Age-diverse Workforce Research Articles

Labour productivity and employee diversity in the South African workplace

The aim of this article is to determine the impact that employee diversity attributes have on labour productivity in the South African workplace. Given the perceived general low levels of labour productivity in the South African economy, this particular research aims to serve as a further contribution to our understanding of the labour productivity debate when a broad range of employee attributes at firm and individual levels are considered. A firm-based model is used for the estimation of the link between the employee group demographic characteristics and labour productivity, and an employee remuneration model is used to estimate the link between individual employee diversity demographics and labour productivity. The main conclusions of the estimation results are that a less age-diverse workforce, higher education/training levels, greater levels of gender diversity and a more racially diverse workforce are pre-requisites for higher real remuneration and labour productivity benefits.

Job satisfaction in aging workforces: an analysis of the USA, Japan and Germany

In light of the dramatically aging workforces in many industrialized countries, age diversity management will become a major challenge in human resource management. To successfully handle an age-diverse workforce, it is crucial to understand how employees of different ages can be motivated. This paper analyzes age's moderating role in the relationship between situational job characteristics and job satisfaction. To control for the potential influence of the cultural and institutional context, we use data from the USA, Japan and Germany. Findings show that older employees' job satisfaction is driven by different factors than younger employees: older employees put more emphasis on good relationships with colleagues, while income, advancement opportunities, job security and having an interesting job are less important. However, these effects are mostly nation-dependent, which underlines the importance of conducting cross-cultural or cross-national aging research.

Extending working lives: age management in SMEs

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a study of age management in small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK.Design/methodology/approachQualitative data collection and exploratory research with six SMEs comprising of: initial interviews with representatives from the SMEs; action research activities designed to raise awareness of age management issues and age discrimination legislation; and follow‐up interviews to ascertain if awareness raising activities resulted in any changes, or planned changes, in policy, practice and attitudes towards older workers.FindingsGood practice in age management can be found in SMEs, but was not found to be part of a systematic strategy. Negative practices and attitudes towards older workers are observed, with positive and negative age stereotypes coexisting. Negative stereotypes displayed can undermine the perceived economic value of older workers. There may be a gap between policy and practice, but awareness raising campaigns that reach employers can influence existing ways of working by showing the benefits of an age diverse workforce and helping reduce prejudices against older workers.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample size is small and context specific. However, the study usefully illustrates different approaches to age management policies and practices in SMEs, and the potential benefits of age management awareness in influencing attitudes and practices towards older workers in SMEs.Originality/valueThe experience of age management in SMEs is under researched and examples of good practice in age management are often drawn from large organisations. The paper highlights that SMEs often lack the resources to seek advice regarding age management; therefore, those responsible for age management awareness raising activities may need to approach businesses directly.

How frames present BMW as embracing an aging workforce

As the population begins to age, organizations are starting to plan for an influx of older employees. Since the workforce is “graying,” the question now becomes how to best utilize this growing segment of the population within an organizational context. This case study applied framing analysis to the BMW Today for Tomorrow program in order to understand how BMW built support for its efforts to create a more age diverse workforce. This initiative was intended to redesign the production lines at BMW in order to become more age-appropriate for BMW's increasingly older employees. The Today for Tomorrow program included the implementation of over 70 small changes that improved the efficiency of an experimental production line (e.g., magnifying glasses, stretching station, wooden floors, and ergonomic standing chairs). Several texts were analyzed including media stories, the organizational website, and the BMW Sustainability Report. Based on this case study, BMW's Today for Tomorrow program contained two overarching frames that aided in the attempt to highlight its age appropriate workplace initiatives. These frames are age as a valuable resource and BMW as a responsible organization. In addition, BMW incorporated both episodic (specific examples) and thematic (general context) framing techniques in order to localize and globalize the issue of an aging workforce simultaneously.

New Views of Age Stereotypes: Form, Prevalence, and Consequences

This session will synthesize timely empirical evidence that will help to shape management strategies of the most age-diverse workforce in history. Specifically, this symposium presents new internat...

Age diversity, age discrimination climate and performance consequences—a cross organizational study

AbstractThis paper deals with the emergence of perceived age discrimination climate on the company level and its performance consequences. In this new approach to the field of diversity research, we investigated (a) the effect of organizational‐level age diversity on collective perceptions of age discrimination climate that (b) in turn should influence the collective affective commitment of employees, which is (c) an important trigger for overall company performance. In a large‐scale study that included 128 companies, a total of 8,651 employees provided data on their perceptions of age discrimination and affective commitment on the company level. Information on firm‐level performance was collected from key informants. We tested the proposed model using structural equation modeling (SEM) procedures and, overall, found support for all hypothesized relationships. The findings demonstrated that age diversity seems to be related to the emergence of an age discrimination climate in companies, which negatively impacts overall firm performance through the mediation of affective commitment. These results make valuable contributions to the diversity and discrimination literature by establishing perceived age discrimination on the company level as a decisive mediator in the age diversity/performance link. The results also suggest important practical implications for the effective management of an increasingly age diverse workforce. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Training and developing an age diverse workforce in SMEs

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the importance of strategic human resource development (HRD) in small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) with specific reference to key issues around training, development and education as well as an emerging issue of significance, age diversity management.Design/methodology/approachThe approach undertaken in the paper is to draw upon relevant literature and research as well as the authors' own analysis of the relationship between strategic human resource management (SHRM), HRD and SMEs based on prior research.FindingsThe findings of the research and analysis is that SMEs which take a strategic approach to training and development of their human resources will profit not only from a competitive position in their marketplace but also be well placed to adjust to changing and often uncertain external influences on the business environment presented to organisations in the twenty‐first century.Practical implicationsIt is envisaged that SMEs should make changes to their current practices and adopt a more strategic approach to the development of their people based on the practical implications outlined within the paper as to how organisations can implement HRD practices linked to broader corporate strategy.Originality/valueThe paper adds value in broadening the existing focus of SHRM and HRD on large corporations to engendering the need to also develop good HRD practices within emerging and growing SMEs and recognising the important role that they can play in developing an age diverse workforce.