Do stereotypes about older workers change? A panel study on changing attitudes of managers

Hendrik P. van Dalen,Kène Henkens

doi:10.1108/ijm-09-2018-0300

Hendrik P. van Dalen, Kène Henkens

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1108/ijm-09-2018-0300

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Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to see whether attitudes toward older workers by managers change over time and what might explain development over time.Design/methodology/approachA unique panel study of Dutch managers is used to track the development of their attitudes toward older workers over time (2010–2013) by focusing on a set of qualities of older workers aged 50 and older. A conditional change model is used to explain the variation in changes by focusing on characteristics of the manager (age, education, gender, tenure and contact with older workers) and of the firm (composition staff, type of work and sector, size).FindingsManagers have significantly adjusted their views on the so-called “soft skills” of older workers, like reliability and loyalty. Attitudes toward “hard skills” – like physical stamina, new tech skills and willingness to train – have not changed. Important drivers behind these changes are the age of the manager – the older the manager, the more likely a positive change in attitude toward older workers can be observed – and the change in the quality of contact with older workers. A deterioration of the managers’ relationship with older workers tends to correspond with a decline in their assessment of soft and hard skills.Social implicationsAttitudes are not very susceptible to change but this study shows that a significant change can be expected simply from the fact that managers age: older managers tend to have a more positive assessment of the hard and soft skills of older workers than young managers.Originality/valueThis paper offers novel insights into the question whether stereotypes of managers change over time.

Highlights

Stereotypes and ageist attitudes are a serious impediment to the prospects of older workers seeking employment in today’s labor markets: perceived discrimination based on age is one of the most widespread forms of discrimination in Europe (Eurobarometer, 2015)
It is difficult to detect whether stereotypical views toward older workers are accurate or not, as these may be a mix of dislikes and imperfect observation
We examine the age-related stereotypes of managers over a three-year period and look at whether employers have changed their perceptions of the productive skills of older workers over time

Summary

Introduction

Stereotypes and ageist attitudes are a serious impediment to the prospects of older workers seeking employment in today’s labor markets: perceived discrimination based on age is one of the most widespread forms of discrimination in Europe (Eurobarometer, 2015). Actual discrimination is hard to discern or detect – the economic literature on discrimination shows that in theory one can view employer decisions as either based on dislikes and “tastes” as Becker (1957) describes, or based on statistical discrimination (Phelps, 1972; Arrow, 1973). The latter concept is a form of discrimination where employers use the group identity in their assessment of productivity of individuals (belonging to a minority group) because employee’s productivity is imperfectly observed[1]. What makes the case of discrimination of older workers even harder is that the signals about the productive value of older workers are bound to be imperfect, as human capital investments are expected to generate a greater dispersion over the life course in unobserved investments among older workers (Heckman et al, 2006; Neumark et al, 2019)

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