The management decisions to resolve the problem were very different for older and younger workers for the same incident. The decisions reflected the following perceptions about the older worker: They were more resistant to change; less motivated to keep up with new technology; less creative; and less capable of handling stressful situations. The older worker is less likely allowed continued career development and training for current promotions.

A more recent study further confirmed differences in the perception of older and younger workers (Bendick, Brown, and Wall, 1999). A pairs of testers, one 57 years old and the other 32 years old, applied for 102 small sales or management positions. Their credentials described them as equally qualified. The older applicants received less...