Taking a differentiated perspective of age in the workplace

Abstract

Ageism against older employees is prevalent in the IT-industry, increasing the risk of older IT-employees’ turnover intention. To contribute to a more differentiated perspective of age, we provide the first empirical test of the recently developed GATE framework (North, 2019) that disentangles generation, age, tenure and work experience. This study uses longitudinal data from the Socioeconomic Panel. We test hypotheses about the effects of the GATE-variables on the probability of older IT-workers’ intention to quit (ITQ) involving the within-between random effects approach. The results suggest that the GATE-framework partly provides added value. Whereas there is partial support that tenure is important for reducing ITQ, chronological variables (age and generational difference) were not found to be relevant. The respective influence of age and work experience on ITQ examined with cross-sectional data was not related in the within-person model. The theoretical and practical implications of the GATE-framework are discussed. This study makes three contributions: First, it provides some support for a more differentiated view of age in the workplace. Second, it informs the turnover research by addressing age-related predictors for reducing ITQ. Third, the benefits of long-tenured employees’ human capital are highlighted by focusing on the tenure-ITQ relationship in the IT-sector.