What is age discrimination?

Age discrimination is the act of negatively treating an employee or applicant due to age. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) of 1967 protects people aged 40 and older from discrimination.

The law prohibits employers from taking adverse actions, such as the denial of benefits or a promotion, on an employee or using age as a factor in refusing to interview or hire an applicant.

ADEA also bans the harassment of employees based on age. Examples include repeated or multiple comments or actions an employee considers offensive or that create a hostile workplace. The harasser can be anyone within a workplace, such as a supervisor or colleague, or outside, such as a business client or store customer.