Essay 256 – It is illegal to reject someone for a job because of age

GT Writing Task 2 / Essay Sample # 256

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

In some countries, it is now illegal to reject someone applying for a job because of his or her age.

Is this a positive or negative development?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.

Model Answer:

Ageism has been a prevalent form of employment discrimination in many countries across the world. This is why many countries today have introduced the law that a recruiting policy can be illegal if it is hostile to older applicants and is not based upon a reasonable criterion other than age. This essay believes that the introduction of laws to prevent ageism is a positive development.

To commence with, age should not be a determining factor while hiring an employee. If age were essential criterion companies adopt, they would most likely end up selecting candidates with less experience, and hence deprive business of what would be a valuable addition to the team. Take one of my father’s friends as an example. He found a software firm at the age of 45 after being rejected from several tech companies due to age discrimination. He is now a successful entrepreneur and avoids any tendency to discriminate against applicants based on age. This, thus, is an example of what an organization could lose if it only considers the age during the recruiting process.

Moreover, a homogenous workforce- even one consists entirely of high-potential and energetic millennial workers- can unwittingly thwart innovation. A diverse workforce, in fact, cultivates different ways of addressing issues, fixing a problem or making a product. For example, Stephanie Nelson, CEO of UK-based HR Consulting LLC, once said, “If you do not have age diversity, you are really missing different viewpoints and forming an organization in which everyone is thinking exactly the same way”. Besides, in practical, older employees nowadays have a strong motivation or ability to keep their competencies current. It is therefore highly beneficial for business for them to remain in the workforce as long as possible.

To reiterate, this essay deems that making stereotyping or discrimination against individuals or groups on the basis of their age in the professional arena should be illegal. Introducing laws to prohibit it is a positive development in the sense that it promotes age diversity in workplaces which is highly beneficial to business.