A significant number of older workers said they would consider cosmetic surgery and other augmentations to compete in a labour market marred by ageism, a poll has found.
The survey, conducted as part of the Age Without Limits campaign, found that 15 percent of people aged 45 and above would consider plastic surgery to look younger if it helped them to secure a job or promotion. A further 20 percent would consider Botox or fillers, while 41 percent would be prepared to dye their hair.
Carole Easton, chief executive at the Centre for Ageing Better, which runs the campaign, described the findings as “dispiriting but understandable” given that “age and experience so often counted against employees and job applicants”.
The latest Labour Market figures highlight the challenges, with people aged 35 to 49 20 percent more likely to be employed than those aged 50 to 64.
The campaign said further research shows that the chances of being offered training at work or finding a job after unemployment drop significantly after the age of 50. And poll results show that one in three older workers feel disadvantaged in job applications because of their age.
One in six people (16 percent) aged 45 and above reported receiving inappropriate comments about their age from colleagues, with 39 percent saying this happened frequently. For some, these comments have undermined confidence, with 15 percent admitting it made them doubt their own abilities or value to an employer.
An older female worker, named Rose-Marie, told the campaign she had recently left a role after facing repeated ageist remarks.
“I was monitored and singled-out on several occasions, told to style my hair in a different way because it ‘looked better’, told to ‘stand in the corner and look pretty’.
“The environment was unfavourable for older people, not just among colleagues but also at a management level. There was little done to educate people on a corporate level about ageism and supporting older workers.”
Easton warned that many assume legislation and HR policies have eliminated workplace ageism, but the data shows otherwise.
“We’ve heard from jobseekers who are inexplicably passed over for hundreds of job applications despite extensive skills and experience and who say they can feel prospective employers go cold on them the moment they realise their age,” she said.
“The persistent and unfounded stereotypes around older workers are consigning too many people to the employment scrapheap with a third of their working lives still to go.”
The campaign urges HR teams to take practical steps, including ensuring that work-based events are inclusive for all ages, challenging ageist banter and behaviour, breaking down intergenerational barriers, and signing up to the Age-friendly Employer Pledge.
Harriet Bailiss, co-head of the campaign, added: “The prevalence of negative treatment just because of age, of ageism, is clear. People have told our campaign how they were flourishing in their careers until they weren’t, and the only change was their age and what that signified to employers. We cannot continue wasting the talent of older workers in this country.”
The Age Without Limits campaign is calling for an “age-friendly employment revolution” to ensure workplaces where employees of all ages can thrive.
The poll was conducted by Survation, on behalf of the campaign, with 1,007 adults aged 18 and over.
