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Someone posted on LinkedIn recently that hiring for values contributes to ageism. Since then, I’ve been thinking about this comment and what it means.
First, I’m not naïve. I understand ageism exists. Ageism refers to how we think, feel, and act towards others based on their age. We might be tempted to think of ageism only in terms of older people, but ageism happens to younger people too. An example might be saying “young people don’t want to work”. Honestly, it’s one of the reasons that I try not to get involved in the “generational” conversations. I think conversation like Millennials think this … and Boomers think that … contribute to the age discussion and not in a positive way.
But back to the original comment about hiring for values contributing to ageism. The word values means “something considered to be important or beneficial”. We know that organizations have values. So do individuals.
When it comes to organizational values, I found an article on the MIT Sloan Management Review that said they researched almost 700 large U.S. based companies and the top three values listed on their websites were 1) integrity, 2) respect, and 3) innovation. If this information is true, then the LinkedIn comment doesn’t necessarily align. Because that would mean that hiring for integrity, respect, and innovation contributes to ageism. And I’m not sure that integrity, respect, and innovation are exclusive to a particular age group.
In addition to organizations having values, individuals have values. Personal values are … well, they’re personal so they will vary by individual. Brene Brown has a downloadable list of values on her website including some guidance on how to identify the values you most want to align with. For example, the list includes integrity, respect, and creativity. So, it’s possible for individuals to have the same or very similar values as company values. Again, I’m not sure that integrity, respect, and creativity are exclusive to a particular age.
I did one last thing trying to understand more about the relationship between values and age. Yep, I did an internet search and asked AI. The results I received said young people prioritize achievement, career, and family and older people prioritize tradition, security, and benevolence. Again, I think there are older people who place value on family, career, and achievements and younger people who want security, tradition, and benevolence. It’s another example of trying to put people in boxes based on age.
However, in this very long conversation about values, it reminded me of something that I could see being important to both organizations and individuals. Which is that values should be in alignment. And not just the words, but actions. A company might say that respect is a value, but the candidate isn’t treated with respect when they show up for the interview. That could be a red flag for a candidate. Or a company asks a candidate about a time when they had to use creativity to solve a problem during the interview … and the candidate doesn’t have an answer. That might impact the interview.
Organizations often ask candidates job interview questions to see if their values are in alignment. Candidates and employees look to see that an organization’s actions match the values on their website. Neither should make assumptions about a person’s values based on their age. It’s about their actions.
Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby after speaking at the SHRM Annual Conference in Las Vegas, NV
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