Don't Lean Too Hard on Age Discriminatin
Around three years ago Lennox Industries in Richardson, TX was ordered by a court to pay $6.2 million to settle an age discrimination lawsuit. The settlement was split among 11 former employees who stated that age discrimination was systemic within the organization and tough to combat. These employees ranged in age from 41 to 58. All eleven of the terminated or demoted employees were sales managers. They all carefully documented daily events that pointed to the fact Lennox Industries overtly age discriminated.
Most working stiffs have to be happy that the United States has a federal agency like the EEOC to be a watchdog and an enforcer for any work place grievance. However, positions related to sales often experience high turnover irrespective of the age of the salesperson. Young women with nice bodies, but little expertise about a company's products or services will often outperform an older bald man with a pot belly even though he may be more knowledgeable and skilled.
I would have expected a company sporting the reputation of Lennox Industries to have been super careful about instructing their employees to not do anything that faintly resembled age discrimination. Had the individuals who were either terminated or demoted been engineers, where brainpower and analytical ability are important, I would have have been very surprised, but effective salespeople are often good looking, young, and charming. That's the way the world turns!
Most working stiffs have to be happy that the United States has a federal agency like the EEOC to be a watchdog and an enforcer for any work place grievance. However, positions related to sales often experience high turnover irrespective of the age of the salesperson. Young women with nice bodies, but little expertise about a company's products or services will often outperform an older bald man with a pot belly even though he may be more knowledgeable and skilled.
I would have expected a company sporting the reputation of Lennox Industries to have been super careful about instructing their employees to not do anything that faintly resembled age discrimination. Had the individuals who were either terminated or demoted been engineers, where brainpower and analytical ability are important, I would have have been very surprised, but effective salespeople are often good looking, young, and charming. That's the way the world turns!
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