2009-2010 Hiring Perspectives Favor Senior Workers

Staying healthy during the prime of life takes planning, preparation, and commitment. Such a commitment is the best defense against age inappropriate thinking and workplace discrimination. An active lifestyle is often maintained and enhanced through an enjoyable, productive job. 

Susan Branco, a certified fitness professional and expert in senior fitness, writes: “Older people can achieve the same percentage gains in performance as the young, according to Dr. H.A. deVries, past director of the Andrus Gerontology Center at the University of Southern California and a respected pioneer in the field.”

For many seniors the battle to remain active demands a tremendous act of courage requiring great will power. For others an active lifestyle is a natural approach they’ve enjoyed all their lives.  But, for everyone staying active gets more challenging with every passing year as they begin to face age discrimination in the workplace.

Experts Debate Age Inappropriate Thinking

One recent study  by a group of researchers studying work and fitness after 50 attempted to prove a justification for discriminatory hiring practices. Their study stated older workers have a reduced work ability. 

Martin Mackey, Chris G. Maher, Terry Wong, and Kathleen Collins  report, Study protocol: the effects of work-site exercise on the physical fitness and work-ability of older workers, states; 

“Older workers have a higher rate and cost of injury than younger workers and with a rapidly aging work force there is a need to identify strategies to address this problem. Older workers are less physically active and fit than younger workers and so have reduced work ability. The reduced work ability means they are more likely to be fatigued at work and so at greater risk of injury. Exercise could potentially assist this problem. Exercise training has been previously shown to improve fitness in older people however there has been no evaluation of workplace exercise program for older workers.” 

A senior networking site in the UK is combating this problem in England by establishing strategies to fight age inapproiate thinking in the senior population and job market. Stereotyping, such as in the previous paragraph, brings more difficulty to the challenges faced by those over 50. Senior Networking sites being informed of such age inappropriate thinking as an effective strategy to help senior adults maintain a happy and healthy life outlook.

Renewed Hope for United States Senior Workers

The United States Supreme Court in the 2007-2008 session this year gave a surprising victory to workers over 40 years of age. Linda Greenhouse reported in The Washington Post stating The Supreme Court overturned a previous decision making employees legally responsible “for disproving an employers defense of reasonableness.”  This ruling placed the burden of proof squarely upon the employer to show “as reasonable” any layoffs or action taken toward employees over 40 which hurt them more than others.

The Supreme Court spokesman stated the new law makes sense given only the employers can know the reason for the decisions made in regard to employees.

2008-2009 Hiring Perspectives Favors Senior Workers

One writer for businessknowhow.com has given the next few years a title. Harvey Meyer calls them, “The Great Worker Shortage.” Stating the predictions of a need for 10 million workers by the end of this decade due to the retirement of the baby boomer generation. 

Facts on Age Discrimination

1. The Age Discrimination Employment Act of 1967 prohibits employment discrimination of persons over the age of 40.

2. State and federal laws protect workers from age discrimination.

3. Legal Experts are available to help out.