scholarly journals The puzzle of older workers’ employment: distance to retirement and health effects

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mareva Sabatier ◽  
Bérangère Legendre
Keyword(s):  
Health Status ◽  
Job Search ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Distance Effect ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Retirement Decisions ◽  
Age Dependent ◽  
Employment Rates

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent to which the distance to retirement affects low employment rates among European older workers, taking into account a key but often neglected determinant: health status. Design/methodology/approach To begin, the study amends McCall’s job search model, in which the job search behavior is treated as age dependent. Agents are heterogeneous according to two attributes: distance to retirement and health. The authors complete this theoretical analysis with an econometric analysis based on a French survey. Findings This model leads to clear predictions, such that the closer the retirement, the greater the reservation wage and the lower people’s search effort. Older workers also exhibit lower exit rates from unemployment, an effect that gets enhanced by health problems. The empirical work, based on a French survey, confirms the existence of a distance effect but also puts the greater impact of health status into perspective. The distance effect explains only part of the puzzle of older workers’ employment. Originality/value This paper proposes a theoretical and empirical analysis of the retirement decisions. It studies the distance effect but taking into account a neglected factor in the literature: health. Results clearly confirm the distance effect but highlight the reader role of health in retirement decisions.

Media portrayals of older employees: a success story?

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 583-597 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martine van Selm ◽  
Beatrice I.J.M. Van der Heijden
Keyword(s):  
Mass Media ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Corporate Communication ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Media Portrayals ◽  
Older Employees ◽  
Age Related

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of how portrayals of older employees in mass media messages can help combating stereotypical beliefs on their employability. Design/methodology/approach – The authors conducted a systematic review of empirical studies on mass media portrayals of older employees in order to show what these reveal about the ways in which their employment status, occupation, job type, or work setting is portrayed. The approach builds upon theory on media portrayals, media effects, and stereotypes of older workers’ employability. Findings – This study shows that older employees in media portrayals, when present at all, are relatively often shown in higher-level professional roles, herewith overall, depicting an image that is positive, yet differs from stereotypical beliefs on their employability that are prevalent in working organizations. Research limitations/implications – Further empirical work is needed to more safely conclude on the prevalence of age-related portrayals of work and employment in mass media. In addition, longitudinal research is called for in order to better understand the possible causes for the way in which older employees are portrayed, as well as effects of age-related stereotyping in mass media and corporate communication outlets over time. Practical implications – This research sparks ideas about how new portrayals of older employees in mass media and corporate communication outlets can contribute to novel approaches to managing an aging and multi-generational workforce. Social implications – This study shows how working organizations can make use of the positive and powerful media portrayals of older employees, in order to activate normal and non-ageist behaviors toward them, and herewith, to increase their life-long employability. Originality/value – This study highlights the role of media portrayals of older employees in combating stereotypes about their employability.

Complexities of learning organizations – addressing key methodological and content issues

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 443-454
Author(s):  
Nataša Rupčić
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Learning Organizations ◽  
Middle Managers ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Project Work ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Learning Challenges

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to highlight challenges regarding methodological approach in studying learning organizations as well as the following content related issues: knowledge harvesting in project work, role of middle managers in creating energized learning environment, structuring individual activities to promote learning, impact of context-related factors (spaces of performance) and content-related factors (storytelling) on learning in higher education and diverging assessments of learning organizations with regard to hierarchy and organizational size. Design/methodology/approach Conclusions and models presented in the paper have been designed based on the systems perspective, critical thinking and critical review of previous contributions. Findings Findings refer to suggestions regarding further empirical work based on solid normative contributions in the field of learning organizations in general and its specific topics such as learning in project work, organizational design, role of middle managers, learning organization perceptions and learning challenges in higher education. Research limitations/implications Conclusions and models provided in the paper need further empirical testing and validation. Practical implications Implications for practitioners have been identified in terms of recommendations regarding possible methodological approaches in further studies of learning organizations, as well as regarding the following areas: knowledge creation cycle, structuring of individual activities to promote learning, role of middle managers in creating energized learning environment, learning challenges in higher education and divergent assessments of learning organizations regarding organizational hierarchy and size. Originality/value Contributions from previous authors have been systemically and critically reviewed, adapted models have been provided and suggestions for practitioners in this regard have been offered.

Work-family enrichment and well-being: the role of occupational future time perspective

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (6/7) ◽  
pp. 542-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hélène Henry ◽  
Donatienne Desmette
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Exhaustion ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Time Perspective ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Time Perspective ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Family ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose In the context of workforce aging, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the mediating role of occupational future time perspective (OFTP) in the relationship between work–family enrichment (WF-E) and two well-being outcomes (i.e. work engagement and emotional exhaustion). In addition, the moderating role of age on the relationship between WF-E and OFTP, and consequently, on the indirect effects of WF-E on work engagement and emotional exhaustion through OFTP, will be examined. Design/methodology/approach Cross-sectional survey research (n=263) was conducted in a public sector company in Belgium. Structural equation modeling and bootstrap analyses were performed to investigate the hypothesized relationships. Findings The dimension “remaining opportunities” of OFTP mediated the positive relationship between WFE and work engagement, and the negative relationship between WFE and emotional exhaustion. Chronological age moderated the positive relationship between WFE and the dimension “remaining time” of OFTP, with stronger effects among older workers. Research limitations/implications This research has confirmed that OFTP is influenced by WFE and that WFE matters, especially for older workers. Future research should continue to study the effects of the work–family interface on older workers. Practical implications Age management practices should take WFE into consideration when managing an aging workforce. In particular, older workers may benefit from WFE to increase their perception of remaining opportunities at work, which, in turn, increase well-being. Originality/value This study contributes evidence for the role of personal resources (i.e. remaining opportunities) in the relationship between WF-E and well-being at work.

Age-inclusive HR practices and the thriving of older workers: the mediating role of occupational future time perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduardo Oliveira
Keyword(s):  
Surface Analysis ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Time Perspective ◽  
Future Time Perspective ◽  
Future Time ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hr Practices ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Remaining Time

PurposeDrawing on social exchange theory and socio-emotional selectivity theory, this paper examines the role of occupational future time perspective (OFTP) in the relationship between age-inclusive HR practices (AIHRP) and the thriving of older workers.Design/methodology/approachA two-wave cross-sectional design was adopted with bootstrapped parallel multiple mediation analyses. In addition, polynomial regression with response surface analysis was used to examine the extent to which combinations of focus on opportunities and remaining time relate to thriving at work. Data were collected from 310 older workers working in 13 companies located in Portugal.FindingsAIHRP have direct effects on OFTP dimensions (i.e. focus on opportunities and remaining time), and indirect effects on the two thriving dimensions (i.e. learning and vitality) via focus on opportunities. The positive relationship between AIHRP and learning was mediated by remaining time, while no significant mediating effect on vitality through remaining time was found. Additionally, surface analysis showed that overall thriving and learning increase more sharply when focus on opportunities is higher than remaining time, rather than vice versa.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the literature by showing the importance of personal resources like OFTP in the relationship between AIHRP and the thriving of older workers. It also provides further support for the distinctiveness of the two OFTP dimensions as remaining time was not linked to vitality, whereas focus on opportunities was linked to both thriving dimensions.

How can teachers’ entrepreneurial competences be developed? A collaborative learning perspective

2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 492-511 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katariina Peltonen
Keyword(s):  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
School Context ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Training Programme ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Collegial Support ◽  
Training Programmes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of collaborative learning in the development of teachers’ entrepreneurial competences in the school context at primary, secondary and vocational levels of education. Design/methodology/approach – The research is based on an interpretative and collaborative learning approach to teachers’ entrepreneurial competence development. The empirical work relies on teachers’ written learning reflections collected during the chosen training programme and applies an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) method to analyze the data. Findings – The findings demonstrate that collaborative learning can help teachers to adopt a more entrepreneurial teaching approach. The findings highlight that social interaction and collegial support are important “drivers” for building self-confidence, further showing that conceptual and pedagogical renewal leads to an in-depth understanding of the work role and its meaning in society. Research limitations/implications – The study is of an explorative nature and bound to a specific contextual setting in Finland. Therefore further empirical research is needed to affirm the study’s suggestions on the effects of other collaborative learning interactions. Practical implications – The research findings provide new insights for teacher trainers and policy makers on how to enhance entrepreneurial teaching competences. The study concludes with new directions for designing and managing teacher training programmes. Originality/value – The paper enhances the understanding of teachers’ entrepreneurial competences, the role of collaborative peer learning in this process and thus bridges the gap between teacher research and entrepreneurial competence literature.

Conflict between younger and older workers: an identity-based approach

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Henry C.Y. Ho ◽  
Dannii Y. Yeung
Keyword(s):  
Social Identity ◽  
Goal Orientation ◽  
Organizational Identification ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Opposing Party ◽  
Identity Based ◽  
Conflict Strategies

Purpose With age diversity in the workplace becoming increasingly prevalent, the conflict between younger and older workers can be pervasive because of their increased interpersonal tensions from heterogeneous interactions. Adopting an identity-based approach, this study aims to examine the causes, underlying mechanisms and specific strategies used to manage such conflict. It was hypothesized that there is an interaction effect between age-group identification and organizational identification on conflict strategies and that this relationship can be explained by the mediating role of motivational goal orientation. Design/methodology/approach A total of 380 clerical workers in Hong Kong, aged 19–65, responded to two hypothetical scenarios about conflict with a younger and an older worker using a structured questionnaire on social identity, motivational goal orientation and conflict strategies. Moderated mediation analyzes were performed to test the hypothesized conditional indirect effects. Findings Results showed that workers who identified with the organization emphasized less on independent goals (with a younger opposing party) and more on cooperative goals (with an older opposing party) when they did not perceive an age-group differentiation, and thus, they were more likely to respond in a way that de-escalates the conflict, including the use of integrating, obliging and compromising strategies. Originality/value Extending age-related conflict research beyond identifying generational differences, this study highlights the role of social identity and suggests that employers and managers should strengthen employees’ organizational identification and build a fair work environment that facilitates positive interaction between younger and older workers.

The influence of health on economic growth from the perspective of sustainable development: a case of OECD countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 181-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seda Yıldırım ◽  
Durmus Cagri Yildirim ◽  
Hande Calıskan
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Oecd Countries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Life Expectancy At Birth ◽  
Lower Health

PurposeThis study aims to explain the role of health on economic growth for OECD countries in the context of sustainable development. Accordingly, the study investigates the relationship between health and economic growth in OECD countries.Design/methodology/approachThis study employed cluster analysis and econometric methods. By cluster analysis, 12 OECD countries (France, Germany, Finland, Slovenia, Belgium, Portugal, Estonia, Czech Republic, Hungary, South Korea, Poland and Slovakia) were classified into two clusters as high and low health status through health indicators. For panel threshold analysis, the data included growth rates, life expectancy at birth, export rates, population data, fixed capital investments, inflation and foreign direct investment for the period of 1999–2016.FindingsThe study determined two main clusters as countries with high health status (level) and low health status (level), but there was no threshold effect in clusters. It was concluded that an increase in the life expectancy at birth of countries with higher health status had no significant impact on economic growth. However, the increase in the life expectancy at birth of countries with lower health status influenced economic growth positively.Research limitations/implicationsThis study used data that including period of 1999–2016 for OECD countries. In addition, the study used cluster analysis to determine health status of countries, and then panel threshold analysis was preferred to explain significant relations.Originality/valueThis study showed that the role of health on economic growth can change toward country groups as higher and lower health status. It was proved that higher life expectancy can influence economic growth positively in countries with worse or low health status. In this context, developing countries, which try to achieve sustainable development, should improve their health status to achieve economic and social development at the same time.

Disability and Job Search Among Older Workers: A Narrative Review

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 27-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathew Hutton ◽  
Philip Bohle ◽  
Maria Mc Namara
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Job Search ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Narrative Review ◽  
Search Process ◽  
Age And Gender ◽  
Employment Disability ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Published Research

This article reviews published research on the effects of disability, age and gender on the job search process. Electronic databases (Medline [via Ovid], OT Seeker, CINAHL, AMED, and Proquest 5000) were used to identify studies focusing on job search and employment, disability, age, gender and other barriers to workforce participation. There has been extensive research on the effects of age and gender on the job search process, and the available evidence indicates that disability, age and gender play significant roles in shaping the job search processes of older workers. However, there has been little rigorous investigation of the role of disability and research specifically examining the relationships between disability, job search behaviours and employment outcomes was not identified. This is a significant gap in the literature on disability and participation in the labour market. Overall, this narrative review indicates that older workers with a disability face multiple disadvantages when seeking work, which impairs their ability to fully engage in the labour market.

scholarly journals Expectations, loss aversion and retirement decisions in the context of the 2009 crisis in Europe

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-44
Author(s):  
Nicolas Sirven ◽  
Thomas Barnay
Keyword(s):  
Loss Aversion ◽  
Reference Point ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Standard Of Living ◽  
Reduced Form ◽  
Job Retention ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Retirement Decisions ◽  
Form Model ◽  
Reduced Form Model

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to estimate a reduced form model of expectations-based reference-dependent preferences to explain job retention of older workers in Europe in the context of the 2009 economic crisis. Design/methodology/approach Using individual micro-economic longitudinal data from the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe between 2006 and 2011, the authors derive a measure of “good, bad or no surprise” from workers’ anticipated evolution of their standard of living five years from 2006 (reference point) and from a comparison of their capacity to make ends meet between 2006 and 2011. Findings The authors find that the probability to remain on the labour market in 2011 is significantly higher for individuals who experienced a lower than expected standard of living. The effect of a “bad surprise” on job retention is larger than the effect of a “good surprise” once netted out from the effects of expectations at baseline, change in consumption utility, and the usual life-cycle determinants on job retention of older workers. Originality/value The authors interpret this result as an evidence of loss aversion in the case the reference point is based on individuals’ expectations. The authors also find that loss aversion is more common among men, risk-averse individuals and those with a higher perceived life expectancy.

scholarly journals Social networks, accessed and mobilised social capital and the employment status of older workers

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 356-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaberi Gayen ◽  
Robert Raeside ◽  
Ronald McQuaid
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Older People ◽  
Job Search ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Weak Ties ◽  
Strong Ties ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the importance of social networks, and the social capital embedded in them, to secure employment if someone had become unemployed after the age of 50 years and to reveal the process of accessing and mobilising that social capital. Design/methodology/approach A case study of a Scottish labour market was undertaken which involved an interview-based survey of those who became unemployed in their early 50’s and tried to regain employment. The interview had structured and unstructured parts which allowed both quantitative and qualitative analysis to compare those who were successful in regaining work with those who were not. The uniqueness of the paper is the use of social network components while controlling for other socio-economic and demographic variables in job search of older workers. Findings Those older people who were unemployed and, returned to employment (reemployed) had a higher proportion of contacts with higher prestige jobs, their job searching methods were mainly interpersonal and the rate of finding their last job via their social networks was higher than those who remained unemployed. Both groups mobilised social capital (MSC), but those reemployed accessed higher “quality” social capital. “Strong ties”, rather than “weak ties”, were found to be important in accessing and mobilising social capital for the older workers who returned to employment. Research limitations/implications This work is limited to a local labour market and is based on a small but informative sample. However, it does show that policy is required to allow older people to enhance their social networks by strengthening the social capital embedded in the networks. The results support the use of intermediaries as bridges to help compensate for older people who have weak social networks. Besides the policy implications, the paper also has two distinct research implications. First, the use of social network component to the existing literature of older workers’ job search. Second, exploring the type and relational strength with network members to explain older workers’ reemployment. Practical implications The paper illustrates that how accessed and MSC can be measured. Social implications As populations age, this work points to an approach to support older people to re-enter employment and to include them in society. Originality/value The paper extends social network and employment literature to fill gaps on how older people require to both access and mobilise social capital. The importance of “strong ties” in the reemployment of older workers contrasts with much of the literature on younger workers where the “strength of weak ties” so far has been regarded as essential for successful job search. Measures are forwarded to reveal the relevance of social capital. The policy value of the work is in suggesting ways to facilitate older people re-enter or remain in work and hence sustain their well-being.

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