Job Attitudes Are Differentially Associated With Bridge Employment and Phased Retirement Among Older Australian Employees

Abstract

This study investigates interest in, and factors associated with, bridge employment and phased retirement. A survey of 609 older employees undertaken in 2010 at a large, diverse organization in Australia revealed that job attitudes were differentially linked to interest in these retirement options, with moderately high levels of interest in working following retirement. Job attitudes were positively associated with interest in same-organization bridge employment, but job satisfaction was negatively associated with interest in phased retirement within the current organization. When the attitudinal variables were examined simultaneously for bridge employment, job involvement was the only unique predictor. These findings suggest that job attitudes play an important role in an individual’s openness to extending employment within the same organization beyond retirement, and suggest that organizations should consider implementing interventions that target job attitudes as a method to retain older employees.