CAFE Virtual Workshop: Reducing Age Bias at Work – Event Summary

Tim Driver opened the session and highlighted a new bill that has been filed in the State of Massachusetts (also a CAFE Member).  Alice Piesch, MA Representative, filed a bill “An Act modernizing workforce opportunities for older workers” to provide tax credits to employers hiring older workers. If passed, this bill will support and improve conditions for hiring older workers across the state.

Tim presented our new CAFE Analytics report available to our membership. This report measures your organization against industry peers through HR, compensation and benefits-derived benchmarks and standards on being Age-Friendly.

Finally, Tim outlined our newest date for our biannual Revolutionize Conference in the Spring of 2026 in Boston. Massachusetts provides an ideal backdrop to this international event promoting innovations in aging. As a center of research, education, healthcare, policy and innovation, Boston is the ideal home for a conference focused on revolutionizing our approach to aging. Revolutionize 2026 will bring together leaders from these many sectors to reimagine and redirect the future of aging. Our participants and presenters hail from government, public policy, business, healthcare, research and education. Watch for more information in the next few newsletters.

Jess Maurer followed Tim.  She is the Executive Director of the Maine Council on Aging, a multidisciplinary network of 140 businesses and community members working to ensure we can all live healthy, engaged, and secure lives as we age. She leads data-informed policy change efforts on issues related to ageism, equity, poverty, housing, transportation, workforce, and care. With the goal of ending ageism in Maine by 2032. We are proud to have the State of Maine represented in our CAFE membership.

Jess’ presentation focused on ways to build an age-positive work culture. The decrease in global birth decreases coupled with increased longevity is shifting the age demographics in all areas of the world. The result is a decreasing workforce.  However, if we expand the age range of what we define as “workforce” we may find a simple solution to filling vacancies the workforce. But first, we must change views on age: systemic, internalized, institutionalized and interpersonal.

The members of the MCOA have heard directly from employers:

  • “We can’t afford them.”
  • “They take too long to train.”
  • “They won’t get our technology.”
  • “They won’t “fit in” with the (younger) team or understand equity.”
  • “They want too much flexibility.”
  • “I didn’t think younger clients would connect with them.”

These should not be shocking; this viewpoint has been engrained in our society and culture for many years. Beyond the fact that we now need people to remain in the workplace longer to address workforce shortages, the impact on older individuals who are not able to find suitable employment opportunities causes personal economic challenges, social isolation, and health challenges.

Jess concludes that the answer to build age-positivity in the work environment is standing right in front of us.  Maine has launched many programs to address these roadblocks for older people, not only in the workplace, but also in healthcare and the communities. Instead of a “Silver Tsunami” crashing down on society, we need to be “Riding the Wave.”  She gives several parting tips on how to prevent ageism in your organization:

  • Include age in your organization’s equity work
  • Train HR managers and supervisors on ageism and implicit age-bias
  • Because some people don’t think ageism is real, train all staff
  • Address unintended and overt age discrimination directly:
    • Hold employees accountable for interpersonal acts of age-bias.
    • Call out age-based stereotypes, bias, comments, and jokes.
    • Language matters: use “older people/person” or “older adults”
    • Check the messages you send by images used on social media.
    • Do you publish staff demographics?  Do you include age bands?

Employers may need to be more intentional about recruitment through advertising by inclusive language and photos. Resume reviewers and interviewers should be trained on the liabilities of age bias.

Employers should be intentional about retention by building a age-positive CULTURE that values workers of all ages in benefits, financial planning, and upskilling. They should offer flexible work options to support the needs of older employees.

Following Jess’ presentation, we had a Q&A session with members.  One highlight was a question for Jess on how she planned to achieve her goal of “ending ageism in Maine by 2032”.  We believe much of the work that she does at the MCOA will go a long way towards achieving this goal.

To close the workshop, Emily Beach encouraged all members to sign up for the upcoming events, book a call to reacquaint themselves with the onboarding materials and review their Analytics Report. She also offered our customizable employer leadership training to help leaders remove age bias from their conversations.  This 90 minute live virtual training is tailored to support  your journey with your older workers and provide suggestions for improved culture across the organization. More information can be found at these links:

2025 Virtual Workshop Series
Mark your calendars for our upcoming sessions (all running 12-1 PM ET):

  • March 5: Age-Inclusive Talent Recruitment
  • June 4: Engaging with Older Adult Consumers
  • September 3: Phased Retirement, Knowledge Transfer, and Mentoring Programs
  • November 5: Employee Resource Groups

You can find more details and register at: https://institute.agefriendly.com/virtual-employer-workshops/

Key Resources:

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