The impact of an ageing workforce on the workplace is a concern internationally. Governments are increasingly encouraging the continued labour market participation of older workers, seeking to remove previous barriers to the extension of working lives and give more choice to workers. Despite these legislative drivers, research has consistently found a lack of systematic approaches by employers to prepare and benefit from these demographic and labour market changes. In this paper, qualitative research is drawn upon to examine how managers and older workers think about age and ageing in the workplace; the support put in place for older workers, as well as future priorities; and the lived experiences of the older workers. It is highlighted that employees’ age and fitness for work is treated on an individual basis, rather than having formal plans to manage the workplace for older workers. This thus indicates a hands-off approach from management.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) workers rarely join trade unions. This is usually explained by the individualised nature of work. We examine broader forms of collectivism for these workers, drawing on survey and interview data. Our focus is on social class, attitudes towards unions and professional bodies and participation in the broader ICT community -specifically Free, Libre and Open Source Software (FLOSS). The findings reveal absence of formal collective frames of reference or organisation, yet the creativity, autonomy and initiative, central to the identity of ICT workers, may offer opportunities for collectivisation particularly when we look at participation in FLOSS communities.

PurposeFor many nations, their workforces are ageing. The purpose of this paper is to explore the concerns and attitudes of employers to employing older workers and what information they require.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire survey of workplaces was undertaken in the Fife region of Scotland, which in economic and demographic terms is representative of wider Scotland and other nations in Northern Europe. Descriptive analysis was undertaken to give insight into concerns and actions taken regarding ageing workforces.FindingsMost workplaces perceive more advantages to employing older workers than challenges. Many have adapted training and work practices, but many have not. The majority surveyed believe that existing policies and strategies are sufficient. This points to the need for national and local government and employer associations to become more active to persuade workplaces to better manage future workplaces.Research limitations/implicationsGeneralisability is problematic and the small sample restricted the scope of statistical analysis.Practical implicationsThe authors were unable to judge the severity of how an ageing workforce impacts on workplace performance, as employers found it difficult to conceptualise and identify the impact of ageing from market and economic pressures.Social implicationsResulting from population ageing the workforce of many societies are becoming older, this will impact on workplace relations and the social identity of those over the age of 50 years.Originality/valueLittle research has been undertaken to assess workplaces awareness of, and how to adapt to, an ageing workforce, and research is required to inform and guide management strategy of employers.

The ethical dimension research is the one of the major topics that should be addressed before beginning any empirical work. In practice, what this means is that any research project, which is likely to involve distributing questionnaires, conducting interviews or conducting focus groups, brings with it various dilemmas in terms of moral conduct towards the people you are expecting to fill in questionnaires, be interviewed or take part in focus groups. Such dilemmas will be dependent on the design of your particular study. However, typical ethical dilemmas in relation to business management research include: the manner in which you intend to recruit people to your study, the extent to you will inform participants of what you research is about, dealing with research participants who may be concerned about how they are portrayed in your final dissertation. There are some simple steps which can help ensure that your research embodies the kinds of ethical principles that many institutions require, and we will use a range of real life ethical dilemmas to help you as you formulate your own research. The chapter concludes with checklist questions to consider.

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