Old age is a fact of life. At some point in our evolution, we simply look, feel and even act like we’re getting older. The thing is, just because we’re getting older and have a few more gray hairs is not a valid reason for employers to discriminate against us on the job. Age discrimination is unlawful and the employers who discriminate against the aging members of their workforce unfairly can be held accountable in court.
In many cases, age discrimination starts in subtle ways like other types of discrimination do. Perhaps your boss asks you in a nice kind of way, “Are you planning to retire anytime soon?” This is a sign that your boss is looking at you differently because you’re getting older.
If your boss asks you a question like this, you might want to have a smart way of responding. One way to do this is to make it clear that, no, you don’t plan to retire and you plan to work in your job for many years to come. You may even want to codify the communication in the form of an email so it’s absolutely clear what your position is on the topic. A communication record like this could be quite valuable in the event of an age discrimination lawsuit.
If push comes to shove and your employer tries to force you into retirement, you may need to file a lawsuit for age discrimination. Depending on the nature of your work and the circumstances, you might be able to get your job back, acquire fair pay and fair opportunities, or seek fair compensation for the damages that have been done as a result of the age discrimination.