Younger Coworkers Research Articles

Older workers' knowledge seeking from younger coworkers: Disentangling countervailing pathways to successful aging at work

SummaryIncreasing age diversity in the workplace has led to growing research attention to the knowledge transfer between older and younger employees. The existing literature on age‐diverse knowledge exchange has mostly focused on knowledge transfer from older to younger employees as a means of knowledge retention. In this study, we change perspectives by aiming to understand how and when older employees' knowledge seeking from younger coworkers is related to their successful aging at work (i.e., the motivation and ability to continue working). Grounded in the self‐regulatory process model of successful aging at work, we predict two countervailing pathways: a positive self‐enhancing path via perceived learning and a negative self‐protective path via embarrassment. In a time‐lagged study with 764 older employees, we found that their knowledge seeking from younger coworkers was positively related to motivation to continue working and workability via perceived learning and negatively related to workability via embarrassment. We further examined older employees' positive intergenerational affect as a boundary condition and found a buffering effect on the negative path to workability. This research shows that knowledge transfer from younger to older employees is a net contributor to successful aging at work and embarrassment can be mitigated by positive intergenerational affect.

EDITORIAL

Dear friends, Last year we moved to open editorial software that is hosted by University of Ljubljana Press. We are still adapting to this new address and the new way of work. We apologise for any inconvenience that this move has created and hope to get everything running smoothly as soon as possible.Please note that our address is https://journals.uni-lj.si/sgj We are still working as volunteers and splitting our duties with our younger coworkers. You may have noticed that the administrator has become very strict when articles are not prepared according to the guidelines. To avoid any prolonged delays in getting your article approved, please read the guidelines carefully and make sure to follow them.We are still experiencing problems with our reviewers as, unfortunately, many of them have no time to review our submissions. I would like to appeal to you to please help us out. As a specialized journal, we have access to only a limited number of researchers. Let's all make an effort to be a part of the prominent scientific community on the Web of Science and SCOPUS! This issue covers a diverse range of content, the authors are coming from Taiwan, Spain, Croatia, USA, Brazil, Portugal and the Bosnia and Herzegovina. For those, who want more knowledge from different areas of our gymnastics, please join to Freiburger Gerätturntage 2023 from 14.-15.10.23. Lectures will be also in English. Anton Gajdoš prepared his 27th short historical note introducing Mitsuo Tsukahara from Japan. Just to remind you, if you cite the journal, its abbreviation in the Web of Knowledge is SCI GYMN J. I wish you enjoyable reading and many new ideas for research projects and articles. Ivan ČukEditor-in-Chief

Editorial

Dear friends,
 Last year we moved to open editorial software that is hosted by Ljubljana University. We are still adapting to this new address and the new way of work. We apologise for any inconvenience that this move has created and hope to get everything running smoothly as soon as possible.
 Please note that our address is
 https://journals.uni-lj.si/sgj
 We are still working as volunteers and splitting our duties with our younger coworkers. You may have noticed that the administrator has become very strict when articles are not prepared according to the guidelines. To avoid any prolonged delays in getting your article approved, please read the guidelines carefully and make sure to follow them.
 We are still experiencing problems with our reviewers as, unfortunately, many of them have no time to review our submissions. I would like to appeal to you to please help us out. As a specialized journal, we have access to only a limited number of researchers. Let's all make an effort to be a part of the prominent scientific community on the Web of Science and SCOPUS!
 This issue covers a diverse range of content, and as the editor, I particularly enjoyed reading the historical articles. We have an excellent article from Croatia on the development of gymnastics in their country up to the year 1903. The authors are mostly from Brazil, with the rest coming from Slovenia, Portugal, Japan, Turkey, and the USA.
 Anton Gajdoš prepared his 26rd short historical note introducing Eberhard Gienger from Germany.
 Just to remind you, if you cite the journal, its abbreviation in the Web of Knowledge is SCI GYMN J. 
 I wish you enjoyable reading and many new ideas for research projects and articles.
 Ivan Čuk 
 Editor-in-Chief

Age, experience and creative labour: Narratives of creative professionals over age 55 in the New York fashion industry

This qualitative study introduces six creative fashion professionals, aged 55‐74, who started their careers in the 1980s. They have managed to overcome the complex challenges of employment and remain active in the highly competitive and youth-centric fashion industry of New York City. The participants represent key occupations that drive the behind-the-scenes creative force in the industry’s supply chain. While their long careers have equipped them with expertise, multiple transferable hard and soft skills and extensive professional networks, they have become a rare age demographic in the industry. We investigate the importance of professional experience that comes with age in the current workforce by exploring the participants’ self-reflections and assessments about their careers as ageing workers. We determine how exogenous factors such as globalization, trade agreements, changes in technology, the effect of politics and recessions, global health crises and endogenous factors, such as changes in positions, additional training and work‐life balance, have influenced their careers. We highlight the benefits of intergenerational teams in which older workers are effectively able to transfer knowledge to and collaborate with younger co-workers and vice versa. Employing insights of the theory of experience, continuity theory, social exchange theory and generational theory, the study shows that intergenerational collaboration is critical to mastering creative processes in the fashion and textiles industry. Our research uncovers this demographic’s collective experience, tacit knowledge and resilience and proclaims their passion for their professions. It also illuminates the strategies the participants employed to remain professionally relevant as they adapted to the shifting landscape of the global fashion industry.

Knowledge is Key: Unlocking the Positive Effects of Age Diversity in Organizations

The working population is more age-diverse than ever before (Truxillo, Cadiz, & Hammer, 2015). At the same time, knowledge loss has become a real threat to organizations due to massive waves of retirement because members of the Baby Boomer generation are gradually leaving the job market. These trends affect organizations at large and require evidence-based solutions to successfully manage the consequences of demographic change and to unlock the benefits of an age-diverse workforce. Motivational changes across the lifespan and differences in socialization, education, and on-the-job experiences suggest particular benefits from intergenerational knowledge sharing. However, like other types of diversities, age diversity can lead to both positive and negative outcomes (Horwitz & Horwitz, 2007; King & Bryant, 2017) and the underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions facilitating positive effects remain largely unclear (North, 2019). This symposium sets out to open this black box and identify underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions that unlock beneficial outcomes of age diversity. First, Li, Burmeister, Wang, Asencio, Zhu, and Jin empirically examine whether age diversity in teams is positively related to innovation via knowledge exchange density and novelty, and whether team task reflexivity is a boundary condition of these mechanisms. Next, Burmeister, Gerpott, Hirschi, Scheibe, Pak, and Kooij demonstrate the effectiveness of two newly developed age diversity training interventions intended to improve intergenerational contact quality and knowledge transfer. Third, Pfrombeck and Burmeister present a dual path model to explain how and when older employees’ learning from younger coworkers can contribute to successful aging at work (i.e., work motivation, performance, well-being). After that, Truxillo, Cadiz, Brady, and Zaniboni examine the role of generativity as a driver for older employees’ engagement in job crafting to realize their age-based motivational shifts toward passing knowledge and experiences to the younger generation. Finally, De Meulenaere, Allen, and Kunze investigate the effects of age-based subgroup development (i.e., age separation) on turnover-related outcomes at the individual and organizational level. Following the presentations, Kurt Kraiger and Lisa M. Finkelstein, two renowned researchers in the fields of learning and age diversity, will discuss and integrate the insights from the five presentations in the larger context of current research in these fields, pointing to important implications for practice and future scholarly work. This symposium brings together five presentations from researchers from China, the USA, and multiple European countries using different methodological approaches at the individual, team, and organizational level. Our intention is to contribute to a deeper and broader understanding of how organizations and employees themselves can unlock the beneficial outcomes of an age-diverse workforce, specifically, to retain knowledge and promote intergenerational knowledge transfer, issues which are relevant for both research and practice. Age Diversity, Knowledge Exchange, and Team Innovation: The Moderating Role of Team Task Reflexivity Presenter: Yixuan Li; Purdue U. Presenter: Anne Burmeister; Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus U. Presenter: Mo Wang; U. of Florida Presenter: Raquel Asencio; Purdue U., West Lafayette Presenter: Yue Zhu; ZheJiang GongShang U. Presenter: Yanghua Jin; ZheJiang GongShang U. A Dual Pathway Model of the Effects of Two Age Diversity Training Programs Presenter: Anne Burmeister; Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus U. Presenter: Fabiola Heike Gerpott; WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management Presenter: Andreas Hirschi; U. of Bern, Work and Organisational Psychology Presenter: Susanne Scheibe; Groningen U. (RuG) Presenter: Karen Pak; Radboud U. Nijmegen Presenter: Dorien Kooij; Tilburg U. Learning from Younger Coworkers: Cognitive and Affective Avenues to Employees’ Successful Aging Presenter: Julian Pfrombeck; ETH Zurich Presenter: Anne Burmeister; Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus U. Generativity and Job Crafting Among Older Workers Presenter: Donald M. Truxillo; Portland State U. Presenter: David Cadiz; Portland State U. Presenter: Grant Brady; Portland State U. Presenter: Sara Zaniboni; U. of Bologna Workforce Age Separation and Turnover: Who Leaves and Why? Presenter: Kim De Meulenaere; KU Leuven Presenter: David G. Allen; Texas Christian U. Presenter: Florian Kunze; U. of Konstanz

Older workers from the viewpoint of their younger colleagues. Do organisations fail to harness the potential of an ageing workforce?

Objective: Scholars agree that due to an ageing workforce which is observable in many societies around the globe, organisations will face an employee base that is getting older and more age-diverse (Kunze et al., 2011). This development can be beneficial for organisations when its potential gets harnessed; however, it leaves us also with some concerns. Research studies found rather unpromising results for an ageing workforce in the organisation. This article sheds light on the perception of older employees from the perspective of their younger co-workers, where little is known about. Research Design & Methods: It uses a qualitative study design through in-depth interviewing and metaphorical talk. In total, 27 interviews have been collected in Germany and Poland. Findings: Respondents point out that their senior colleague possesses crucial human and social capital for the organisation. They further reveal obstacles which partially explain, why results from previous studies may vary. Contribution & Value Added: The perception of younger employees offers valuable inside for employers and entrepreneurs alike. Employers have been found to have a somewhat negative attitudes towards the employability of senior-aged workers. Younger employees revealed that senior-aged workers are perceived to have a vital role in knowledge transfer by their younger colleagues.

Differences in the Motivational Outcomes of Knowledge Transfer between Older and Younger Coworkers

The growing age diversity in organizations in most industrialized economies provides opportunities to motivate both older and younger workers by enabling them to benefit from each other through kno...

Older Workers and the Gig Economy

As the workforce ages, how will the work lives of older people evolve? One way to ease into retirement is to move to the gig economy where workers choose hours and intensity of work that fit their needs and capabilities. However, older workers are often reaping the benefits of the latter end of an implicit contract while gig economy workers are paid their marginal product. We show that age/earnings profiles in the traditional labor market are different than for Uber drivers. While the move to the gig economy generates flexibility, older workers are paid less than their younger coworkers.

The role of personal characteristics, work environment and context in working beyond retirement: a mixed-methods study

ObjectiveTo investigate the role of personal characteristics, work environment and context in working beyond retirement.MethodsIn the current study, a mixed-methods design was applied including quantitative survey data and semi-structured telephone interviews. Respondents (N = 568) were selected from the Study on Transitions in Employment, Ability and Motivation (STREAM). Personal characteristics, work characteristics and contextual factors were measured using a questionnaire at baseline. Concurrently, qualitative data of 30 persons aged over 65 years were gathered. Logistic regression analyses were used to identify quantitative associations and thematic analyses were used for qualitative purposes.ResultsQuantitative data revealed that being in good physical health (OR = 1.80), developmental proactivity (OR = 1.38), interesting work (OR = 2.02), appreciation (OR = 1.62) and voluntary work (OR = 1.58) were associated with working beyond the statutory retirement age. Additionally, qualitative findings suggested that working beyond retirement was mainly driven by the desire to contribute to society (e.g., mentor younger coworkers), and identified the employers’ willingness to hire an older worker despite existing stereotypes as an important precondition.ConclusionsWorking beyond retirement is influenced by physical health and work characteristics, as well as motivational determinants such as the desire to contribute to society. However, to meet the increasing demands for paid jobs by individuals aged over 65 years, the willingness of employers to actually hire them is crucial. Therefore, recognition and utilization of older workers’ potentials is of great importance.

Subtle Discrimination in the Service Sector

A hotel concierge notices that her White female coworker earns higher tips from guests and wonders whether this disparity is attributable to race. A financial service specialist working at a bank considers whether his age is the reason why customers in need of consultation approach his younger coworkers more often. As these examples indicate, Jones, Arena, Nittrouer, Alonso, and Lindsey's (2017) multidimensional framework extends to customer service contexts. In the sections that follow, we contextualize and extend many of Jones et al.’s arguments to the customer service industry, providing implications for both research and practice.

Effects of rater conscientiousness on evaluations of task and contextual performance of older and younger co-workers

The possibility for age discrimination and stereotypes to affect performance evaluations is rising. Although careful evaluations might be expected from conscientious raters, little is known about whether they might show more or less bias towards certain age groups. Therefore, in our study using a time-lagged design, we investigated the effects of rater conscientiousness on the performance evaluations of younger and older actual co-worker (N = 242). We found that raters who were more conscientious provided higher ratings for older workers than for younger workers on task performance and organizational citizenship behaviours. Specifically, we tested the model of mediated moderation, in which the relation between rater conscientiousness and ratee age predicts ratee-perceived conscientiousness, which in turn predicts performance ratings. The model was significant for older ratees, but not for younger ratees. We discuss our results in terms of the “similar to me” effects and implications for organizational practices.

Age-related differences do affect postural kinematics and joint kinetics during repetitive lifting

BackgroundAge is considered a risk factor for manual handling-related injuries and older workers incur higher injury-related costs than younger co-workers. This study investigated the differences between the kinematics and kinetics of repetitive lifting in two groups of handlers of different ages. MethodsFourteen younger (mean 24.4yr) and 14 older (mean 47.2yr) males participated in the study. Participants repetitively lifted a box weighing 13kg at a frequency of 10lifts/min for a maximum of 20min. Postural kinematics (joint and lumbosacral angles and angular velocities) and kinetics (joint moments) were measured throughout the lifting task using motion analysis and ground reaction forces. Muscle fatigue of the erector spinae was assessed using electromyography. FindingsPeak lumbosacral, trunk, hip and knee flexion angles differed significantly between age groups over the duration of the task, as did lumbosacral and trunk angular velocities. The younger group increased peak lumbar flexion by approximately 18% and approached 99% of maximum lumbosacral flexion after 20min, whereas the older group increased lumbar flexion by 4% and approached 82% maximum flexion. The younger group had a larger increase in peak lumbosacral and trunk angular velocities during extension, which may be related to the increased back muscle fatigue observed among the younger group. InterpretationOlder participants appeared to control the detrimental effects of fatigue associated with repetitive lifting and limit lumbar spine range of motion. The higher rates of musculoskeletal injury among older workers may stem from a complex interaction of manual handling risk factors.

Steven H. Strauss

Angewandte Chemie International EditionVolume 53, Issue 1 p. 36-37 Author Profile Steven H. Strauss First published: 31 October 2013 https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201307440Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Abstract “I would have liked to have discovered a new element. The most exciting thing about my research is working closely with young co-workers and watching their transition from science students into scientists. …︁” This and more about Steven H. Strauss can be found on page 34. Volume53, Issue1January 3, 2014Pages 36-37 RelatedInformation

Age in relation to worker compensation costs in the construction industry

A better understanding of how workers' compensation (WC) costs are affected by an aging US workforce is needed, especially for physically demanding industries, such as construction. The relationship between age and injury type on claim costs was evaluated using a database of 107,064 Colorado WC claims filed between 1998 and 2008 among construction workers. Mean WC costs increased with increasing age for total cost (P < 0.0001), medical costs (P < 0.0001), and indemnity costs (P < 0.0001). For each one-year increase in age, indemnity, and medical costs increased by 3.5% and 1.1%, respectively. For specific injury types, such as strains and contusions, the association between age and indemnity costs was higher among claimants aged ≥65 compared to claimants aged 18-24. Our findings suggest that specific injury types may be partially responsible for the higher indemnity costs among older construction workers, compared with their younger coworkers.

Conference Report: International Conference of Czech and Slovak Polymer Chemists “Polymers 2004”

Since 2000, every two years coworkers of the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry of Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (CR) and the Polymer Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS) Slovak Republic (SR) meet for a conference devoted to the topics of actual cooperation and mutual interest. The main goal of the Conference meeting is to allow participants to meet younger coworkers—mainly Ph.D. students and post doctoral fellows—to present the latest results and find common interests for common projects on a bilateral or multilateral level in the Framework 6 or 7 of the research projects of the European Union.

A new approach to the link between identity and relative deprivation in the perspective of ageism and retirement.

Although the work force is aging, views regarding older workers remain negative. As a result, complaints of discrimination on the basis of age have increased. This situation prompts the following questions: what leads aging workers to acknowledge disparities between younger workers and themselves, and what are the consequences for aging workers of integrating into their self-image some of the characteristics commonly associated with their cohort? These questions are examined in light of a new approach to the link between identity and relative deprivation. The following hypotheses were included in a predictive model: the more individuals include characteristics of their group into their self-descriptions, the more they experience personal deprivation when comparing their own situation to that of younger workers. These feelings, in turn, affect them during retirement in terms of lowered self-esteem and decreased satisfaction with their life. This model was tested among 149 young retirees. Hypotheses were confirmed, and it was shown that end-of-career experiences have an impact on the situation of young retirees. The more individuals integrated characteristics of aging workers, the more they felt personally deprived as a result of invidious comparisons with young co-workers. The latter also had a negative impact on self-esteem and life satisfaction. Implications of results and new avenues of research are discussed herein.

Jean-Jacques Berzélius (1779-1848), associé de l'Académie Royale de Belgique : quelques réflexions à propos de son bicentenaire

Joens-Jacob Berzelius, the famous swedish chemist, was born on the 20th of August 1779. He studied at Upsala, where he was granted the doctorate in medecine (1804). Short after that, he was appointed to a chair at the university of Stockholm and dedicated himself, almost entirely, to chemistry. His course, illustrated by demonstrative experiments, became reknown troughout the chemical world. He was made a member of the Royal Academy of Sciences (1808) served as its president (1810), and was elected standing secretary (1818). Berzelius was an expert analyst ; he performed many quantative analysis. He was the discoverer of several new elements. The atomic weights, he had determined, appeared in his table (1818), with the new chemical symbols he had devised ; his electro-dualistic theory based on experiments, he had carried out with a large Volta pile, his new classification of minerals, based upon instead of physical properties on their chemical composition, he had established himself experimentaly, made him as the dominant figure of his time, despite the fact he was geographically distant from the principal chemical centers. Several belgians were among Berzelius's numerous pupils, colleagues and friends. B. Valerius translated his text-book from the german edition into the french (Brussels, 1838-1844). J. B. Van Mons, the father of the belgian chemists, introduced him as a foreign member of our Royal Academy (1817). P. Louyet, who was a young and trusty follower, wrote his biographical sketch (1849). M. Martens, as being an electro-chemist, was very familiar with the Swedish theory in this field, brought himself a valuable contribution to it and was also involved in the controversy, J. B. Dumas versus J. J. Berzelius, about the theory of substitution processes (1840). Last but not least, J. J. Stas and L. Melsens, two young coworkers of J. B. Dumas took an active part in this controversy, one of the most violent in the course of XIX century.

Employee absenteeism: New insights: Data reveal external factors

The problem of absenteeism is more acute today than ever before in our history. Despite this, there are surprisingly few studies aimed at determining some of the underlying causes for absences. The author surveyed the production employees from two different organizations. No relation was found between the employee's attitudes toward the company in general, toward his pay, or toward his work load. However, those workers who felt that their immediate supervisor was fair; were the same employees with few absences. In addition, evidence is presented showing that older employees are on the job more often than their younger coworkers. For working mothers the lack of day care centers is a major contributor to absenteeism. Absenteeism can be decreased by management's awareness of the major causal factors.