Culture toolkit — line management — team discussion about ageism

Leading a team discussion about ageism

An excellent way to raise awareness of ageism is to allocate some time in a team meeting to talk about what it means, what it might look like and how you will work together to tackle ageism if you see it.

You could time this to coincide with the Age Without Limits Action Day, or another relevant event.

Make sure you have a clear idea of what you want to get out of the discussion — probably you will be aiming to help members of your team to:

• recognise ageism when they see it
• feel comfortable challenging ageist statements and practices. 

You might want to discuss the topic ahead of time with older members of the team. Maybe they would like to kick off the discussion, share their experiences or even chair the meeting? Make sure they feel an active part of the process and you are clear that you want them to share their views and experiences.
 

1: Set the context

Explain that ageism is often overlooked, both in society in general and in the workplace. However, it can have a huge impact on individuals. Let employees know that in this workplace and team we want everyone to feel valued, so it’s important that we recognise ageism exists and take steps to tackle it.

2: Set the ground rules

Be clear that you want everyone to contribute to the discussion, no matter their age. But that you want people to listen to each other and respect each other’s viewpoints.

3: Questions for discussion

What is ageism?

• What does the word “ageism” mean to you? Have you heard it before?
• What beliefs about ageing do you hold?
• Do you think ageism exists? if so, what does it look like?
• In what ways might ageism show up in the workplace?
• Does your age lead you to limit yourself at work? (for example, not putting yourself forward for opportunities, not speaking up in meetings, feeling excluded from social events)
• Have you ever witnessed someone being treated unfairly because of their age? If so, how did you respond? How did it make you feel?
• Have you ever experienced a situation in which your age seemed to contribute to how you were treated at work?
• What have you heard others say about your age or other people’s age? How did it make you feel? How did it impact your perspective, including your thoughts, feelings and actions towards others and towards yourself?

What can we do to tackle ageism?

• How can we make sure everyone on the team has access to the same opportunities?
• How can we make workers over 50 feel valued as part of the team?
• How can we call out and tackle ageism if we see it?

4: Next steps

Make sure that there are clear outcomes from the discussion. Can you all agree on behaviours you might change, or things you can do to make sure you are creating an age-friendly culture in your team? 

Return to the topic at a later date to see what has changed and check in on progress.