Abstract
The current study aims to test a moderated-mediation model in which occupational self-efficacy determines the indirect effect of negative stereotypes about older workers in the organization both on psychological engagement in the work domain and on attitudes toward development opportunities through identification with the company. The survey involved 1,501 Italian subjects aged over 50 who were employed by a major large-scale retailer. Consistently with the Social Identity Theory and the Social Exchange Theory, results showed that the perception of negative stereotypes about older workers in the organization is associated with low identification with the company and, subsequently, with poor psychological engagement in the work domain and with attitudes indicating very little interest in development opportunities. In addition, this association was found to be stronger in older workers with higher and medium levels of occupational self-efficacy. These findings suggest that organizations should discourage the dissemination of negative stereotypes about older workers in the workplace because they may lead to older workers’ disengagement from the work domain and their loss of interest in development opportunities.
Highlights
Nowadays, population aging across the Western world is increasing the need to extend the participation of older people in the labor market
We propose the following hypothesis: Hypothesis 2 – The indirect effect of negative stereotypes about older workers on their psychological engagement in the work domain (H2a) and on their attitudes toward development opportunities (H2b) through identification with the company depends on occupational self-efficacy
Negative stereotypes about older workers resulted in a negative correlation with occupational self-efficacy (r = −0.31, p < 0.01), identification with the company (r = −0.28, p < 0.01), psychological engagement in the work domain (r = −0.29, p < 0.01), and attitudes toward development opportunities (r = −0.18, p < 0.01)
Summary
Population aging across the Western world is increasing the need to extend the participation of older people in the labor market. The literature about occupational stress (i.e., Adams et al, 2013) reports that older workers might experience different social stressors in their work environment stemming from ageism. Ageism is the “systematic stereotyping of and discrimination against older people because they are old” Age stereotypes, defined as beliefs and expectations regarding a worker, based on his or her age (Hamilton and Sherman, 1994; Posthuma and Campion, 2009), generally refer negatively to older workers as poorly productive, resistant to change, unable to learn new solutions, and less healthy in comparison with younger workers (i.e., Posthuma and Campion, 2009; Ng and Feldman, 2010; Dordoni and Argentero, 2015).
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