The cost of age bias in the workplace is high. Here’s how we can fix it

Workplaces naturally have power dynamics between employees, managers, and HR. But in the Middle East, where age is culturally expected to command respect and is often associated with authority, it adds another layer that can affect workplace dynamics and companies’ hiring strategies.

Age differences can also entail differences in priorities and approaches to work. According to data from Deloitte’s Gen Z and Millennial Survey, 86% of Gen Z employees place high importance on work-life balance, autonomy, and flexibility. 

Researchers note that older Middle Eastern professionals frequently prioritize a more traditional, linear career model that emphasizes visible productivity and longer working hours. This mismatch can create friction as Gen Z enters leadership positions and seeks to reshape corporate norms, including how authority is exercised across age groups.

THE RISK OF ASSUMPTIONS

The biggest risk for companies is denying people a fair opportunity to demonstrate what they can do, says Amira Soliman, Regional Culture Coach, Great Place To Work, Middle East.

“We sometimes make assumptions very quickly: someone is ‘too young’ to lead, ‘too old’ to learn something new, or perhaps ‘too experienced’ for a certain role. But none of these labels actually tell us what that person is capable of.”

When age begins to influence hiring, promotion, development, or retention decisions, employees may feel they are being judged based on assumptions rather than their actual performance.

“In my experience, when people feel trusted and valued for what they bring, not the assumptions attached to their age, they are more likely to contribute, speak up, and engage with the organization,” adds Soliman. 

Using age to judge ability can cause companies to overlook talented people who do not fit typical expectations, says Ola ElKelany, a people and culture consultant and Global TA Partner.

“They can lose valuable experience, institutional knowledge, resilience, and leadership maturity, while also missing younger employees whose capabilities may exceed assumptions associated with their years of experience.”

While generational differences can help us understand changing views on technology, flexibility, and work styles, they should not lead to assumptions about individuals, adds ElKelany.

“The bigger strategic risk is therefore moving away from evidence-based talent decisions. Companies should be asking, “Can this person do the job, grow with the business, and create value?” rather than “How old are they?”

Focusing on the cost of overlooking older employees, particularly those in their 50s and 60s, Zeta Yarwood, CEO & Founder of Zeta Yarwood Coaching FZCO, highlights the practical knowledge they bring from having navigated multiple restructurings, leadership changes, recessions, and organizational transformations.

“They have seen what worked, what failed, and, importantly, the unintended consequences nobody anticipated at the time. Losing that knowledge can mean organizations repeatedly making the same mistakes.”

Yarwood also warns against assuming younger employees have less to offer simply because they have less work experience.

“They can also be overlooked because employers equate age with experience and experience with competence. Yet someone with three exceptional years can sometimes outperform somebody with ten mediocre ones.”

THE ROLE OF RESKILLING

Tech competence is one area where age-related stereotypes persist. According to research published by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) MENA, common assumptions about older employees continue to influence people managers. 

For example, 49% of managers believe older employees struggle with technology, while 38% view them as stubborn or resistant to change. These perceptions can contribute to social friction and create silos between employees of different age groups. 

Soliman believes organizations need to move away from viewing learning as something tied to a particular generation.

“Learning is not a ‘young employee thing,’ and being experienced doesn’t mean someone has stopped being curious,” she says, explaining that people want to grow at different stages of their careers. Organizations should create the space for that.

“I’ve seen how powerful it can be when organizations invest in people instead of making assumptions about them. Reskilling also sends a very important message: “We still see a future for you here.” That can make a huge difference in how employees feel about their organization.

For Soliman, continuous learning is not about making everyone work or learn in the same way, nor about expecting employees to keep up with every new trend. Instead, it should help people remain relevant, confident, and able to contribute in ways that reflect their individual strengths and experience.

ASSESSING BIAS

ElKelany says leaders should look at workforce data across the whole employee journey, not just at single decisions. This includes hiring, promotion, development, performance management, succession planning, and redundancy.

She also says it is important to distinguish between real workforce insights and assumptions. For example, knowing that Gen Z may expect more flexibility or digital work can help shape the employee experience. But assuming all Gen Z employees are naturally better with technology, or that older employees resist change, turns helpful observations into bias.

Leaders should also look for patterns that may point to age bias. These could include significant age differences in who gets promoted, access to training, leadership opportunities, or high-visibility projects; recruitment patterns in which certain age groups are consistently filtered out; or redundancy decisions that disproportionately affect a particular age group without a clear, objective business rationale.

Language can be a strong indicator of bias.

“Comments such as ‘we need someone dynamic, energetic and hungry’, ‘they’re probably overqualified’ or ‘we need someone with more gravitas’ should trigger another question: what specifically are we measuring? These phrases can sometimes reflect assumptions about age rather than evidence about someone’s actual capability,” says Yarwood.

The same applies to the language used in job descriptions and adverts. Phrases such as “naturally tech-savvy” or having a “finger on the pulse” can create an image of a younger candidate who has grown up with newer technologies. But growing up with technology and being competent in it are not the same thing. If technological competence is important, Yarwood says, it should be assessed rather than assumed based on age.

“Companies should also question arbitrary requirements around years of experience. If a role requires ten years, why? What specific experience, skills or achievements are you actually looking for?”

She also recommends that leaders look for patterns rather than focusing only on individual decisions. Who gets interviewed? Who gets promoted? Who receives development opportunities? Who disappears during restructures? And at what ages do people stop progressing?

These outcomes can then be compared with performance data and stated selection criteria. If particular age groups are consistently being filtered out despite performing well or meeting the requirements, Yarwood says, that warrants further investigation.

“The most useful question is probably the simplest: if we removed the person’s age and graduation dates from the information available, would we still make the same decision?”

AN AGE-INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT

Soliman says an age-inclusive workplace is not just about having different generations together. It is about employees truly learning from each other and feeling that their contributions matter, no matter where they are in their careers.

“Organizations that move beyond age as a measure of capability can access a much wider range of ideas, experiences and ways of thinking. And from a culture standpoint, it creates something equally important: a sense that there isn’t an expiration date on someone’s value.”

“People shouldn’t have to prove that they are young enough, old enough, experienced enough, or ‘the right age’ for an opportunity. They should simply have the opportunity to show what they can do,” adds Soliman.

To build an age-inclusive workplace, companies need to make real changes in how they manage talent, says ElKelany. This means using clear and fair criteria for hiring and promotion, offering learning and reskilling to everyone, creating teams with different age groups, and helping employees adapt as technology and business needs change.

“It also means moving from an age-based view of the workforce toward a skills-based view. We can recognize that different generations may have different experiences with technology, communication, flexibility and workplace expectations, while still evaluating each individual on their actual capabilities.”

“The future of work is not about choosing between generations. It is about combining different experiences, capabilities and perspectives to create a workforce that can adapt faster than the market around it,” adds ElKelany.