Even as the U.S ages—by 2029, 20 percent of the population will be older than 65—many companies are engaging in subtle and not-so-subtle ways to make themselves seem more "modern" and "cutting edge." This is despite laws against age discrimination—and may not even be deliberate as employers try to woo younger workers.

Losing the institutional knowledge represented by older workers is just one of the ways a company can shoot itself in the foot by edging (or shoving) older workers out the door. Then there's the lack of older mentors to help educate and guide younger workers, the lack of industry contacts that younger workers have in terms of networking, the reliability of older workers to get the job done and the potential of promoting younger workers beyond their capabilities in the quest to inject "fresh blood" into the organization.

But all those problems aside, there's that little matter of ageism being against the law. Many companies fail to realize that their policies, benefits and even employee behavior are pushing them right to the edge of ageism—or over the edge into outright discrimination.