Expiration Date

Inspiration comes in many forms.

For me, I get inspired by folks who truly believe that age is just a number. One of my physical fitness idols growing up was the ageless wonder Jack LaLanne, who, each year on his birthday, would perform incredible feats of strength and endurance even when he was well into his 80s.

For those keeping score at home the health and nutrition icon finally went to that giant gym  in the sky in 2011 at the age of 96.

I also admire people who don’t think that the date on the birth certificate should dictate how long they should work – provided they can still do the job of course. I knew a 90-year old attorney who came into the office every day and occasionally would still litigate cases in the lower courts. And I’ve seen hundreds of CPA firms with people well into their 70s putting in 40-50-hour weeks.

So as someone who is on the north side of middle age, it angers me when I see workplace litigation predicated on age discrimination. Case in point, I read recently where four former employees of Hewlett Packard are suing the company for what they claim was a purge of older workers as part of a major restructuring in 2012 involving the shedding of 27,000 jobs.

The proposed class-action suit, filed in District Court in San Jose, Calif., claims the technology giant intended to evolve from what the plaintiffs termed an 'old' company into a 'younger' operation."

Their ages ranged from the youngest at 52 to the oldest at 63. Now probably in any other profession except technology, those in their 50s would likely be considered in the prime of their careers. What CPA firm would not strive to hire a 52-year old CPA with a good book of business? I can’t think of too many.  Lord knows we get enough calls from firms looking for just such a person.

A few years ago I applied for a communications post with one of the Big Four firms and despite a 16-year background either covering the accounting profession or consulting on it, was not even granted an interview – just the requisite form letter thanking me for applying. Now while legally they couldn’t ask my age, they required that I include the date of my college graduation. From that, even someone with 3^rd grade arithmetic skills could discern within a year or two how old I was.

But it goes deeper than that.

In an age where one of the greatest perks a company can offer is a formal, or, for that matter, informal, mentoring program, think of the intellectual capital older workers can impart of new hires or those with high potential.

You don’t have to be able to perform pushups for 30 minutes straight or tow 80 boats as did Jack LaLanne when he was 75, or deadlift 415 pounds as I’m thankfully, still able to do, to provide value to an employer.

Nor should you have to go to court to prove it.