The recent Olympics has focussed the All About Age team's mind on just what man (and woman) kind can achieve, regardless of their age. The Olympics being a mind-boggling showcase of the abilities of the superhuman amongst us.

The youngest Olympian at Rio 2016 was 13 year old Gaurika Singh, who swam in the women's 100 metre backstroke for Nepal. By contrast, Julie Brougham of New Zealand, aged 62, ranked as Rio's oldest Olympian and competed in equestrian dressage.

But for these two Olympians, as for many others, their age is largely irrelevant. As one of the oldest US track and field Olympians (Bernard Lagat, aged 41) put it, he wasn't thinking about his age because "...if I think old, I'm gonna run like an old man."

They are continuing to pursue the sports they love, but with the added kudos of representing their country at the same time (and we're guessing they also had the time of their lives in Rio's carnival atmosphere, to boot).

Away from the world of elite-level competitive sports, it's clear that stereotypes remain rife about an individual's age - and what that means - in everyday life. Hard facts are difficult to come by, but a 2011 Age UK study indicated that age discrimination was the most widely experienced form of discrimination in Europe.

This may well be the case. See, for example, the comments made about the voting behaviour of "old" and the "young" in the context of the Brexit referendum. The mud-hurling quickly descended across social media, with astonishingly broad-brush comments being made about the under 20s and the over 60s.

Brexit is a once in a lifetime vote and reactions were raw and often undisguised. But the reporting of voting patterns did reveal how age related comments and thoughts can often be the most socially acceptable form of discrimination - whether against the young or old.

Fortunately, uncontroversial ageist comments are now less commonly found in the workplace - although they do still exist. Earlier this year, an Employment Tribunal decision highlighted the deep waters an employer can find itself in for blatantly age discriminatory acts. Here, the employer (a funeral director and undertakers) dismissed a receptionist aged 63, ostensibly for redundancy. The Employment Tribunal agreed that Ms Perrin had been directly discriminated against, the Respondent having made comments in the context of her dismissal that he would "get rid of her"... and replace her with a "young, fit blonde" and that, "she has served her purpose".

However, evidence of age discrimination isn't always as obvious as this in a work context and it's the unconscious age discrimination which can be most difficult to challenge. Especially as it is often now hidden behind other HR practices. For example, the older employee being ousted from their job through "redundancy" or the younger employee not being considered for a role because of their perceived "immaturity" or inexperience.

It remains the case that, with an ageing workforce, and a continued need for skilled workers of all ages, employers will need to combat age discrimination and ensure that all employees are given the opportunities to succeed and flourish, regardless of their age.

What needs to change?

Changing attitudes will come with time as employers and employees gradually accommodate a more diverse, inclusive working environment. Meanwhile, employers should continue to address unreconstructed ideas about age by ensuring they have clear policies in place to ensure employees aren't being treated differently because of their age. Line managers in particular should be trained to identify and develop their workers needs and priorities, whatever their age.

The buck doesn't just stop with the employer and its managers. A recent study has also pointed to the importance of employees, particularly older employees, not believing stereotypes about themselves in order to remain in the workforce for longer and to remain in a positive, constructive way (K Taneva, J Arnold, R Nicolson - the Experience of Being an Older Worker in an Organization, 2016). This research considered the impact of being an older worker and ageing at work. Whilst it's true that employers and line managers must do more to ensure those working longer and later in life are treated fairly and consistently with younger employees, older employees in particular have an important role to play to challenge preconceptions and stereotypes - just like the Olympians.

This article was first published on Thompson Reuters Accleus.