Google ‘ageism.’ The ageist tech giants

If you are old, as I am, you can’t help noticing some changes that have taken place in the world of work over the last few years.

We are all living longer. Hopefully. My personal life expectancy has increased by about 15 years since I was born in 1958. From around 70, to now around 85.

My probable retirement age has gone up correspondingly. From about 60 when I started working in 1983, to maybe 75.

The government already are saying retirement age will be 70 for people ten years younger than me. And there’s only one way that’s going. Up.

In my case, Inflation, covid, a messy divorce, an indulgent lifestyle, some ill-considered business partnerships, a couple of unexpected wars, and expensive teenagers have eroded my savings to nothing. So I have to keep working.

Plus I want to keep working. I’ll go mad if I don’t. And frankly, I’m still at the top of my game. I have 45 years of experience to call upon. I’ve got a lot to give.

I don’t like gardening. I don’t get off on day time tv. I don’t play golf. If I stop working I’m going to get depressed, fat, and diabetic. I’ll probably take up drinking again. Become a burden on the NHS, and a total problem for my kids’ generation who will have to work their butts off to pay to fund my state pension and all the other benefits I can claim.

If people like me, my generation, don’t keep working, our society as a whole has got a massive problem on its hands. It’s not just my generation’s problem.

So why are more and more people over the age of 50 dropping out of work, ‘retiring early,’ or, let’s not mince our words, becoming long term unemployed, and a burden on society?

Are people over the age of 50 retiring because they want to? Or is it because they are being forced to? Is it by choice? Or is it by ageism?

And why won’t head hunters, who used to be all over me like a cheap Armani suit, even return my phone calls?

Well, because I know how to use a computer, (even though I am 65 years old) I decided to ask Mr Google what the fuck is going on?

“Why is one of our society’s most valuable resources, the over 50s workforce, increasingly sitting at home and twiddling its thumbs?”

I thought it be interesting to look at the employee demographics of some of the big tech companies who are now in the driving seat of our economy. Google. Apple. Amazon. Facebook. I Googled ageist.

Whoa!

There isn’t that much published data, but what I found was fascinating. If you look at the statistics published about staffing of the tech giants by age, a pattern emerges.

Whilst most of the big tech companies now do a pretty good job when it comes to equality of race and gender, they do a shocklingly, appallingly, totally shitty job when it comes to age equality.

You could say their behaviour is ageist in the extreme.

Only 6% of Google’s employees are over the age of 40. Yes, that’s right. SIX PERCENT. You don’t have to have been on one of Googles excellent data science courses to figure out that stinks.

If you look at Google’s annual ‘diversity’ report they are all over the issues of race and gender. Very impressive. They are monitoring themselves very closely. Super tough on stamping inequality out of their organistion. And delivering an improvement in equality year on year.

But in 115 pages of glossy self-congratulation, there is not one mention of age or ageism. Even though Google clearly have massive age inequality going on within their organisation.

Ageism. It’s the wrinkly rhino snorting and cavorting right in the middle of the tech companies’ HR departments.

Apple, Amazon and Facebook are much the same. On average only 6% of people employed by these tech giants are over the age of 40!

Now we all know that Mark Zukkerberg’s rationale for this appalling inequality is that ‘young people are just smarter.’

But think, what if Zukkerberg had spoken in this way about dominant ethnic, or gender groups within facebook. Imagine it. ‘White people are just smarter’ or ‘Heterosexual men are just smarter.”

Not so smart, Mark. The next thing that would happen is Zukkerberg would be stoned to death by the media, and facebook would be shut down.

I’m not here to pick a fight with the tech giants.

I’m here to ask the tech giants to help solve the shocking problem of ageism in our society.

We need to see some redressing of the age vs youth imbalance. Both in their organisations, and in society as a whole. The current situation is bad for everyone.

Google, for example, do excellent training courses. Why not create some courses that specifically help the older workforce? That play to their strengths?

UX for the experienced? Data science for the semi retired? Digital marketing for the traditionally skilled? AI for oldies? Cyber security for the trustworthy and loyal?

Facebook are amazing at taking on causes and supporting communities. Why not actively support ‘encore entrepreneurs?’

Help potential later life entrepreneurs acquire the skills, connectivity and ‘digital leg up’ they need to incubate and grow small businesses that capitalise on the strengths and skills of older people.

Mentoring too. A natural for the tech giants to get behind. We are in danger of building a society where traditional skills and wisdom are undervalued and lost, and tech is viewed as being the universal panacea.

Old people have a got a lot to teach young people. Young people have got a lot to teach old people.

Remember ‘twinned with?’ A Europe wide scheme that twinned towns and communities in Europe with towns and communities in the UK. ‘Twinning’ was an innovative initiative by the government to rebuild pan European relationships after the destructive tragedy of the second war.

Perhaps the time has come for the government to revisit ‘twinning.’ But between individuals, young and old.

Elizabeth Bury-Coots, digital marketing expert and events organiser aged 31, twinned with Gordon Trott, aged 57, television and white goods repair man.

Rishi Sunak, chirpy middle manager from the banking sector, aged 27, twinned with Robert Campbell, grumpy media warhorse, unemployed, aged 65.

You get my point. We need to find solutions to ageism in the workplace. We need to get older people working, and productive.

But rather than moaning about it, I’m going to do something about it.

With a couple of my long term colleagues, I’m starting a business called The Silver Academy. Upskilling. Reskilling. Mentoring and Entrepreneurship for the over 50s.

Our mission is to re-ignite the power of the UK’s 50+ workforce through education, mentoring, and partnership.

I’ll be writing more about The Silver Academy and how it works soon.

But meanwhile, if you’re interested in The Silver Academy in any capacity, and you like the sound of what we’re planning, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.