This finding does not comprise good news for older workers. Worse, managers view coming changes in the workplace as requiring greater use of skills and attributes that older workers are criticized as being weak in. Interestingly, we found no strong evidence of pervasive age discrimination, a finding that I consider to be of great importance, since it suggests that the problems of older people in the workplace cannot be solved by greater attention to anti-discrimination legislation and regulation, no matter how important that may be. Rather, it is important to realize that corporate attitudes and behavior towards older workers often fall short of overt discrimination while they have the similar consequences of limiting the opportunities for continued productive employment. It seems, with this in mind, appropriate to ask how we can change the negative perceptions of older workers.
Businesses can seek to recognize the subtle negative effects of age stereotyping and age bias.
It also would appear that businesses could profit enormously from looking closely at the costs of high worker turnover. These costs manifest themselves in terms of added recruiting and training, and lost knowledge. Finally, business should recognize that older workers' responses to technology may depend on the quality and nature of the accompanying training. Mid-career and older workers often are spun in a vicious circle of initially not being granted equal access to training, which leads to a situation in which they cannot take advantage of new job opportunities that require the training. Once behind in the ability to deal with new tasks, it is difficult to catch up.