Employment Law: Age Discrimination

Certainly, one could wonder, what in the world is the connection between age discrimination and security? The answer is simple, workplace security is not only protecting resources; security managers also must protect a company's most valuable resource, its people and employees against discrimination. Age discrimination continues to damage the very fabric of our society, reducing both the incomes and the self-confidence of millions of Americans. In a recent Louis Harris survey, conducted in 1989, it reported that one million workers aged 50 to 64 believed that they would be forced to retire before they were ready. Most of this group, anticipating an unwanted early retirement, said they would prefer to work for years longer. Another Harris survey, conducted 5 years after the first one, found that 4.5 million older Americans--one in sever of those 55 and older who were not working at that time--were willing to work but could not find a suitable job. These discouraging statistics were cited in the Untapped Resource, a 1993 report on "The Americans Over 55 at Work Program," a 5-year research effort conducted by the Commonwealth Fund to examine the productive potential of older Americans. This research paper will cover some of the critical elements in the ongoing saga of age discrimination. …