Are you age-aware?

Try completing our quiz to explore your own "ïnner ageism". It should get you and your team thinking. Get line managers to try it too - you can make a serious point by having a bit of fun. By Sam Mercer, director, Employers Forum on Age.

You have a vacancy for a departmental secretary. Your last assistant was 19 and absolutely useless. Do you...

• a Commission your advertising and recruitment consultants to only advertise in Bowling Today.
• b Get creative with the job description, as you need to appeal to older candidates and put off younger ones. Use "mature", "dependable" and "reliable" liberally.
• c Acknowledge that you made a mistake with your last secretary, but resign yourself to the fact only a 'kid' would take on the job at that salary.
• d Recognise it was not the age of your previous assistant that was the problem; you over-sold the job and failed to address key training issues.

You are allocating your team training budget. While most of the team is in their 20s and 30s, three team members are in their late 50s and one is 62. Do you...

• a Approach the issue scientifically. Study average retention rates by age and conclude it is only worth training your 50-year-olds. They will stay with you for twice as long as the others.
• b Allocate a larger portion of the training budget to the younger team members - let's be honest, they are the ones that need the help.
• c Allocate a larger proportion of the budget to older team members - have you seen the time they take to create a spreadsheet?
• d Split the training budget fairly, giving some members of the team more training than others to help them realise their full potential and work more effectively as a team.

You are put in charge of organising a teambuilding day at work, but you have two colleagues over 60 and you want to do something fun. Do you...

• a Indulge yourself. What you choose to organise reflects on you and your ability to deliver thrills.
• b Feel frustrated your plans for sky-diving are to be thwarted and lose interest in the project.
• c Decide not to make anyone uncomfortable and settle on 'origami for beginners'.
• d Don't assume physical activity is out. Speak to the team and ask for suggestions, so you have an idea of what people are comfortable with.

You go to the pub after work every Wednesday with some of your team mates, then someone points out you never invite older members of the team. Do you...

• a Explain that older colleagues wouldn't be interested in the sort of pubs you normally go to - they have families to get home to.
• b Invite them out of guilt, at least once or twice, but resent the fact informal drinks has suddenly turned into a teambuilding exercise.
• c Extend the invitation to everyone in future, but make no concessions about the venue.
• d Ask everyone to suggest an after-work activity you can all do together - you are proud to be part of a supportive and understanding team.

You find out it is your colleague's 50th birthday. They are the oldest member of the team. Do you...

• a Ensure their card refers to being "over the hill" and tell them you've warned facilities there may be a health and safety issue over the amount of candles required for their cake.
• b Get everyone to sign a card, but brief each team member not to make any age-related comments on pain of a harassment charge.
• c Decide it is far too controversial to acknowledge their age. Ignore their birthday and their hurt expression.
• d Check discreetly what gift would be appropriate and make a statement that all birthdays now come without a number - "it's the individual we value".

Your new boss has just started. She is the same age as your daughter. Do you...

• a Set out to show her up - she's just a kid and you should have got this job. You just can't understand why not, given your superior knowledge and many years of experience.
• b Express concern about how tired she looks, suggest she needs to stop "burning the candle at both ends" and bring in nourishing snacks to make sure she eats properly.
• c Have a crisis over the fact your career is clearly over, and decide you may as well give up now.
• d Give your new boss the benefit of the doubt. You're sure they've got what it takes and anyway you'll give them your full support.

Although you are more senior, you are younger than your colleague. In a meeting, clients consistently refer to them for decisions, do you...

• a Inwardly seethe and swear that is the last time you go into a meeting with your older colleague.
• b Pull rank during the meeting by sending your colleague out to do a bit of unnecessary photocopying.
• c Say nothing, but decide that next time you have a meeting you are going to make sure you introduce yourself properly.
• d Patiently explain that you will make the decisions.

One of your team is 64 , their performance is OK, but not great. You know they want to work for a couple more years, but you've been told by senior management to discuss their retirement at their next appraisal. Do you...

• a Leave brochures for a Florida retirement village lying around and discuss loudly how you can't wait until it's your turn to retire.
• b Discuss their options in their next performance review, gently suggesting they might want to go sooner to ensure you don't have to sack them.
• c Ignore the issue and hope your boss doesn't notice their continued presence.
• d Tell them how much you value their wisdom, contribution and experience, and then discuss their options, perhaps sharing with them the research you have done on 'suitable' training courses. Agree some new targets.

The results

Score mainly A You are overtly ageist and heading straight to an employment tribunal. You need to rethink your behaviour quickly and hope people don't treat you that way when you get older.

Score mainly B and C You are passively ageist. But you have potential as a convert. When someone points out the error of your ways, you recognise you have fallen into an age prejudice trap. You need to challenge your thinking more frequently and take care you don't fall back on bad habits.

Score mostly D If you were answering honestly (?), you've read all the handbooks and are a very conscientious manager... though perhaps a little too politically correct for your own good.