Remedies Essential for Age Discrimination at Indian Workplaces

During the pandemic, due to significant dip in company revenues few organisations quickly adopted closure and a vast majority tried to survive by adopting other existential mechanisms like downsizing, pay cuts and work from home. A cross-sectional lay off was observed throughout India, especially in metropolitan cities. “I have been serving as an accountant in a private firm for 10 years and lost my job in March 2020 due to closure and it’s been a year of the job hunt and I strongly feel many companies are reluctant to offer the job to me because I am nearing 50 years, said Manoj an Accountant from Bengaluru.

The pandemic recession has massively hit the elderly workforce from all segments including media, academics, law and corporate sectors. The older worker force often laments over the insecurity, since they are the last to be hired and the first fired.  Unlike gender discrimination, there are no codified laws, national or local, in India that directly deal with the issue of age discrimination. There is no designated statutory body that deals with matters pertaining to age discrimination. Most often people don’t raise complaints about age discrimination in the workplace, because it is hard to prove. “Despite the fact that corporates urge not to sack the employees, instead they have resorted to issuing pink slips under the slab of inefficiency or unavailability of work or without assigning any reason,” said Dr. Mohan Bolla, who serves as Principal of a Law college in Karnataka.

The media plays a vital role in all forms of discrimination, while the aged population was underrepresented during the pandemic reporting. Prof Geo Joy who serves as a controller of examination in a college draws a comparison between the new and old generation employees as the older generation looks for environmental aspects, the younger workforce is conscious of the economic factor. Hence frequent switch of job is observed.

“Having older employees in the workplace can be definitely beneficial– they bring with them many years of skill, experience, and knowledge. And I strongly believe that they choose to work because they love their job, or maybe they just want to keep themselves busy,” said Rajesh Manjunath, an HR Manager in a multinational company.

Amidst these benefits, age discrimination exists amidst us and around us in multiple forms, like teasing, ignoring them, considering them as the burden to the institution & society, and while remaining as spectators on their issues. Companies should pursue a holistic approach to equality. Instead of cataloging and focusing on the most obvious issues of race and gender, they need to approach equality more rightfully.

The prolonged silences of unions, NGOs, other authorities, and under-reportage have created a menace. Discrimination of employees at workplace is condemnable, hope that all stakeholders by enlarging will strive to realise the difficulties of the workforce and try to protect their livelihood as guaranteed under the right to life and personal freedom.

Dr. Juby Thomas