Of course.
That is actually an excellent question. That is the big question in the research field and we are certainly not going to get to the solutions today.
At the beginning of my presentation, I mentioned that it took years before truly effective measures were in place to combat workplace sexism and racism. Right now, I think we have reached a turning point with the ageing of the workforce. Concrete measures have been implemented to put an end to ageism.
If I were really radical, I would say that we should have zero-tolerance policies for ageism in the workplace. I would specifically say that every manager must be responsible for their hiring decisions and must be accountable. When a young 35-year old worker and a 55-year old worker have the same skills, why is the young worker chosen?
Managers play a key role in changing attitudes. Ageism is an attitude. To change people's attitudes, employers must declare that they value ageing in the workplace.
If the head of a large company only meets with older workers to talk about their retirement, those workers will clearly feel that they are no longer useful. Why don't managers conduct loyalty-building interviews with older workers? Why not come up with career development policies specifically for people aged 50 and older?
Managers play a critical role. As a researcher, I have become a strong believer in zero-tolerance policies. However, I also think that we need national awareness campaigns to inform people about ageism. A lot of people are not familiar with the issue. Yet it is an insidious and damaging problem in the workplace.