Successful Aging at Work: The Role of Work Design in Growth Trajectories of Older Workers

Abstract

In order to age successfully at work, people need to maintain or improve their work ability and motivation to work. This implies a process that develops over time and can differ substantially between individuals. Most studies fail to capture this process as they take a variable-centered approach. This study investigated whether different trajectories of perceived work ability and motivation to continue working in the current job can be distinguished between older employees over time and to what extent job demands and job resources are predictive of these different trajectories. We applied growth mixture modeling among 5,799 employees of 45 years and older at four time points. We found four distinct groups of older workers that differed in their trajectories of perceived work ability and three types of groups of older workers that differed in their trajectories of their motivation to continue working in the current job. Higher levels of physical and emotional demands were more common in trajectories that were unfavorable, whereas higher levels of mental demands, autonomy, supervisor support, and colleague support were more common in favorable trajectories. This study gives Human Resource Management practitioners insight into how jobs should be designed to stimulate successful aging at work.