I’m terrible at names and used to joke that I was having (pardon the ageism term) a “senior moment” when I forgot someone’s. But as I got older, I started wondering if those moments were more than that. Have you ever forgotten a colleague’s name mid-sentence, not someone you just met, someone you’ve worked alongside? I typically cover myself in these situations with a breezy “hey, you!” or, if my wife is with me socially, nudge her and say “who is that again?” It still rattles you. If you’re nodding right now, you’re not alone.
A recent Wall Street Journal piece confirmed what many are quietly living: more Americans are managing memory issues on the job, and a growing number of them are in their 50s and 60s. With an aging workforce staying employed longer – by choice or necessity – this isn’t some fringe issue anymore. It’s a workplace reality that nobody wants to talk about.
So let’s talk about it.
The Part Nobody Mentions in the Performance Review
Here’s what tends to happen. You notice the slips – losing a word mid-presentation, forgetting a meeting you swore you wrote down, rereading the same email three times before it sticks. You tell yourself it’s stress, or poor sleep, or just “a lot on your plate.” And maybe it is. But at some point, you start wondering if something more is going on.
That wondering is exhausting enough. What makes it worse is the decision that follows: do I tell anyone?
For most people, the answer is a hard no – and that instinct is completely understandable. Age-related bias in the workplace is real. Studies consistently show that older workers are viewed as less adaptable, less sharp, less promotable. Coming out about memory struggles can feel like handing someone a reason to sideline you. It’s not paranoia. It’s pattern recognition.
But staying silent has its own costs – the constant performance of “fine,” the mental energy spent covering, the isolation of navigating something difficult completely alone.
Coping Strategies That Actually Help
Whether you’re managing mild forgetfulness or something your doctor has officially put a name to, there are real, practical ways to stay sharp and stay employed.
Externalize Everything
Your brain doesn’t have to hold it all. Write it down, record a voice memo, use a shared calendar with alerts. The goal isn’t to prove you can remember – it’s to make sure things don’t fall through the cracks.
Front-Load Your Day
Most people with memory concerns report that mornings are their sharpest hours. Schedule your most demanding work – complex decisions, important calls, creative thinking – before lunch when possible.
Embrace Structure Ruthlessly
Routines reduce the cognitive load of decision-making. When the path through your day is predictable, your brain has more bandwidth for the things that actually need it.
Talk to Your Doctor
This sounds obvious, but many people sit with symptoms for a year or more before raising them with a physician. Some causes of memory issues – thyroid problems, sleep apnea, medication interactions, vitamin deficiencies – are surprisingly treatable. You won’t know unless you ask.
On Coming Out of the Closet
Here’s the part I think about most. There’s a particular kind of courage required to disclose something that invites discrimination – and memory challenges at work sit squarely in that territory. You cannot control how people will respond. Some managers will surprise you with their humanity. Others will confirm your worst fears.
What you can do is be strategic about who you tell, when, and how. Trusted colleagues first, if at all. HR only when you need formal accommodations. And frame it around solutions, not symptoms – what you need to do your best work, not a catalog of what’s going wrong.
You’re not broken. You’re navigating something hard in a workplace that wasn’t really designed with you in mind. That deserves acknowledgment – and a lot more honesty than most of us have been willing to bring to it.
Let’s Have a Conversation:
What memory challenges have you noticed in daily life? What strategies have helped you manage memory challenges at work? Share in the comments below.
