No abstract

Although critical differences exist between large companies and small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs), limited empirical research has been done on human resource (HR)‐related corporate social responsibility (CSR). In this paper we study aging workforce management (AWM) as a component of CSR. Our study was conducted in the Netherlands through a randomly distributed online questionnaire. Managers and team leaders of 201 SMEs responded. The data were analyzed using multiple hierarchical regression analysis. Our results are twofold: first, findings suggest that CSR policies in micro organizations with fewer than five employees seem to be strongly associated with AWM; and second, that companies with a focus on integration of older workers in daily activities do not perceive their actions as HR‐related. Using AWM as part of CSR helps to give insight into the role of the owner, company size and the nature of implicit CSR practices. Our study demonstrates that the use of AWM in CSR research can lead to valuable insights and therefore, our overarching research question is answered that AWM can be used when studying CSR.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of age in work teams on short-term team consequences, such as satisfaction, involvement, mutual learning, decision making and feedback, and long-term team consequences, such as quality, sick leave and burnout, and to consider their implications for team management and human resource management (HRM) policies in team-based organizations facing an ageing work force. Design/methodology/approach -The study elaborates on the framework of Milliken and Martins, further examining the effects of both average age and age differences. The authors collected objective data as well as data through questionnaires among 150 work teams with more than 1,500 white-collar and blue-collar workers from an automotive company in Sweden. With these data the authors conducted correlation and step-by-step hierarchical regression analyses. Findings -The analyses showed significant positive effects of average age on both short-term and long-term consequences. No significant effects of age differences were found. Research limitations/implications -Conducting a longitudinal study in an automotive company in Sweden resulted in monocultural findings. The use of a sample from one organization may limit the generalization of our findings. Future research should pay more attention to effects of age in teams, compared to individual age effects in organizations and to explore more advanced models that help to understand the dynamic processes of age in teams. Practical implications -The results have implications for management of teams and HRM policy in organizations relating to recruitment, early retirement, training developments and team composition in general. Originality/value -The paper suggests positive effects of age in work teams and contributes to the literature about the ageing workforce working in teams.

The paper shows that in care service work with an increasing number of older employees, the positive perception of age-related attitudes influences relationship quality and performance positively.

Purpose -This paper seeks to examine age-related perceptions of the quality of relationships at work and performance in mentally and physically demanding care service work settings. Design/methodology/approach -The study was conducted in six residential homes for the elderly in Germany. Data of 150 respondents were analyzed using multiple hierarchical regression and mediation tests. The mediating role of relationship quality in the relationship between age and employee performance was examined. Findings -It was found that older employees experienced better exchange relationships with their supervisors, and that this mediated the relationship between age and job satisfaction.Research limitations/implications -The sample is female dominated. Organizations are in transition from conventional organizational structure to team structure with employees' high company and job tenure. Practical implications -A higher relationship quality suggests a higher quality of older workers' job appraisal, which might be a starting point for older followers to rethink career perspectives and start further individual development. Originality/value -The findings extend earlier studies and provide more insight into the relationship between age, relationship quality, and employee performance from a follower's point-of-view.