The aging workforce: perceptions of career ending

Abstract

Purpose - The purpose of this study is two-fold. The first is to relate the negative image of older workers to stereotype threat and to propose that effective retention management should start by replacing this negative image. The second is to assess the needs, perceptions and preferences of older workers regarding their career-ending. Design/methodology/approach - A total of 266 employer questionnaires and 1,290 older worker questionnaires identified the employers' perceptions of older workers and the career-ending needs and preferences of older workers. Findings - The results provide indirect support for the hypothesis that the negative image of older workers forms a self-fulfilling prophecy due to the mechanisms of stereotype threat. Furthermore, the results indicate that job involvement plays a crucial role in the preference for retirement or to keep on working. Research limitations/implications - Stereotype threat promises to be very important when it comes to career-ending measures for older workers. However, the empirical design of the study limits the possibility of drawing direct inferences about the effects of stereotype threat on older workers. Practical implications - Measures and policies aimed at prolonging the participation of older workers at the labor market should be tailored to the specific needs, perceptions and preferences of older workers. Originality/value - The concept of stereotype threat has never been connected with the perceptions of older workers. Further, the assessment of the needs, perceptions and preferences related to the career-ending of older workers has never before been examined in a European study

Attitudes Among Male and Female University Professors, and other Categories of University Employees, to Working up to and Beyond Normal retirement age

“…This is in agreement with results from earlier research covering a wide spectrum of occupations (e.g., Buyens et al 2009;Kautonen et al 2012;Sibbald et al 2003). For instance, in a study of retirement intentions among employees of a large public employer, Oakman and Wells (2013) found that of work factors that were analyzed, low job satisfaction indicated an increased likelihood of retiring soon.…”

Ageing employees and human resource management – evidence of gender-sensitivity?

“…Studies which recognized the gender aspect were in minority. However, there were studies which treated gender as a background variable (Buyens et al, 2009).…”

“…Based on our literature review, it can be argued that the term "ag(e)ing", "older" or "mature" employee was used synonymously in the analysed studies. However, the threshold of the ageing differed from the age of 40 (Buyens et al, 2009) to age of 50 (Armstrong-Stassen and Templer 2005;Armstrong-Stassen and Cattaneo, 2010;Winkelmann-Gleed, 2012). For example, Ilmarinen (2006) has defined ageing employees as 45 and over, and justified it by the fact that this is the period when major changes occur in work ability and that this "early" definition of ageing employees provides better possibilities for implementing actions to raise low participation rates among ageing employees and prevent early retirement.…”

“…By contrast, the individual level analysis focused more on ageing employees' job-related attitudes, like organizational commitment (Winkelmann-Gleed, 2012) as well as work-motivation (Kooij et al, 2008) which may influence how HR practices are interpreted. There were also studies which adopted both an organizational and individual level perspective (Buyens et al, 2009). Our literature review showed that the most dominant way to understand and conceptualize age was chronological, and the interrelatedness of ageing and gender was neglected in most of the studies.…”

“…(Henkens et al, 2008;Walker, 2005). However, at the same time ageing employees are still frequently found to be as the main victims of downsizing or restructuring (Buyens et al, 2009).…”