How Big Business Can (and Should) End Ageism

The tens of millions of still very much alive and kicking Baby Boomers who are currently in their late 50s to mid70s are the bull39s eye in the target of ageism Boomer bashing is in vogue these days a backlash against the oncelargest generation in history who undeniably achieved great things but are now commonly blamed for many of the worldamp8217s problemsThere is however some good news Efforts are being made to end ageism around the world via an quotagefriendlyquot movement The World Health Organization WHO is currently leading the movement focusing its effort on making cities and communities more age friendly The United Nations is also taking steps to propel an agefriendly movement with a proposed Convention on the Rights of Older Persons likely to be the next major human rights treaty adoptedAge friendliness is taking root at the local level as well as more innovative communities across the country take steps to keep older residents active and engaged And with its quotLearning Learning and Earning Longerquot initiative AARP and its partners the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development OECD and the World Economic Forum are also doing yeoman39s work to advance an age friendly movement by encouraging employers to create an intergenerational and inclusive workforceAn AgeFriendly Model for Big BusinessDespite these steps in the right direction ageism remains a staple of American corporate culture where people in their third act of life are generally not welcome as workers consumers or citizens Many myths surround older people and these untrue stereotypes shape employment practices marketing strategies and how companies approach social responsibility Just as it has done with the vast inequities regarding race and gender by establishing Diversity ampamp Inclusion DampampI initiatives it39s time for Big Business to step up and enlist in the agefriendly movement to put an end to ageismThere are three components of a holistic and synergistic platform or model that businesses can and should adopt in order to become agefriendly organizations This can be dovetailed within an existing DampampI initiative or can be independently set up The three pieces areNo 1 WorkThe American workplace is decidedly unfriendly to both current employees over age 50 and to job applicants with a college degree from the 1980s or earlier An intergenerational workforce would be in the best interests of not just Baby Boomers but companies themselves however as studies show that age brings experience perspective and wisdom just the right skill set for both short and longterm decisionmakingNo 2 MarketingBaby Boomers are still the key to the marketplace despite marketers39 obsession with youth It39s difficult to not subscribe to ageist thinking however as it39s thoroughly woven into everyday life Ageist thinking prescribes a marketing approach steeped in a consciousness of age and specifically negative feelings about older age Companies should embrace marketing strategies that are grounded in universal human traits that transcend age race gender sexual orientation and other socially constructed divisionsNo 3 CitizenshipThe third way for big business to end ageism is through corporate citizenship or social responsibility Supporting agefriendly causes by donating money or goods and services is just one way this can be done Encouraging employees to volunteer time to programs dedicated to older adults represents another opportunity to help people in need and at the same time align with the huge Baby Boomer marketSeize the Age Friendly DayItamp8217s clear that there are things big business can and should do to make the United States a more age friendly place a worthy and long overdue endeavor We39re all aging after all making the reality of getting older an experience to which each of us can relate Sending this message to corporate America specifically the Fortune 1000 represents our biggest opportunity to address virulent ageism which has no place in this countryTaking proactive steps to change the narrative of aging in America is not just the right thing to do but a smart business strategy At the intersection of two megatrends aging and diversity age friendliness promises to yield bottomline results for years to come and its effects are likely to spread across society like kudzu Let39s build on the momentum and seize the agefriendly dayPhoto credit Ben Rosett UnsplashClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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How Big Business Can (and Should) End Ageism

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Larry Samuel

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How Big Business Can (and Should) End Ageism

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