Impact of age diversity - Essay Example

?Impact of Age Diversity: A Review of a Newspaper Article Introduction A great burden falls upon the shoulders of the members of the media while theypresent information to the society as they are able to reach people of different social, cultural, and economic background through print, television, radio, or even the Internet as modes of communication. They disseminate facts and make known existing issues and knowledge that are likely to affect all aspects of daily living. However, people involved in the news media -- such that of the newspapers, radio and television newscasts, and alike -- are charged of a more complicated responsibility in reporting the day-to-day account of events happening in the surrounding in an objective, unbiased approach. As they broadcast information, they do not only consider what the headlines is all about but they should also appraise what is already known about the story, its objectivity, the use of language in reporting it, the characteristics of the listeners, viewers, or readers, among others. This article will evaluate Snowdon’s article published in Guardian.co.uk in relation to its objectivity, language, the author’s opinions, the perspectives presented, its effects and importance to its readers, and others, as it tackles a relevant issue affecting the labor sector of the United Kingdom. Specifically, these aspects will be examined in the context of the impact of age in the labor force and how this will affect the roles of the managers in the labor organizations as a recent study reported that by 2020, individuals of 50 years old and up will take up a third of the region’s workforce population. Article Analysis The age of the workers is recognized as a relevant determinant of their performance at work. Some employers prefer the old ones for their developed skills from experience, while the others choose the younger for their flexibility and other characteristics. Such assumptions have rooted from a number of research findings pointing out how workers of specific age ranges easily adapt to changes implemented in the work places (e.g., technology, roles and responsibilities, and etc.) while others can or do not (Morris & Venkatesh, 2000; Morris, Venkatesh, & Ackerman, 2005). Other studies also suggest that an employee’s age can tell employers his or her probable productivity rate. Specifically, groups of researchers have previously proposed that valuable attitudes and behaviors of the workers decline as one ages (Ferris, et al., 1985; McEvoy & Cascio, 1989; Salthouse & Babcock, 1991; Lawrence, 1988); others, on the other hand, cannot particularly point out concrete evidences of the existence of such relationships in “different age categories of employees” (Duncan & Loretto, 2004). Nevertheless, because of prior assumptions related to these, age discrimination has been inevitable (Ferris & King, 1992; Issacharoff & Harris, 1997; Taylor & Walker, 1997); putting the welfare of the members of the workforce -- especially the old ones -- in line while necessitating further management reorganization and implementation from those with higher positions in the workplace. As such dilemmas coexist, it is then important to consider several aspects that affect and, likewise, become affected by the consequences of the age of the employees by the overall performance of the workforce as well as the management of the organization. This is particularly true as an unexpected shift of the age of the workforce is to be anticipated after nine years; that is, more than 30% of the members of the United Kingdom workforce “will be over 50 by 2020” (Snowdon, 2010). In Snowdon’s article, it was noted that the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) reported in a research that majority of the managers in the work organizations in UK are still unprepared for this shift. Although the author seems to lack the efficiency of properly addressing the audience that he intends to tap with his article, it is without a doubt that Snowdon’s report is able to inform its readers about the progression of preparedness -- or, rather, “unpreparedness” -- of the managers to the emerging trend of an ageing workforce in just less than a decade. Nevertheless, proper authorities such as employers’ organizations, the legislative body of the government that can make amendments on the current and impending labor situation, even the workers’ organizations, among others, should have been particularly petitioned and asked for their side of the story as the issue on the ageing workforce is laid out for discussion. Moreover, it must be noted that the acknowledgement of this labor situation through reading reports like Snowdon’s is not as active an effort to actualizing changes in the workforce to benefit, instead of suffering from its disadvantages, from the consequences of the issue threatening this relevant sector of the society. Further efforts (e.g., formulation of relative public policy, management and organization changes in all levels of employment, etc.) are necessary to prepare the labor sector for the shift in one of the most important demographic characteristics of the workforce -- the age -- as this can result to future unmanageable events that can result to the downfall of business corporations in the region. This is an unlikely consequence to both private and public offices as this will not only affect business stability and profitability but, most importantly, will eventually affect local and national economy as they are directly proportional to each other (Bellin, 2002) if anticipation and proper planning within, outside, and between involved organizations of the labor sector of the society with such trend of diversity will not be considered as early as it should be. In another context, it must also be noted that as the author informs the public of this issue, Snowdon was able to maintain an objective approach in presenting and analyzing what other data must be presented to emphasize the importance of the issue at hand. The value of objectivity and honesty will help media men to build a trustful and reliable relationship with their users (Gupta, 1999). Yet, as it was cited earlier, Snowdon’s effort lack in terms of specifying every relative detail that should have been made known to let his readers understand all the sides of the story. It gives the impression that the author has already assumed for the knowledge of his readers; that, for him, his readers already know all the angles, the consequences, the importance, and the implications of the situation presented. Despite the concept of “shared knowledge” known to many members of the media that they assume for its readers, listeners, or viewers (Skank & Brown, 2007), Snowdon should still have not completely done so as the topic contains technical subject matters that may not be understood by the general public. For example, the mention of the organizations such as CMI and CIPD was not accompanied by descriptions of the nature of these organizations and what involvement they have in the issue. Additionally, the presentation of figures as well lack the association of what part of the total labor sector population has participated to the research that the numbers have been extracted from can lead its readers to erroneous interpretations. Equally, the failure of the author to discuss the implications of the “unpreparedness” of the managers of the workplaces which should have been the point to be answered is also apparent. These essential factors that evidently characterize Snowdon’s newspaper article contribute to its weakness. This lack of accuracy could result to the loss of the article’s integrity in aiming for the standards of a good newspaper article (Jackaway, 1995, p. 47). Nonetheless, it is clear that as the author provides information about the data that could support his topic which was done well, no personal opinions have been incorporated into it. This is appreciated since while there are newspaper articles that welcome its author's opinion, a business news article -- or all news articles, for that matter -- such as the one in question should have "no room for opinion or fiction"; a basic characteristic that reporters must put to mind in composing news articles (Frey & Fisher, 2010, p. 74). Although, as it has been repeatedly emphasized earlier, Snowdon has failed to present all the different perspectives in the story -- especially that of the authorities of the involved government agencies, to mention one -- the article is, after all, an illustration of a news item that reports directly and without unnecessary use of words and sentences; grammar and composition also contributed to its overall coherence and readability as a news article which lessen the burden of understanding the technicalities of the issues in business organizations that exist in the written report (Trask, 1999, p. 39-40). Whereas, the format of reporting and the emphasis rendered in distinguishing personalities and names of organizations (e.g., CIPD, CIM, ) that Snowdon utilized, anyhow, serve as an aid for readers to identify who and what groups of communities in the society play significant roles in the social and economical issue on hand. At the same time, while legislative bodies and other public agencies in the United Kingdom were underrepresented in this article, it is still undeniable that their role is vital in implementing control among both publicly and privately-owned corporations to regulate the effects that can be caused by the “unpreparedness” of the business organizations as well as by the new pattern of diversity in the characteristics of the region’s workforce that would sprout out in the coming decade (Kandola & Fullerton, 1998). Relative interventions are needed to protect the welfare of the affected population of workers which, especially in this case, are the old aged (50 and up) employees which also necessitates direct involvement of the affected workers. Initiatives must be formulated so that all the members of the workforce including the top level employees, the business organizations, and the entire labor sector including the government, will view -- according to Penny de Valk as Snowdon quoted -- ageing workforce “as an opportunity rather than a threat” (Snowdon, 2010). Reflection on the Effect of Age to Managing Diversity in the Workplace As it was stressed, variation of age is one of the demographic characteristics that impose differences among the members of a community, including the workplace (Jackson & Alvarez, 1992, p. 24). It has been suggested that this demographic diversity will have an extensive impact on the performances of the members of the workforce as specific age ranges have been associated with specific characteristics. As a result, these characteristics are viewed as determinants to the employees’ performance and productivity as they form part of the workforce. Since the graying of the workforce is the identified situation that is anticipated to overturn the current stability of the labor sector, it is then imperative that the managers, who are tasked to control such situations, will be able to view this as a factor that can benefit the involved organizations instead of seeing it as a threat. Although intensive planning and exhaustive efforts are needed from the part of the manager and as well as from the subordinates, this can be done by a manager who can identify the strengths that old-aged workers can bring upon the workforce. This can be done by viewing the length of stay of these workers at the workplace signifies their more developed skills on performing tasked assigned. Longer years spent with a company can also serve as a proof that workers’ being seasoned and efficiency to adapting to several changes that have emerged over the years. Characteristics that can aid the whole organization in achieving its goals and objectives as a business establishment. Likewise, it is nevertheless relevant for the managers to inhibit the effects of the negative assumptions that have affected the said population within and outside the organization to negate the existence of age discrimination. Reflection about the Course There are several issues that affect the members of a community that is naturally culturally diverse. Having been able to learn the ways that which cause differences and even conflicts between people of different cultural background which attracted my attention to knowing more about the course, I have learned that there always will be a way a point which these people can meet to deal with the diversity and leave together in harmony without anyone stepped upon. Interestingly, the course also has helped me how to identify this point. While learning this, I have now been able to imagine schemes that can assist me in dealing with diversity issues as I would earn a role with a managing responsibility not only in a business organization but in other settings too. The course has indeed provided my classmates and I not only the idea about how diversity can affect existing conditions in a community but, most importantly, how to work with it to improve them. References Bellin, Eva, 2002. Stalled Democracy: Capital, Labor, and the Paradox of State-Sponsored Development. Cornell University Press, New York. Duncan, C, Loretto, W., 2004 January. Never the right age? Gender and age-based discrimination in employment. Gender, Work, & Organization 11 (1), 95-115. Ferris, G.R., Yates, V.L., Gilmore, D., Rowland, K.M, 1985. The influence of subordinate age on performance ratings and causal attributions. Personnel Psychology 38 (3), 545-557. Ferris, G.R., King, T.R., 1992. Behavioral aspects of business ethics: the politics of age discrimination in organizations. Journal of Business Ethics 11 (5-6), 341-350. Frey, N., Fisher, D., 2010. Junior journalists: reading and writing news in the primary grades. In: Moss, B., Lapp, D. (Eds.),Teaching New Literacies in Grades K-3: Resources for 21st Century Classrooms. Guilford Press, New York. Gupta, V.S., 1999. Communication Technology Media Policy and National Development. Concept Publishing Co., New Delhi, India. Issacharoff, S., Harris, E.W., 1997. Is age discrimination really age discrimination? The ADEA’s Unnatural Solution. New York Law Review 72 (4), 780-840. Jackaway, G.L., 1995. Media at War: Radio's Challenge to the Newspapers, 1924- 1939. Praeger Publishers, Westport. Jackson, S.E., Alvaresz, E. B., 1992. Working through diversity as a strategic imperatie. In: S. E. Jackson and Associates (Eds.), Diversity in the Workplace: Human Resources Initiatives. Guilford Press, New York. Kandola, R., Fullerton, J., 1998. Diversity in Action: Managing The Mosaic. 2nd Ed. CIPD House, London. Lawrence, B.S., 1988. New wrinkles in the theory of age: demography, norms, and performance ratings. Academy of Management Journal 31 (2), 309-337. McEvoy, G.M., Cascio, W.F., 1989 February. Cumulative evidence of the relationship between employee age and job performance. Journal of Applied Psychology 74 (1), 11-17. Morris, M., Venkatesh, V., 2000. Age differences in technology adoption decisions: implications for a changing work force. Personnel Psychology 53 (2), 375-403. Morris, M., Venkatesh, V., Ackerman, P.L., 2005. Gender and age differences in employee decisions about new technology: an extension to the theory of planned behavior. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management 55 (1), 69-84. Salthouse, T. A., Babcock, R.L., 1991. Decomposing adult age differences in working memory. Developmental Psychology 27 (5), 763-776. Skank, G.D., Brown, L., 2007. Exploring Educational Research Literacy. Routledge, USA. Snowdon, G., 2010. Workplaces ‘unprepared’ for older workforces. Guardian.co.uk. 16 September. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2010/ sep/16/workplaces-unprepared-older-workforces Taylor, P., Walker, A., 1997. Age discrimination and public policy. Personnel Review 26 (4), 307-318. Trask, R.L., 1999. Key Concepts in Language and Linguistics. Routledge, New York. Read More