Editor’s picks
Latest news from around the world on mature workers for April 2020.
COVID-19 Layoff Or Pretext For Age Discrimination Against Older Employees? (USA)
A small subset of US employers may decide that, even though mass layoffs are not necessary, they will still lay off certain, older employees. In this scenario, there is no legitimate business need driving the termination but an opportunity to let go of older employees who often have higher salaries. Or the employer is concerned that older employees may trigger additional costs in terms of insurance or paid time off because of their susceptibility to COVID-19. Similarly, the employer may hold stereotypical views that older employees are less likely to function well in a virtual/remote work setting that requires technological skills. – Forbes, 30 April 2020
New Scottish hate crime laws will include age discrimination
New hate crime laws have been proposed to include prejudice against someone’s age, while the Scottish Government is also looking to make misogyny an offence. In Scotland, offences are currently aggravated by prejudice against a victim’s race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or their transgender status. – The National, 25 April 2020
How the Coronavirus Punishes Many Older Workers
A look at the present and future age divide for working from home. Several studies show workers least able to work from home are less likely to have a college degree and more likely to earn low wages without benefits. The telework difference seems widest among experienced workers (sometimes called “seasoned” workers, sometimes called older workers), making them more economically vulnerable to the coronavirus than their younger peers. – Next Avenue, 14 April 2020
Connected working: Human-Machine Interaction
The use of AI and Augmented Reality (AR) can protect the knowledge and expertise of retiring workers by training next-gen and existing employees. The rise of the ‘connected worker’ could help end the UK’s skills drain being accelerated by an ageing workforce. – Eureka, 8 April 2020
WHO and partners call for urgent investment in nurses
The Covid-19 pandemic underscores the urgent need to strengthen the global health workforce. A new report, The State of the World’s Nursing 2020, provides an in-depth look at the largest component of the health workforce. … Ageing also threatens the nursing workforce: one out of six of the world’s nurses are expected to retire in the next 10 years. – WHO, 7 April 2020
Supreme Court Hands Federal Worker Major Win In Age Discrimination Case (USA)
The U.S. Supreme Court sided with older federal workers on Monday, making it easier for those over 40 to sue for age discrimination.The 8-to-1 ruling rejected a Trump administration position that sought to dramatically limit the legal recourse available to federal workers. – NPR News, 6 April 2020
The challenge of balancing career demands and caregiving responsibilities
A 2018 AARP survey reports that 37% of older workers find it difficult to return to work after taking leave to provide care to a family member. Moreover, 11% of older workers who are providing parental care expect to take temporary leave or quit their jobs in the next five years. – Employee Benefit News, 2 April 2020
Is There a Case for Cognitive Testing for Senior Neurologists? (USA)
The article revisits the controversy around policies at some academic medical centers that require older neurologists to undergo cognitive testing for recredentialing. – Neurology Today, 2 April 2020