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Engaging workers with their work is fundamental for employee wellbeing and performance. Perceived age discrimination in the workplace is a factor that may influence workers' engagement. The present study aimed to analyze the moderating role of emotion regulation in the relationship between perceived age discrimination and work engagement. Survey data were collected from a sample of 453 Portuguese workers of various age groups, between 18 and 65 years-old. Four instruments were used in this study: (a) a sociodemographic questionnaire; (b) the Workplace Age Discrimination Scale (WADS); (c) the Emotion Regulation Scale and (d) the reduced version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9). Results show that perceived workplace age discrimination negatively impacts work engagement. Further, results suggest that emotional regulation exacerbates the negative relationship between perceived age discrimination and work engagement. The progressively aging workforce is creating challenging issues to organizations, from a human resource management perspective. Age management strategies to address perceived age discrimination and work engagement are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aging population in the developed world has implied increasing age diversity in the workforce of organizations. Consequently, mutual perceptions about one's coworkers and age discrimination are becoming increasingly important. This study aims to explore how perceptions about older workers' work (un)adaptability, work effectiveness, and workplace age discrimination vary according to participants' psychosocial factors, such as age group, gender, education level, and work sector. This study included a sample of 453 workers in Portugal, diverse in terms of age, gender, education level, and work sector. Four different instruments were used: (a) a sociodemographic questionnaire; (b) an older workers' Work Adaptability scale; (c) an older workers' Work Effectiveness Scale and; (d) the Workplace Age Discrimination Scale (WADS). Results: Middle-aged and older participants perceive older workers as more adaptable than younger participants. The oldest group of participants perceives older workers to be more work-effective and experience the highest levels of age discrimination in the workplace, when compared to the other age groups. Also, participants with lower levels of education tend to perceive higher levels of workplace age discrimination, when compared to participants with high school and higher education. Conclusions: Generational perceptions in the workplace are perceived by workers differently, hence organizations should implement age management strategies to address age discrimination, particularly due to the increasing proportion of older workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seasoned geriatric community health workers offered valuable data that will inform educators and community health workers working with older persons. Geriatric community health workers' views about retirement and about facilitators and barriers that keep them engaged with older adults during retirement were identified. Twenty geriatric community health workers participated in semi-structured, qualitative interviews conducted by the research team. Sixty percent of the participants (N = 12) reported plans not to work during retirement, although 40% (N = 8) expressed interest in full- or part-time employment post-retirement. When asked about their expectations to stay in the field of aging or gerontology in some capacity during retirement, 30% (N = 6) expected to stay in gerontology during retirement. The findings from this research will help organizations and educational institutions create programs and resources that will encourage geriatric community health workers to continue working in the field of aging during retirement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Baby boomers in Taiwan benefit from better health, economic conditions, and education in comparison to older generations. The participants in this study were older adult learners from the baby boom generation. This study aimed to examine their retirement decisions, adaptation, and learning processes. A qualitative research approach was employed in this study. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews. Thirty-one individuals, consisting of 15 men and 16 women aged 55–68 years, were interviewed. The research results showed that the interviewees' retirement decisions involved an awareness of retirement timing, and in addition, four approaches to retirement decisions were identified, namely, straightforward decision making, retirement planning, hesitancy, and involuntary retirement. Each decision approach would lead to various losses and gains. The background of baby boomers provided them with high adaptability and the motivation to learn and change. The retirement adaptation process presented goals related to health, learning, and contributions. Learning participation and service learning allowed the interviewed baby boomers to feel joy from learning, forget about their age, and maintain positive attitudes. The results of this study can provide workers engaged in the field of older adult education with a reference for the formulation of policies and projects related to retirement transition and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores how mature female flight attendants [FAs] use Selection, Optimization and Compensation [SOC] strategies to cope with age-related diminishing resources at work. The role of FAs is an age-sensitive occupation, and in some organizations, women are under constant pressure to look young and attractive. This Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis study aims to add depth and nuance to our understanding of SOC strategies qualitatively; most published studies are quantitative. A homogenous sample of 5 mature single Filipina FAs, foreign workers employed by Arabian Gulf-based airlines, were interviewed through a semi-structured protocol. Recruitment was through a snowball process. The study found that FAs use SOC strategies to compensate for age-related decline. Off-duty, their focus is directed to activities that help them to meet the organizations' expectations of youthful appearance and productivity. To achieve this, resources from other life domains are diverted, which leads to negative outcomes from focusing SOC strategies on only one aspect of life. Despite negative personal implications and concerns about the future, the participants still felt attached to their work identities. This shows the importance of understanding the use of SOC strategies within and across life domains, as well as their implications for career sustainability and workability. The use of such strategies at work when detrimental to other life roles is unsustainable. The findings highlight the importance of conducting more qualitative studies on SOC behaviors of specific groups, so the experiences of aging at work can be explored in more depth, allowing areas of concern to be identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adopting a longitudinal approach, this article examines downward occupational mobility (DOM) later in working life and its effects on job satisfaction and perceptions of working conditions of older workers in Europe. The main aim was to test whether the risk that workers will be negatively impacted and marginalized in the labor market due to demotion into lower quality jobs is offset by benefits. Based on an ordinal logistic regression of merged Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe and English Longitudinal Study of Ageing datasets, the study found a positive significant impact of DOM on overall job satisfaction. Moreover, DOM was associated with a statistically significant reduction in workload pressure, although it did increase physical work demand. This article adds to the literature on marginalization of workers with indications that the lower income and status associated with DOM at older ages may have offsetting benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a growing trend recently to examine the various factors affecting an age-friendly workplace. Through structural equation modelling (SEM), this study purports to test a model that shows the interaction between and among declining memories, wisdom, age discrimination, and an age-friendly workplace in Filipino elderly in a government setting. Two hundred elderly from a large government bank in the Philippines participated in this study. Data were obtained through a self-completion questionnaire and a one-on-one interview. Surprisingly, results revealed that declining memory has no significant effect on wisdom. However, wisdom has a positive impact on age discrimination as does age-discrimination on an age-friendly workplace. The authors discuss the implications of these results and highlight directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research assesses younger worker perceptions of older and same age worker stereotypes and communication in the USA and Thailand. Results indicate that older workers are generally seen by younger workers as more uncomfortable with new technology, less flexible and more cautious on the job, and more loyal (and having fewer absences) to the organization than younger workers. As compared to younger American workers, younger Thai workers agree more with negative stereotype items that older workers make more mental mistakes, are slower to adapt to new technology, are more fearful of technology, and are less flexible at work. But they also agree more with positive stereotype items that older workers are absent less, have a better attitude toward work, and have a higher level of commitment to the organization than younger workers. In terms of their communication, younger Thai workers perceive both other younger Thai workers and older Thai workers as exhibiting more avoidant communication than their counterparts from the USA. The younger Thai workers also perceive members of their own age in-group as communicating in a more nonaccommodating manner than younger American workers. Implications for the aging process across cultures and the workplace are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stimulation of lifelong employability of employees is one of today's challenges in all sectors of the Dutch society. In this article, we will outline the historical context of the life-long employability issue in the Netherlands, and provide an overview of current business responses to the issue. We will discuss key obstacles for improving older workers' employability: the current economic situation, contra-productive aspects of collective labor agreements or legislation, and negative stereotypes about skills and capacities of older workers that are prevalent in working organizations. We will propose a national intervention program communicating employability enhancement aimed at (a) combating age-related stereotypes about older employees in working organizations; (b) increasing the proportion of (highly) employable older employees; and (c) improving corporate performance outcomes. A strong asset of the intervention program is that it is rooted in the alignment of two bodies of knowledge: literature on the dimensional Stereotype Content Model developed in social psychology literature, and theoretical notions and empirical research on sustainable employability developed in management science literature. The national intervention program includes a screening instrument by which all communication outlets in working organizations are analyzed. In addition, the program incorporates a translation of academic knowledge and empirical evidence on the employability of older workers into a self-test inventory and a communication guideline. The intervention is part of a national approach that is prescribed by the government and (non-) adherence is rewarded or sanctioned. The intervention program's outcomes are monitored by means of empirical research. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In an undergraduate level course addressing adult development and aging, students were asked within the first week of class to examine and articulate their expectations of individuals of differing ages and genders. The students were asked to develop a comprehensive picture that described what life tasks, personality characteristics, personal goals, relationship issues, and work issues they expected would be important to each person. Students were also instructed to describe how they expected (based only upon their preexisting opinion and experience) such individuals would cope with issues related to health, identity, or work. Students were then asked to interview one person of each of the six age group/gender categories that they had previously described, comparing and contrasting interview findings with previously articulated expectations. Results suggested that students emerged from this experience with a more complex and open understanding of people who were not members of their own age group. The proportion of undergraduates whose expectations were not met increased (p < .05) in the middle-aged and older target groups relative to the young adult target group. It is argued that this experience helps students to not only be more sensitive to their own biases based upon age, but also to be more cognizant of individual differences among middle-aged and older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study developed and tested a model to identify the predictors of retirement planning based on an extension of the theory of planned behavior ([TPB], Ajzen, 1991) that included individual differences in proactivity and time discounting. The results showed that personal attitudes, sense of control, social influence, and stable traits have a significant influence on the extent to which late-career workers are engaged in retirement planning over and above the effect of demographic variables. However, some gender differences in the prediction of retirement planning were identified that have important implications for the design of programs and interventions to encourage planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In light of an aging workforce, age stereotypes have become an important topic both for researchers and for practitioners. Among other effects, age stereotypes might predict discriminatory behavior at work. This study examined stereotypic beliefs about emotional resilience as a function of both targets’ and judges’ age. In a web-based study, 4,181 persons between 15 and 87 years rated four targets (young male worker, young female worker, older male worker, older female worker) on emotional resilience in a work context. An age effect showed that older targets were rated lower on emotional resilience than younger targets. Moreover, older compared to younger judges provided more positive assessments of younger targets. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Most research on attitudes toward older adults does not address subgroups of older adults. This study evaluated whether attitudes among undergraduates towards older professionals were more positive than those toward older adults in general. A 2 × 2 factorial design with the covariate of knowledge of aging was used with measures from two attitude scales. Independent variables were the priming target of older adults in general or older professionals and the order of administration of the two attitude scales with a sample of 107 undergraduates. The covariate was significant for three of the four dependent measures. The scale specifically developed for attitudes toward older workers showed a significant difference between the priming instruction groups, with more positive attitudes toward older professionals. Significant interactions in the same direction were noted for two of the other scales: Avoidance and Discrimination. The results suggest that professional status does provide one case in which negative attitudes among undergraduates toward older workers and adults in general may not hold. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Elder respect in East Asia has a long history that could be derived from Confucian philosophy. However, with the rapid development of westernization, younger people have gradually depreciated the value of elder respect and seek a reciprocal relationship with the elderly. A literature search revealed that age stereotypes would be both negative and positive. This study employs the qualitative approach, mainly through interviews, to collect college students' attitudes towards older primary teachers. The research findings illustrate three characteristics: (a) the value of elder respect from college students seems to have gradually declined, particularly under the impact of westernization and industrialization, although some students did still believe in elder respect influenced by Confucian philosophy; (b) some students' negative stereotypes of older primary teachers include that older primary teachers are resistant to change, unwilling to accept new ideas, and less motivated to learn; (c) some students' positive stereotypes towards older primary teachers are that they are experienced in teaching and classroom management and role models for younger teachers. This study raises several issues and questions that may contribute to further research. In addition, the study proposes some implications for educational authorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the notions of active ageing and elder learning in Hong Kong where a strategic approach to elderly education is applied by the government to encourage lifelong learning. The paper outlines the policy development and support for elder learning in Hong Kong in two distinct periods: pre-1997 and post-1997. The post-1997 period is marked by the retrocession to China and the establishment of the Hong Kong Elderly Commission to provide advice on policies and programs for meeting the challenges brought about by an ageing population. The pertinent needs for research are identified to review the effectiveness and adequacy of the policies and provisions for elder learning in Hong Kong. To determine whether such policies and provisions have achieved the desired outcomes, they must be subjected to rigorous evaluation. Only then can these policies and provisions claim to have achieved significant and important outcomes for Hong Kong. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the current study was to evaluate empirically positive side effects of a job-related training program on older adults' self-esteem, depression, and social networks. A total of 70 older adults participated in the study after completing the Older Paraprofessional Training Program developed and provided by the Continuing Education Center in a university in Korea. The one group pretest-posttest design was employed to test the positive side effects of the program. The results of paired samples t tests statistically support that there are significant changes in self-esteem, depression, and social network after completing the program. The findings of the study are discussed in relation to the evaluation and development of job-related training programs for older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reviews literature on educational gerontology, adult education, and training and identifies factors that may encourage or discourage older workers from participation in training. Previous research has emphasized models based on either motivation or deterrent factors. This article offers a unique exploratory model combining five motivational and two deterrent factors that hold the potential for predicting older worker's participation in training. Research based on the proposed model can help explain older learner's participation in work-related training and, thereby, provide practitioners with clues to enhance training programs for older workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research was to examine attitudinal barriers to the managerial intention to hire older workers (aged 60 and above). Structured questionnaires were used to collect data from a sample of managers with hiring power (N = 305). We found that (a) positive attitudes towards older people in general, perceived subjective norm, personal experiences with older people, and traditional Chinese cultural values were all related to stronger intentions to hire older workers; (b) among competing structural models, the expanded model adding personal experiences to the theory of reasoned action emerged to be the best one accounting for hiring intention. The associations of positive attitudes and subjective norm with intention were found after controlling for demographics, organizational characteristics, cultural values, and personal contact experiences with older people. Our results highlight the importance and urgency of more concerted research to inform public and organizational policies to better promote and manage the careers of older workers in an ageing developing society. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Little is known about the impact of the end of mandatory retirement on professors over the long term. This follow-up study investigated the ten-year experience of professors who chose not to retire from a major research university after the elimination of the age 70 mandatory retirement in 1994. The initial interview study was conducted in 1998 (Dorfman, 2000, 2002). All surviving professors (n = 13; age 80-84) agreed to be reinterviewed in 2007. The study investigated major reasons for continuing to work or retire, professional and nonprofessional activities, perceptions of departmental and institutional atmosphere and student and faculty attitudes toward older faculty, and preparation and plans for retirement. Content analysis of the tape-recorded open-ended questions revealed that employed professors continued to work mainly because they enjoyed it. Retired professors retired mainly because of age or felt it was time to retire. Retired professors as well as their employed counterparts continued professional activities, primarily research. Both groups reported mixed reactions to the overall atmosphere in their departments and university as well as to student and faculty attitudes toward older faculty, with one-third of retirees reporting departmental or institutional pressures to retire. The major type of planning for retirement was financial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increasingly aging workforce and advances in technology are changing work environments and structures. The continued employability of older adults, particularly those of lower socioeconomic status (SES), requires them to participate in training programs to ensure their competence in today's workplace. Focus groups with 37 unemployed adults (51-76 years old) were conducted to gather information about barriers and obstacles for returning to work, training needs and formats, work experiences, and perceptions of the characteristics of an ideal job. Overall, results indicated that participants experienced age discrimination and lack of technology skills. They also expressed a desire to receive additional training on technology and a preference for classroom training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes strategies developed to recruit and retain an ethnically diverse sample in a longitudinal intervention of 246 participants in the SeniorWISE study. The ethnic and socioeconomic differences of these participants necessitated the use of different methods of effectively communicating with this population. Recruitment benefited from the use of focus groups, media attention, and personal appearances in the community. Educational strategies included modification of language and examples. Testing sessions were called interviews, and team members were available to answer questions and to read the instruments to participants, when desired. Participants were sent birthday cards and a monthly newsletter. The study is 90% completed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This interview study uses both quantitative and qualitative data to: (1) compare personal and professional characteristics of professors who continue to work in their career jobs after age 70 with professors of the same age who retire; (2) explore reasons professors give for continuing to work or to retire; and (3) compare satisfaction levels of the employed and retired groups. Respondents were 17 employed (response rate 94%)and 54 retired (response rate 83%) professors aged 70-74 from a major research university, the type of institution most likely to be impacted by the end of mandatory retirement (Hammond & Morgan, 1991). Results indicated that employed professors were (1) less likely to be married or to have children and grandchildren and (2) were more strongly oriented to the professional role and professional ties outside the university than were their retired counterparts. Employed professors said they continued to work mainly because they enjoyed it, whereas retired professors said they retired because they wanted to do other things, felt it was time to retire, or had workplace concerns. Both faculty groups showed high levels of life satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this interview study was to examine the perceptions and experiences of tenured university professors who continue to work in their career jobs after age 70. The study utilized the case study method to let professors describe in their own voices the personal, professional, and institutional factors in their decision to keep working beyond the conventional retirement age and their plans for the future. The population under investigation was all tenured professors aged 70-74 at a major public research university, the institutions most likely to be impacted by the end of mandatory retirement (Hammond & Morgan, 1991). Content analysis of the interview tapes revealed the following themes: most professors continued to work because they enjoyed it, or felt that it was important to continue their work, perceived the overall atmosphere in their department and the university as positive, felt little institutional pressure to retire, and had no plans to retire. Economic factors played a relatively small role in continuing to work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extent to which older workers leave their jobs rather than adapt to workplace changes has a significant effect on the organizations they work for, on government programs, especially Social Security, and on the workers themselves. Conceptualizing the work adaptation process begins by recognizing that older employees have needs, values, and interests that must be met by their jobs for them to choose to remain employed and adapt to workplace changes. Simultaneously, a job has knowledge, skill, and ability requirements that must be met by an older employee for the employer to choose to retain him or her. As a job changes, the individual job fit is also likely to change, often with the result that the employee is required to adapt. A review of the literature shows that there are a variety of factors at the individual, organizational, and environmental levels that affect an older worker's ability and choice to adjust to workplace changes. These factors include, for example, training throughout an individual's career, personnel policies affecting older workers, and age discrimination. This article reviews the literature describing the conceptual framework and major individual and organizational factors found to affect an older worker's ability and choice to adapt to workplace changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article addresses four major topics. First, the authors present the critical demographic trends impacting the workforce of today and tomorrow, and specifically, the trend toward an aging workforce. Second, the authors discuss the rationale and the imperative for societal institutions, particularly higher education institutions, to prepare for the demographic shift toward an aging workforce. Third, the authors present an argument for the inclusion of aging workforce issues in human resource development academic programs and what human resource development students should know about their roles in training and/or retraining personnel for an aging workforce. Fourth, the authors present alternative approaches that faculty affiliated with human resource development academic programs can select to insure that such programs, and the professionals prepared within them, focus on the challenges involved in an aging workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extent to which older workers leave their jobs rather than adapt to workplace changes has a large impact on the organizations they work for, on government programs (especially Social Security) and on the older workers themselves. A conceptualization of the work adaptation process begins by recognizing that older employees have needs, values, and interests that must be met by their jobs in order for them to choose to remain employed and adapt to changes in the workplace. Simultaneously, a job has knowledge, skill, and ability requirements that must be met by the older employee in order for an employer to choose to retain the employee. As a job changes, the individual - job fit is also likely to change, with the result often being that the employee is required to adapt. A review of the literature shows that there are a variety of factors at the individual, organizational, and environmental levels that impact an older worker's choice and ability to adjust to workplace changes . These factors include , for example , the maintenance of training throughout a career, personnel policies toward older workers, and age discrimination. This article provides a review of the literature describing the conceptual framework and major factors at the individual and organizational levels found to affect older workers' abilities and choices to adapt to workplace changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]