Would the ageing population comment at work be considered ageist?

[theninthwave]

I am 60 years old and the company I work for has recently been brought out by an American company. Recently I had to attend line manager training for recruitment and one of the subjects brought up by a participant was about what to do when recruiting someone if they didn't have access to email (the company uses DocuSign for contracts).
This guy mentioned that some of his potential drivers were 58 (oh no!) and didn't have email addresses - not sure what their age has to do with this???
As if this wasn't bad enough the person doing the training (quite senior in rank, but probably mid 30s) responded by saying, "Ah yes, the aging population." !!
Myself and another 'older' lady on the course exchanged glances, and this has bothered me ever since. When I joined the company as an experienced 59 year old manager the function was a mess - I have since sorted it out and got it organised. In addition, the majority of new recruits and contract staff are over 50. They seem to be totally reliant on the over 50s to get the work done, but obviously see us as 'the aging population'.
I have also had to attend meetings with younger representatives from the US who have been rude and condescending. I've worked for US companies twice in my career and have both times decided to leave. Trouble is I only need to stick it for another three years or so, then I'll be a position to go self employed doing something I'll enjoy much more and that will take me into my older years.
Two questions - would the 'aging population' remark be considered ageist, and should I complain (may seem petty but it's what attitudes underlie it isn't it?), and do I stick it out or start to look elsewhere (I still get a lot of agency calls about jobs)?

I have genuinely never encountered this. And what is ‘uneducated’ exactly?

It is ageism. Lack of an email address in your late 50s is more likely to be a class issue.

What evidence do you have for that? And what class of people don’t have emails

Eh? Don’t you know anyone that left school at 16? I’m late 50s. My friends who worked in offices or professional jobs of some kind all use the internet confidently. My friends who were dinner ladies or cleaners or cooks or drivers don’t. The kids of all my friends, regardless of parents’ jobs or their own jobs, can wrangle forms and emails on a phone screen with no problems. I’m not sure what’s surprising about that.

Your statistic is not true. It’s 1.8m in total in the UK of all ages.
20% of over 75s don’t have at home internet access, but 25% of of those without at home internet access are between 16-54.

www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/internet-based-services/technology/digital-transitions-analysis-using-ofcoms-technology-tracker-2025.pdf?v=405242

It’s far more likely his profession as a lorry driver is why he doesn’t have an email address. He likely uses mobile data and more modern communication platforms.

People who use mobile data.

So uneducated means leaving school at 16? What. The, Fuck?

This will blow your mind,,, It’s possible to learn and develop even after you leave formal education.

I left school at 16. I didnt become a dinner lady or whatever. I took a secretarial job in a professional office and have continued to learn and train throughout my life. I have just transferred into a very technical role, and also have to train people so I see all ages.

The ones who were born into the internet age couldn’t format a professional document and shit themselves if they see a spreadsheet.

What does “only ever uses the internet on her phone” have to do with anything? Many of us can run most things from a phone.

She will have an email address, because she will buy things online or be on social media. Also, for information, she could use docusign on her phone.

Isn't this the same kind of thing as calling younger workers workshy or comment they always ring in sick/ sleep in etc? People always have something to say about other demographics to their own, I wouldn't be bothered by it.

Jesus who you think paid for their parents’ state pension? Do you think everyone over 66 spent their entire lives on the dole? The country would have ground to a halt!

Again what ‘class’ of people? Using mobile data? What ‘class’ use mobile data? I didn’t have broadband for decades yet I’m very technical savvy,

Turns out that having broadband and staying in education post 16 doesn’t make people decent 🤣

Quite obviously, those who grew up without the internet are more likely to still either not use it, or struggle with it. Yeah, some are great with it, if they have experience of it, but some don't. It's a fact that the older you get, the less tech savvy you're likely to be. That's what the comment was about. Obviously as time goes on, most older people will use the net, as they were young when it became mainstream. But there will be other things they won't be able to do, like things that the younger generations are doing now.

It’s funny that if it’s a ‘fact’.

Starting work before the internet had meant I used typewriters then word processers then eventually case management systems and now I’m a coder/programmer. No formal training, mainly self taught.

And the people who have done the same are also perfectly tech savvy.

If one of the younger ones at work have an issue with hardware or software they have no bloody idea.

I left school at 16 (in 1994 😱). I had the usual basic jobs, and became a SAHM at 24. I spent the next 20 years out of the workforce. Got back into the workforce 2 years ago, doing an office job. I didn’t need “educating” in order to use a computer! 🤨

I’ve been using computers since I was a kid in the 80s. I’m the person my kids (23 and 19) come to for tech help. Just because someone leaves school at 16 doesn’t mean they’re uneducated! I may not have a degree but I can do my job just as well as any of the people in my department who do have a degree!

And fortunately I work for an organisation that recognised that age isn’t relevant. They paid for me to take a professional qualification and now I work in their tech department. This happened because they recognised my abilities and didn’t assume I was a moron because I was over 50.

Oh come off it! Who do you think benefited during the dot com boom? (Do you know what that is?) Who invented most of the bloody websites we use today? Take a look at the age of all the tech bros! Google has been around for nearly 30 years FFS! Those of us who grew up without the internet adapted to it as teens and young adults really bloody quickly!

ETA my dad is 69 and my uncle is 71. They were gaming and using the internet in the late 80s and early 90s! They’re as computer savvy as any young person.

Well said! (If it’s any consolation I was 16 in the 80s 🙈) According to most people on MN, not having a degree means you are barely literate.

What's the source of that data?

Mainly because we DID adapt!

I remember using those mad chatrooms🤣

Are you positive this wasn’t tongue in cheek? Like the manager calling out the person who felt it necessary to mention the age of his driver stating “oh yes, the aging population” (eye roll maybe implied?).

I ask because I’m in my 30s and find it really weird to refer to someone in their 50s as the “aging population” - especially in a workplace with many people 50 plus.

Probably the institute of ‘any person over 50 without a degree is clearly too thick to do anything so should probably pop off to Dignitas before they cost the NHS and pensions anything’ 🤣

I get all nostalgic about the early days of the internet, I used to love mad chatrooms! 😂

Sadly you appear to be in the minority!

And my friend bought a Tv card so she could watch the telly on her computer🤣