The longer you have worked for a company, the more experience and industry connections you bring to the table. You can handle the same tasks as younger workers and will likely be more efficient at them.
Whether you work in engineering or in the sales department, you have every reason to expect that your employer would appreciate your work experience. You also have the right to expect that they will not discriminate against you based on your age.
Those over the age of 40 have federal protection against employers using their age as a basis for employment decisions. Unfortunately, ageism is still a common issue in the workplace. Do you think your age is why you didn’t get the promotion you recently sought?
You must search for indicators of ageism in the workplace
Simply missing out on an advancement opportunity is not sufficient reason to claim ageism at work. You need some corroborating evidence that your age factored into the company’s decision.
There are multiple factors that indicate there is an issue with ageism at your company. A hostile work environment where coworkers frequently joke about your age or make comments about how you can’t understand technology or youthful slang could be one example. A company’s history of repeatedly promoting younger and less-experienced workers instead of senior staff members is another example.
If you believe that the company you work for considered your age rather than your skill when deciding not to promote you, you may have experienced workplace ageism. Fighting back against age discrimination can help you capitalize on what should be the most profitable years of your career.