Response: Yes, I have done it before. He wasn’t just over 40, he dropped out of university, so no degree.

Age discrimination is exclusion. It goes against our ethos as HR professionals to appreciate and understand the benefits of diversity and inclusion.

Diverse teams are smarter and perform better. Countles studies by Harvard, Forbes etc. are out there. The onus is on us HR professionals to help our management teams see the light, by presenting them with these facts.

Homogenous teams, especially age wise, are an unfounded utopia.

There is nothing wrong with having a 40 year old in an entry level role, even in a tech firm.

As long as that 40 year old has moved with the times and has the competencies required for the role.

If the 40 year old decided not to learn new skills, his competence will weed him out without the need for any age criteria.

I don’t expect us all to agree on this, in fact, I know we will not.

There will always be factions of business and HR professionals that feel it won’t work or is not right.

The dialogue is good.

Change may be gradual but imminent.We will change eventually because the pros far outweigh the cons.#EndAgeDiscrimination #career #diversity