The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) is a federal law in the United States that
prohibits age-based discrimination in the workplace for workers and job seekers at least 40 years
old. This law applies to both current workers and those seeking employment. It was passed into
law in 1967 and used for businesses with 20 or more staff members, including state and local
governments (Farmer, 2019). The ADEA renders it illegal for companies to discriminate against
employees 40 or older in any area of the employment relationship, including hiring, firing,
promotion, salary, and job assignments. Its purpose is to ensure that factors such as age do not
constitute a barrier to achieving equitable job opportunities. The ADEA bans businesses from
instituting policies that provide younger workers an advantage over older workers unless the
guidelines can be shown to be justified by some other criteria besides age (Farmer, 2019). For
instance, it is against the law to promote job positions with age biases or terminate employees
purely based on age. Employees who oppose age-based discrimination or report their employers
are protected from retaliation by the ADEA. Retaliation by employers against workers who
exercise their ADEA rights is not permitted. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act has
considerably impacted workers by promoting age equality in employment prospects. It has
assisted older workers in keeping their rights and protections in their place of employment,
assuring that they are given consideration based on their abilities, qualifications, and experience
rather than being discriminated against owing to their age (Zafar & Von, 2020). This is because it
has ensured that older workers are not judged based on age. Additionally, due to the law,
awareness has been raised regarding age discrimination, and employers have been urged to adopt
fair and inclusive procedures.
Association or employer policies can supplement legal requirements to provide additional
protection against discrimination for employees or clients. These policies can operate as
preventative steps an organization takes to cultivate an atmosphere free of discrimination and
advance equality. While legal requirements often specify particular protected qualities (race,
gender, age, etc.), an organization's policies could broaden coverage to additional characteristics
not explicitly covered by the law. Even if they are not required by law, certain aspects of an
individual's identity, such as their sexual orientation, gender identity, or religious views, may be
safeguarded by the policies of their respective employers. This action reflects the organization's
commitment to diversity and solves potential legal protection gaps (Drydakis et al., 2022). In
many cases, legal regulations set a floor level for acceptable levels of nondiscrimination. On the
other hand, a company or organization can decide to implement more stringent rules that
establish more significant criteria for equal treatment and fairness. These policies can provide a
clear overview of the expectations of appropriate conduct, equal opportunities, and non-
discriminatory methods of operation (Drydakis et al., 2022). The organization sends a clear
signal about its determination to eliminate prejudice by going above and beyond the
requirements set forth by the law. Clear reporting channels and processes can be established for
employees or customers to use to report occurrences of discrimination or harassment through
association policies or employer policies, respectively. These regulations have the potential to
ensure that those reporting discriminatory behavior do so while feeling protected and supported.
They can also explain the organization's procedures to investigate and respond to such reports,
including implementing disciplinary measures (Ruzycki et al., 2022). A business can supplement
legal requirements by implementing thorough training courses on inclusion and diversity for its
staff. These seminars can aid in increasing awareness of various forms of discrimination and
unconscious biases and offer techniques for establishing an accepting and respectful workplace.
The firm can guarantee that staff members have the knowledge and abilities to combat
discrimination by investing in continual training programs.
Overall, companies need to put measures in place to show their employees that they are being
valued; valued employees will want to stay, and keeping them will be less costly than hiring a
new employee to fill their position (McConnell, 2019, pp 95).
"Ah Lord God! Behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by the great power and
stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee" (King James Bible, 2017/1769,
Jeremiah 32:17). There is no challenge in life that is too challenging for our God. God has
promised all his children that he will never leave us. Christians should find solace in knowing
God can endure much more than we can.
"And thou shalt love the Lord they God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy
mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment" (King James Bible, 2017/1769,
Mark 12:30). It is not sufficient to merely adore God. We must also spread that love to other
people. One could argue that it is difficult to love God with all your heart, soul, intellect, and
strength while failing to extend the same comprehensive love to others.
WC: 833
References:
Drydakis, N., Paraskevopoulou, A., & Bozani, V. (2022). A field study of age discrimination in
the workplace: The importance of gender and race pay the gap.‒ Employee Relations:
The International Journal. 45(2). 304-327. https://doi.org/10.1108/er-06-2021-0277
Farmer, K. (2019). Outsiders need not apply: Myopic appellate interpretations of the age
discrimination in employment act insulate prospective employers from disparate impact
liability. Southern Law Journal, 29(2), 255-280.
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/liberty.edu?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-
journals/outsiders-need-not-apply-myopic-appellate/docview/2358404747/se-2
King James Bible. (2017). King James Bible Online. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/
(Original work published 1769)
McConnell, C. (2019). Human Resource Management in Health Care (3rd ed.). Jones & Bartlett
Learning.
Ruzycki, S., Roach, P., Holroyd-Leduc, J., Barnabe, C., & Ahmed, S. (2022). Experiences and
perceptions of racism and sexism among Alberta physicians: Quantitative results and a
cross-sectional survey framework analysis. Journal of General Internal Medicine. 38.
165–175. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-022-07734-8
Zafar, N., & Von, S. (2020). A longitudinal analysis of the relationship between employer
characteristics and age discrimination charge filings. Employee Responsibilities and
Rights Journal, 32(2), 33-48. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10672-020-09346-y
