Employers and older workers: attitudes and employment practices

1998 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 641-658 ◽  
Author(s):  
PHILIP TAYLOR ◽  
ALAN WALKER
Keyword(s):  
Older Workers ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Employment Practices ◽  
Social Closure ◽  
Industrial Sectors ◽  
Younger Workers ◽  
The Social ◽  
Educational Campaigns

The research on which this article is based examined the relationship between attitudes towards older workers held by personnel managers and directors in large organisations (500 or more employees) across virtually the whole range of industrial sectors (excluding agriculture), and their employment practices. The aims of the research were to explore the operation of workplace social closure and the social construction of age in organisations, and to provide practical information to better inform policy making towards older workers. Analysis indicated that attitudes associated with recruitment, training and promotion practices were: perceived trainability, creativity, cautiousness, physical capabilities, the likelihood of having an accident, and ability to work with younger workers. Attitudes which showed no relationship with employment practices were: perceived productivity, reliability, ability to adapt to new technology, interest in technological change and flexibility. It is argued that these findings stress the need to target stereotypical attitudes towards older workers if age barriers in employment are to be removed. However, it is also argued that educational campaigns alone are likely to exert only limited influence against a background of a long-term decline in economic activity rates among older workers. The research also indicates that future research studies need to take greater account of potential differences between different groups of older workers.

scholarly journals “I could’ve had a better life”: Reflective life reviews told by late-middle-aged and older women and men with ongoing long-term alcohol problems

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Bergström
Keyword(s):  
Older Women ◽  
Alcohol Problems ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Work Related ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Social ◽  
Self Development ◽  
Letting Go

Aim: This study accounts for how people aged 55-69 with ongoing long-term alcohol problems conceptualize past, present and future. Methods: A total of 19 interviews were performed, from which reflective life reviews were obtained and analyzed as narrative life accounts. Three structuring thematic traits were identified: resentment of life, acceptance of life and gratitude towards life. Results: The study shows how past, present and future intertwine into meaningful entities incorporating certain governing master narratives about recovery, familiar for example from expert discourse and the AA movement. When it comes to the theme of resentment, the participants articulated disappointment over what life had become and emphasized especially the missed work-related opportunities that the drinking had caused. In the theme of acceptance letting go of the past was viewed as important for creating a sober future. Within the dimension of gratitude the past was seen as a resource for self-development and future recovery. Conclusions: How long-term alcohol problems are conceptualized in the long view of a life narrative may have great implications for outlooks of a sober future. A closer look at the social and cultural material incorporated in the stories of this age group is an important task for future research.

Biomimetics for business? Industry perceptions and patent application

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 597-616 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryo Kohsaka ◽  
Yoshinori Fujihira ◽  
Yuta Uchiyama
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Patent Application ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Private Company ◽  
Private Companies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Industrial Sectors ◽  
The Social ◽  
International Comparative

Purpose Biomimetics are expected to contribute to sustainable environmental management; however, there has been no exploration of industry perceptions by using empirical data. This study aims to identify the trends and perceptions of biomimetics. The industrial sectors in Japan and international patent application trends are analyzed. Design/methodology/approach An online survey to identify the perceptions of staff members in Japanese private companies (n = 276) was conducted. Japan is an emerging country in terms of the social implementation of biomimetics, and this paper can provide insights into other such countries. Findings It is identified that the strength of connections to biomimetics differs across industrial sectors. The respondents from companies that use nanoscale biomimetics tend to have the knowledge of, and experience in, biomimetics. Regarding the overall understanding of patent applications, Japanese private company employees require knowledge of patent application trends and country rankings as potential factors influencing the development of biomimetics. Social implications Knowledge transfer and sharing of experience among engineers and researchers of nanoscale technologies and urban scales are necessary to facilitate biomimetic advancement. Originality/value The results of the first survey and an analysis of the perceptions of staff members in private companies in Japan are provided to show the challenges in the social implementation of biomimetics. The results can be referred to for the social implementation of biomimetics in emerging countries. The method of this study can be applied to an international comparative analysis in future research.

scholarly journals The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Older Workers: The Role of Self-Regulation and Organizations

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 233-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorien T A M Kooij
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Work From Home ◽  
Younger Workers ◽  
Person Environment Fit ◽  
Positive Perspective ◽  
Regulation Strategies ◽  
The Impact

Abstract We live in an unusual time, which effects all of us in different ways. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, some people are working harder than ever, some people have lost their job, some people can only work from home, and some people have to reinvent how they work (Kniffin et al., 2020). Older 50+ workers might even be more affected by the pandemic compared to younger workers because they are labeled as vulnerable and as being at risk in terms of Covid-19 (Ayalon et al., 2020). However, emerging studies on the impact of Covid-19 suggest that older workers respond more effectively to measures that counter Covid-19 (Losada-Balter et al., 2020). This is in line with the lifespan developmental perspective, which theorizes and demonstrates that older adults generally are very capable of adapting and very effective in dealing with the aging process (Baltes and Baltes, 1990; Freund, 2008). Multiple studies show that older adults engage in various self-regulation strategies aimed at continuously maintaining or restoring person-environment fit (e.g., Kooij et al., 2020; Taneva and Arnold, 2018; Zacher, Kooij, & Beier, 2018a) thus helping them to age successfully at work. In this commentary, I will take a more positive perspective on older workers and discuss the self-regulation strategies that older workers engage in and how organizations can stimulate this. I will end my commentary with some suggestions for future research.

scholarly journals Barriers and facilitators to extended working life: a focus on a predominately female ageing workforce

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Clare Ellen Edge ◽  
Margaret Coffey ◽  
Penny A. Cook ◽  
Ashley Weinberg
Keyword(s):  
Older Workers ◽  
Working Life ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Social ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Gender Profile ◽  
Predominately Female ◽  
Purposive Sample

Abstract Many countries are reforming their pension systems so people stay in work for longer to improve the long-term sustainability of public finances to support an increasing older population. This research aimed to explore the factors that enable or inhibit people to extend working life (EWL) in a large United Kingdom-based retail organisation. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with a purposive sample (N = 30): 15 employees aged ⩾60 and 15 supervisors supporting these employees. Older workers were predominately female, reflecting the gender profile of the older workers in the organisation. Older workers and supervisors reported that key facilitators to EWL were good health, the perception that older workers are of value, flexibility and choice, the need for an ongoing conversation across the lifecourse, the social and community aspect of work as a facilitator to EWL and the financial necessity to EWL. Perceived barriers to EWL included poor health, negative impacts of work on health, and a lack of respect and support.

scholarly journals Open House? Class-Specific Career Opportunities within German Universities

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-110
Author(s):  
Frerk Blome ◽  
Christina Möller ◽  
Anja Böning
Keyword(s):  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Social Power ◽  
Social Structures ◽  
Social Origin ◽  
Social Closure ◽  
Career Opportunities ◽  
The Social ◽  
Specific Career ◽  
German Universities

This article focuses on the development of class-specific inequalities within German universities. Based on data on the social origin of students, doctoral students, and professors in the long-term cross-section, the article views the empirically observable dynamic of social closure of higher education since the 1950s. The focus of interest is on the level of the professorship. Data show that career conditions for underprivileged groups have deteriorated again. This finding is discussed in the context of social closure theories. The article argues that closure theories consider social closure processes primarily as intentional patterns of action, aimed at a strategic monopolization of participation, and securing social power. Such an analytical approach means that unintended closure processes remain understudied. Our conclusion is that concealed modes of reproduction of social structures ought to be examined and theorized more intensively due to their importance for the elimination of social inequality within universities.

scholarly journals A Migration Project in Retrospect: The Case of the Ageing Zero Generation in Emirdağ

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 260-269
Author(s):  
Christiane Timmerman ◽  
Meia Walravens ◽  
Joris Michielsen ◽  
Nevriye Acar ◽  
Lore Van Praag
Keyword(s):  
Elderly People ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Family Culture ◽  
The Social ◽  
Zero Generation ◽  
Family Elders ◽  
Depth Interviews

In the twentieth century, Emirdağ (Turkey) witnessed extensive emigration and is now home to the ‘zero generation’: a group of elderly people who stayed behind when their children moved abroad. We investigate how these elderly people, with at least one child who left the country, evaluate their situation as they have grown older. Using fieldwork observations and in-depth interviews, we found that this group mainly associated the migration of their offspring with loneliness and exclusion from society, due to separation from their children and changes in the traditional family culture. The respondents clearly note a shift in the social position of family elders in Turkish culture, from highly respected to being ignored and looked down upon. While this change in status might be experienced by all elderly inhabitants of the region, feelings of distress were reinforced by an emerging discourse which suggests the migration project is a failed enterprise. The constraints their children experience in the immigrant country have led the zero generation to rely less on them and become more dependent on their own resources. Future research on ageing, migration and transnational care should focus on the different ways in which migration systems evolve, and the long-term effects on social inclusion of all generations.

Scars that will not Disappear: Long-term Associations between Early and Later life Unemployment under Different Welfare Regimes

2014 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 727-743 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARTINA BRANDT ◽  
KARSTEN HANK
Keyword(s):  
Older Workers ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Welfare Regimes ◽  
Childhood Conditions ◽  
Unemployment Spells ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
Welfare State Regimes ◽  
Scarring Effects

AbstractExploiting retrospective data from the SHARELIFE project, we investigate long-term associations between early and later life unemployment spells of at least six months in a sample of more than 13,000 men and women from eleven European countries. Our findings provide, first, evidence for significant differences in the life-course pattern of unemployment occurrence between welfare state regimes. Second, childhood conditions are shown to bear significant associations with the odds of experiencing periods of unemployment throughout one's employment career. Third, and finally, our analysis confirms previous research in that we provide clear evidence for long-term scarring effects, showing that they are indeed permanent ones, as we observe them even among older workers close to retirement. The paper concludes with a discussion of perspectives for future research.

scholarly journals New spatialities of work in the city

Urban Studies ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 004209802110091
Author(s):  
Darja Reuschke ◽  
Carol Ekinsmyth
Keyword(s):  
Job Quality ◽  
Industrial Restructuring ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Urban Structure ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Social Fabric ◽  
The Social ◽  
Post Industrial ◽  
The City

This introduction discusses the objectives and concepts underlying the Special Issue on the new spatialities of work in the city. It highlights the urban impact of both the changing spatiotemporal working patterns and the increased diversity of workspaces that have resulted from post-industrial restructuring, globalisation, labour market flexibilisation and digitisation. Even pre-COVID-19, when the research in this Special Issue was undertaken, this impact on the urban structure and the social fabric of cities was significant, but it had remained underexplored. Here, therefore, we question models of work and commuting that continue to assume the spatially ‘fixed’ workplace, and explore how new understandings of workspace and multi-locality, developed in this Special Issue, can inform future research. This, we argue, is more important than ever as we come to understand the medium- and long-term impacts of pandemic-altered work practices in cities. We further argue that the spatialities of work need to be connected with research on health, job quality and wellbeing in cities – such as, for example, on the risks that COVID-19 has exposed for driving and mobile work.

scholarly journals New Trends and Patterns in Sustainable Consumption: A Systematic Review and Research Agenda

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (15) ◽  
pp. 5935 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Sesini ◽  
Cinzia Castiglioni ◽  
Edoardo Lozza
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Sustainable Consumption ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Social ◽  
Key Sectors ◽  
Sustainable Behavior

The challenge of sustainable development and consumption is to meet current wants without impoverishing future generations and the planet in the long term. Therefore, new patterns of sustainable practices are increasingly promoted. The purpose of the present study is to realize a systematic review aimed to analyze the contents and features of articles dealing with new trends in consumers’ sustainable consumption. One hundred and four papers published in the last five years were retrieved and analyzed through a lexicographical analysis using the software T-LAB. The results show that, even if most of the current studies focus almost exclusively on the environmental impact of sustainability, the social perspective is also recently taking hold. Evidence suggests prevailing attention towards consumers’ appeal and consumption of eco-friendly food products, together with a growing interest in the last years in consumers’ practices in other key sectors, such as tourism, commerce, and clothing. Future research should spotlight the less explored frameworks, looking at the economic and social sides of sustainability in a variety of contextual settings. At the same time, consumer-focused research should not forget to look at consumers’ sustainable behavior as a whole and its impacts from the perspective of planet, people, and profit.

An Operator Workload Assessment Program for Army Systems

1989 ◽  
Vol 33 (20) ◽  
pp. 1470-1470
Author(s):  
Richard E. Christ ◽  
Bruce Braun
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Design ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Advanced Technology ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Work Unit ◽  
System Productivity ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Operator Workload

Projected manpower declines coupled with increases in personnel costs and battlefield sophistication has prompted an increased reliance on high technology equipment in new Army systems. This advanced technology often features highly automated functions and promises substantially increased human and system productivity. However, potential enhancements to system performance may not be realized because the new technology frequently increases human perceptual, cognitive and psychomotor requirements to the point where the system operator may be said to be overloaded. Such a condition not only endangers the mission, but also threatens the safety of the soldier. As a result of these concerns, the Army Research Institute (ARI) has initiated a long-term research progran aimed at controlling excessive operator/crew workload in emerging Army systems. The objective of a recently completed three-year work unit of the workload research program was to validate operator workload measures on three Army systems and use the results to develop guidance for controlling operator workload in new Army systems. This research work unit - the Operator Workload (OWL) Program - has developed a number of products which contribute to the Army's initiative for Manpower and Personnel Integration (MANPRINT) during the acquisition and continuing development of materiel systems. The objective of this symposium is to present an overview of the approach and accomplishments of the OWL program, highlight two examples of experimental and analytical work which has been completed, describe an expert system developed to provide practical guidance on how best to assess workload levels for a given set of circumstances, and identify several areas for future research. With guidance provided by the discussant and input from members of the audience, the desired impact of this symposium will be a heightened awareness of the importance to the Army MANPRINT initiative of this and other continuing research programs. The long term objectives of these research efforts should be to develop reliable and valid methods which: (1) forecast the impact of operator workload on the design and performance of new Army systems, (2) effectively allocate workload-imposing tasks among soldier, hardware, and software components of systems and assess the influence of workload factors on the organizational design of Army units, and (3) establish procedures for the selection, classification, and training of soldiers to effectively cope with operator workload in operational situations.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document