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.

scholarly journals Conflict management and age in service professions

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 302-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lena Aline Beitler ◽  
Sabine Machowski ◽  
Sheena Johnson ◽  
Dieter Zapf
Keyword(s):  
Conflict Management ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Strategy Use ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Employees ◽  
Mediation Analyses ◽  
Older Employees ◽  
Age Related

Purpose The purpose of this paper was to examine age differences in conflict management strategy use, effectiveness and in exposure to customer stressors in service interactions. Design/methodology/approach Moderated regression and mediation analyses were conducted to test hypotheses in a sample of 444 German service employees from different service branches with frequent customer contact. Findings Results revealed that older service employees experienced fewer customer stressors. Customer stressors mediated the negative relationship between age and burnout. Age was associated with use of passive avoidant (avoiding) and active constructive (problem solving) conflict management strategies. Furthermore, older employees used those strategies more effectively. Especially when avoiding conflicts, older employees reported more professional efficacy than younger colleagues. In contrast, younger employees benefited considerably less from strategy use and reported higher levels of burnout in general. Thus, results suggest older employees’ effective conflict management and their positive perception of customer stressors contribute to lower levels of burnout. Practical implications Results speak against a general deficit model for older workers as they show specific strengths of older employees in social conflicts. Their expertise in dealing with negative social interactions represents an important resource for organizations and training interventions, such as mentoring programs. Originality/value This study is one of the first to examine age-related conflict management skills with regard to customer conflicts, employee health and effectiveness of strategy use. It replicates existing findings on age and conflict management and extends them in several ways thereby ruling out alternative explanations for age effects.

Age differences in the perception of new co-worker benevolence

2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Jay Roussin
Keyword(s):  
Older Workers ◽  
American Business ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Older Employees ◽  
Global Workforce ◽  
Gender Diverse ◽  
Age Related ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Employee Groups

Purpose – Large numbers of older workers are remaining in the global workforce, raising questions concerning age-related differences in perception and behavior. The purpose of this paper is to examine the interplay between employee age, gender and ethnicity on benevolence perceptions of new co-workers. Design/methodology/approach – Data were obtained through scenario methods from a sample of 215 full-time, team-based employees across nine North American business organizations. Participants evaluated three provocative scenarios depicting initial meetings with new colleagues. Findings – Workers of greater age perceived significantly less benevolence in all three scenarios. In evaluating a new boss, women perceived lower benevolence than men, and gender moderated the relationship between age and perceived benevolence, where aging was associated with significantly lower levels of perceived benevolence only among men. Research limitations/implications – Deeper understandings are needed concerning the behavioral and cognitive mechanisms related to age and workplace perceptions. Practical implications – Older employees, guided by experience, are skeptical of the intentions of a wide variety of newly acquainted colleagues, signaling organizational leaders to customize behaviors and develop programs to encourage awareness and positive relationships across age- and gender-diverse employee groups. Originality/value – This research uniquely explores age influences, and interactions with gender and ethnicity, on benevolence perceptions of diverse new coworkers. The results are robust, considering that age was related to lower benevolence perception across three disparate scenario interpretations.

Perceptions of ethics in IS: how age can affect awareness

2014 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 270-283
Author(s):  
Sara Helen Wilford ◽  
Kutoma Jacqueline Wakunuma
Keyword(s):  
Older Workers ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Western Society ◽  
Ethical Behaviour ◽  
Ethical Awareness ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Older Employees ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Geographical Regions ◽  
Is Professionals

Purpose – This aim of this paper was to highlight the awareness of ethical issues across the group of information systems (IS) professionals from a range of geographical regions. Design/methodology/approach – An initial survey was conducted that informed in-depth interviews with 26 IS professionals from across the globe. The study identified that around 70 per cent of the sample were over 50 years old. This provided an opportunity to consider age-related differences in perception regarding ethical awareness of both current and emerging technologies. Findings – The project revealed that the more mature IS professionals had a significantly higher level of awareness and perceived understanding regarding the importance of ethical issues than the younger IS professionals. Research limitations/implications – The research was limited to IS professionals and so the findings do not generalise further. Future research would be beneficial to find out if the higher level of ethical awareness is also evident across older people in general or whether it is specific to technology professionals. Practical implications – IS professionals need to be exposed to high standards and expectations of ethical behaviour from senior colleagues, as well as embedding this within technical education. Social implications – Caution with regards to youth culture and youthitisation of the workforce needs to be exerted to avoid rash decision-making and short-termism, which could undermine progress and development. A change in the view of employers to older workers will also require a change in attitudes across Western society, particularly as demographics continue to skew towards an aging population. Originality/value – This paper provides new insight into the ethical awareness of older employees and goes some way to dispel the myths surrounding stereotypes of older workers as being fearful of technology and resistant to change.

Fostering ICT use by older workers

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 407-434
Author(s):  
Ewa Soja ◽  
Piotr Soja
Keyword(s):  
Technology Use ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Job Insecurity ◽  
Team Building ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Older Employees ◽  
Stakeholder Perspectives ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Ict Adoption

Purpose Adaptation to the requirements of digital economy is especially difficult for older workers, which is a challenge for today’s organizations due to workforce shrinking and ageing. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate how it is possible to develop older employees’ potential in technology use in the business environment. Design/methodology/approach The authors examined how employees at various age perceive barriers during enterprise system (ES) adoption and use. This exploratory study is based on grounded theory and draws from the opinions of 187 Polish ES practitioners. Findings With age, emphasis on employees’ perception of mandatory ICT implementation projects is shifting from technology to people-related considerations. For older employees, job security and workload appear the most critical issues in such projects. Age-diverse collaboration appears necessary to address the problems posed by technology-related and demographic changes. Research limitations/implications The findings imply that incorporating multiple stakeholder perspectives and age-related considerations into research on ICT adoption appears essential. Practical implications ICT adoption in the business environment can be successfully supported by age-balanced team building, cooperation between younger and older employees, and age-adjusted change management initiatives. Social implications Supporting older employees during the implementation of mandatory business software should embrace reducing their negative attitudes to ICT-induced change by minimizing their perception of job insecurity. Originality/value Unlike many prior studies, the current research places age in the central role and discusses not only how it is possible to support older employees, but also how to leverage their potential in the process of ICT adoption and use in a mandatory setting.

The influence of age on the job resources-engagement relationship

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 1218-1238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Ning ◽  
Albi Alikaj
Keyword(s):  
Work Engagement ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Job Resources ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Arrangements ◽  
Older Employees ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Employee Work Engagement ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the moderating role of employee age in the relationship between work engagement and several job resources.Design/methodology/approachThe study used questionnaire-based surveys completed by 804 employees from firms located in West China. The data were then analyzed by conducting latent moderated structural equation modeling.FindingsThe results of the study show that certain job resources (autonomy, recognition, colleague support, participation, job security and flexible work arrangements) are more effective for older employees in promoting work engagement, while other resources (job feedback, opportunities for development, skill variety and internal promotion) are more tailored toward younger employees.Research limitations/implicationsThe results suggest that job resources are not equally effective in affecting employee work engagement. Therefore, future studies should adopt a dynamic lifespan perspective when studying the relationship between job resources and work engagement.Practical implicationsThe current study indicates that to increase younger employees’ work engagement, organizations need to rely more on development-oriented job resources, and to increase older employees’ work engagement, they need to focus more on maintenance-oriented resources.Originality/valueThe literature on work engagement has assumed that the strength of the relationship between job resources and work engagement is uniform among employees at all ages. This study refers to two life-span theories from the development psychology literature to explain that there are age-related differences in the effect of job resources on employee work engagement.

Age-related productivity decrease in high-waged and low-waged employees

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 1151-1170
Author(s):  
Liis Roosaar ◽  
Jaan Masso ◽  
Urmas Varblane
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Labour Productivity ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Older Employees ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Knowledge Intensive ◽  
Relative Productivity ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to clarify whether the age-productivity curve is different for low-waged and high-waged employees. Design/methodology/approach Productivity growth is decomposed at the firm level into contributions by hired, separated and staying workers. Based on a matched employer-employee database of Estonian firms from 2006 to 2014 and considering the age as well as wages of employees, a panel data model with fixed effects is constructed to show the relative productivity of each cohort of employees. Findings High-waged employees appeared to be relatively more productive than low-waged employees and middle-aged were more productive than young or old employees. However, the productivity difference between young and old employees was not statistically significant. The age-productivity curve of high-waged employees appeared to be flatter than that of low-waged employees. Only in knowledge intensive services were the low-waged old employees statistically significantly less productive than high-waged old employees. In the manufacturing industry, the young were more productive than in services, in knowledge intensive services the old were less productive than in traditional services. Research limitations/implications The productivity of employees is only analysed for cohorts of employees. Practical implications Employers can be encouraged to hire older employees because old employees are shown to remain at least as productive as young employees. Originality/value The decomposition of labour productivity at the firm level is further developed, as the statistical difference between the productivity of different groups of employees is analysed.

Career success of older workers: the influence of social skills and continuous learning ability

2015 ◽  
Vol 34 (9) ◽  
pp. 1113-1133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Hennekam
Keyword(s):  
Social Skills ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Career Success ◽  
Career Satisfaction ◽  
Learning Ability ◽  
Continuous Learning ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach ◽  
Older Employees

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of the competencies social skills and continuous learning ability on career success and career satisfaction among workers aged 50 or over. Design/methodology/approach – A mixed methods approach consisted of 920 surveys and 11 semi-structured interviews with working individuals aged 50 or above, registered at a job agency specialized in older employees in the Netherlands. Multiple regression and content analysis were used to analyze the findings. Findings – The survey showed a positive relationship between the competencies and career success and career satisfaction However, the interviews revealed that not all older workers perceived the need to continuously stay up-to-date as positive, pushing them into retirement. Originality/value – The influence of competencies on career success and career satisfaction of older workers has received only little attention from researchers.

scholarly journals Who survives a recession? Specialization against diversification in the digital publishing industry

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Mangani ◽  
Elisa Tarrini
Keyword(s):  
Mass Media ◽  
Publishing Industry ◽  
Empirical Relationship ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Digital Publishing ◽  
Digital Native ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Probability Of Survival ◽  
Legal Forms ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the empirical relationship between specialization, diversification and rate of survival in the digital publishing industry. The sample includes all publishing companies in Italy that produce electronic content and distribute it through internet platforms. Design/methodology/approach The first part of the paper discusses the pros and cons of specialization against diversification, and applies the related economic theories to the digital publishing industry. The empirical work regarding the factors that affect firm survival is reviewed. The second part is empirical and analyzes the diversification strategies of 2,838 Italian digital editors between 1995 and 2014, and the impact of diversification on the probability of survival. Findings On the whole, digital publishing companies that are also active in traditional print activities have been constantly declining. However, those who combine print and digital activities or operate other mass media businesses have a higher probability of surviving in the market. These findings hold controlling for firm size and market structure, before and after the economic crisis exploded in 2009, in different geographical areas and by different legal forms of publishing companies. Research limitations/implications As the industry often presents country-specific characteristics, the econometric analysis should also be integrated with case studies that highlight particular survival conditions. Practical implications The study provides mass media scholars as well as practitioners with detailed information on the digital publishing trends in the medium term. Originality/value This research is significant because, in the period under review, many digital native entrepreneurs with scarce experience entered the industry, targeted digital native consumers/readers and challenged traditional and established media conglomerates.

Informal learning and work engagement among older workers

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Informal Learning ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Older Employees ◽  
Younger Workers ◽  
Firm Success ◽  
Key Skills ◽  
Pertinent Information

Purpose Transfer of key skills and knowledge between older and younger workers remains vital for ongoing firm success. The effectiveness of this process can be increased when organizations provide opportunities for informal learning that serve to heighten levels of work engagement among older employees. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings Transfer of key skills and knowledge between older and younger workers remains vital for ongoing firm success. The effectiveness of this process can be increased when organizations provide opportunities for informal learning that serve to heighten levels of work engagement among older employees. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers’ hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Managers’ perceptions of older workers in British hotels

2014 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Jenkins ◽  
Jill Poulston
Keyword(s):  
Older Workers ◽  
Predictive Analytics ◽  
Hotel Industry ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Ageing Population ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Older Employees ◽  
The North ◽  
Hotel Managers ◽  
Hotel Workers

Purpose – The purpose of this research paper is to identify the perceptions and stereotypical views of hotel managers to older employees in the British hotel industry, with a focus on the north of England, and to determine the equal opportunities policies and practices of hotels in relation to older workers and the types of jobs deemed suitable or not suitable for older employees. Design/methodology/approach – The method used in this exploratory study was a survey incorporating a postal questionnaire. The questionnaire was sent to 144 hotel managers in hotels with a minimum of 20 bedrooms in the north of England. In all, 36 completed questionnaires were returned. Data were analysed using Predictive Analytics Software (PASW). Findings – The results of the survey clearly point to hotel managers having overwhelmingly positive views of older workers (confirming the findings of Magd's, 2003 survey), although some managers did age-stereotype certain jobs as being not suitable or suitable for older hotel workers. Research limitations/implications – The principal limitations concern the use of a questionnaire to measure the attitudes of hotel managers, the use of a non-probability sampling technique and the relatively small sample size. Practical implications – Given the UK's ageing population and labour shortages in the hotel industry, it is important that hotel managers address negative stereotypical views of older workers and the jobs deemed suitable for these workers. Originality/value – As the hotel industry is a major contributor to employment in the UK, a lack of empirical data on managers’ perceptions of older hotel workers is a significant omission that this paper seeks to redress.

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