Older workers: stereotypes and occupational self-efficacy

Abstract

Purpose. The present study aims to explore the relationship between organizational age stereotypes and occupational self-efficacy. First, we intend to test the measurement invariance of Henkens (2005)'s age stereotypes scale across two age group, respectively under 50 years and 50 years and older. Then, the moderator role of age groups in the relationship between age stereotypes and occupational self-efficacy is investigated.Methodology. The survey involved a large sample of 4667 Italian bank sector's employees. Findings.The results shows the invariance of the three dimensional structure of organizational stereotypes toward older workers scale: productivity, reliability and adaptability. Furthermore, the moderation is confirmed: the relationship between organizational age stereotypes and occupational self-efficacy is significant only for older respondents. Research limitations/implications. Further research is necessary in order to verify the generalization of the results to other sectors and countries.Practical implications. The study suggests the importance to emphasize the positive characteristics of older workers and to reduce the presence of negative age stereotypes in the workplace, especially in order to foster the occupational self-efficacy of older workers.Originality/value. Our findings are especially relevant in view of the lack of evidence about the relationship between age stereotypes and occupational self-efficacy.

Workplace Perceptions of Older Workers and Implications for Job Retention

“…Several scholars relate this reluctance among employers to concepts such as 'stereotypes', 'age discrimination' or 'ageism' (Ayalon & Tesch-Römer 2017;Egdell et al 2018;Furunes & Mykletun 2011;Henkens 2010;Kadefors & Hanse 2012;Kroon et al 2018). 'Age stereotyping' has been defined as 'a simplified, undifferentiated portrayal of an age group that is often erroneous, unrepresentative of reality, and resistant to modification' (Chiesa et al 2016(Chiesa et al , p. 1153Schulz 2006) and is often referred to as part of the wider concept of 'ageism'. For instance, Ayalon and Tesch-Römer recently defined 'ageism' as 'stereotypes, prejudice, or discrimination against (but also in favor of) people because of their chronological age' (Ayalon & Tesch-Römer 2017, p. 1).…”

The motives of people who delay retirement: An occupational perspective

“…Some of them expressed a negative view of their abilities and linked the perceived age-related decline to a desire to retire. However, we do not know if the negative perceptions of abilities and competencies were an objective assessment or, at least to some extent, a result of negative age stereotypes that might have been internalized, affecting social emotions and social motivation for work [55][56][57].…”

Multidimensional model of managing older employees: The case of financial service companies in Slovenia

“…This may require rethinking longstanding workplace practices (Sweet, Pitt-Catsouphes, 2010; Davies et al, 2017). The issue of ageing in the workplace has been defined as a "new diversity" because it tests the capacity of organizations to manage changes in the composition of the workforce (Chiesa et al, 2016). According to Zacher et al (2018), active aging means that as employees age, they (1) continue to show high levels of work engagement and performance; (2) maintain or improve their physical, mental, and social well-being; and (3) experience fair treatment and employment security.…”