Here’s a brain teaser: Millennials say age discrimination plagues them at work far more frequently than their older counterparts, a recent survey shows.
More than half — 52 percent — of American workers aged 18 to 34 say they have witnessed or experienced ageism in their jobs, according to Glassdoor’s 2019 Diversity and Inclusion Survey released last month.
That’s compared to 39 percent of workers 55 and older who say the same, the online survey of more than 1,100 American workers found.
That’s despite the fact that millennials cannot be victims of age discrimination under federal law. The 1967 Age Discrimination in Employment Act that bars people from being fired or harassed due to their age only protects workers over 40, according to the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
But Glassdoor defines ageism more broadly as any prejudice or discrimination against someone based on their age. Survey respondents were asked whether they have “experienced or witnessed ageism in the workplace,” according to the company.
Millennials were also more likely to report experiences with other kinds of discrimination than their older colleagues, the survey findings show — a trend Glassdoor attributes to younger workers’ increased awareness of the problems.
“There’s a lot of division across the country and the world today on a variety of issues that often filter into the workplace,” Glassdoor Chief People Officer Carina Cortez said in a statement. “Moreover, due to education efforts by national voices and various organizations, people in the workforce are aware of and are more easily able to identify instances of discrimination at work today.”
Half of 18-to-34-year-olds said they had experienced or witnessed racial discrimination at work, compared to just a third of 55-plus workers, the survey found. Some 52 percent of millennials have seen or experienced gender discrimination and 43 percent have seen or experienced LGBTQ discrimination, compared with 30 percent and 18 percent of older workers, respectively, according to the findings.
Additionally, nearly two thirds — or 62 percent — of millennials “believe their company should do more to increase diversity and inclusion,” while only about four in 10 older workers said the same, according to Glassdoor.
The findings are based on an online survey of 5,241 adults in the US, France, Germany and the United Kingdom that The Harris Poll conducted on Glassdoor’s behalf from July 29 to 31. Some 1,113 respondents were employees in the US.