Older Workers Need Not Apply

This article in the NY Times got a lot of hefty response.

Here's some of the gristle:

How can I supervise someone who has more experience than I have, how do I motivate them when they are less concerned about the carrot of promotions or the stick of being fired? Managing older workers in fact doesn’t require rocket science, but it does require a more collaborative approach that respects their expertise and engages their interests.

Another interviewed expert:

Older workers are desperate. Their 401(k) plans are devastated, and they realize they do not have enough to retire. My guess is that they are clinging to their jobs. If we had data on quit rates — which we don’t — I bet the rate for older workers has dropped sharply. And long tenure and anti-discrimination laws make it hard to fire older workers... But older workers without jobs are a different story. No law can really prevent the “not hiring” of older workers.