and remarks about her retirement, still about five years away if she waits until she is 65. “I feel so unwelcome,” she commented,” that sometimes I make jokes about my own retirement just to counteract what I hear.”

Yet as the conversation went on — my apologies for listening in — it was clear that this woman loved her job and was engaged in her work. Lots of people in their late 50s and 60’s can identify with this situation.

So I read with interest the November 10, 2013, Washington Post article, In an Era Plagued by Ageism, NIH Prizes Older Workers. Written by Post reporter Tara Bahrampour, the report details how the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has created a work environment that accepts — and even celebrates — its older and veteran staff members. The article also includes a link to the AARP 2013 list of best employers for people over age 50.

A Few Interesting Excerpts

• This year, NIH topped AARP’s list of best employers for workers over 50, based on criteria including career development opportunities, workplace accommodations, flexible scheduling, job sharing and other employee benefits.
• NIH offers perks with particular appeal for older employees, including flexible work schedules, generous telecommuting policies, opportunities to mentor younger workers and fitness programs geared for older bodies.
• The benefits were not part of a master plan but rather something that evolved, said Phil Lenowitz, deputy director of NIH’s office of human resources.
• A big draw for scientists such as Waldmann is the ability to view a project in terms of decades, rather than years.

Read the entire article to learn much more.

A Few More Links Where You Can Learn About Ageism

• Dr. Robert Butler, Founding Director of the National Institute on Aging – July 2010, AsOurParentsAge
• Multigenerational Teams Work Best –  June 2011, AsOurParentsAge
  As summed up by Marti –
  Two broad reasons that a variety of age groups work together well and produce better results are:
  • Every generation has its blind spots so the different ages and perspective help to avoid problems and compensate for them.
  • Each generation can shine based on individuals’ experience.
• Ageism in Action –  September 2013, Huffington Post,
• Readers Offer Tales of Silicon Valley Ageism –  August 2013, SF Gate (San Francisco Chronicle)
• Ageism and Millennials – Part I and Part II – Dr. Bill Thomas’ Changing Aging blog
• Ageism in America – 2006, A PDF of a comprehensive report published by Dr. Robert Butler and the International Longevity Center (also founded by Dr. Butler).

Related articles

• Raising Awareness about Ageism through Art ! (sharingconnection.wordpress.com)
• Ageism in the Workplace: A Growing Issue (mtannler.wordpress.com)
• Ageism: the Silent Killer (veteranstoday.com)
• Why the Tech Industry Needs to Deal With Its Ageism Problem (simplicity.laserfiche.com)
• Tapping into the Creative Potential of our Elders (3quarksdaily.com)
• Why Old Age Is Really Not For Sissies (agelessmarketing.typepad.com)
• Ageism: Its Effect On Seniors (awalker20099.wordpress.com)