Engaging the mature-aged workforce

N. S. Vrisakis, P. H. Langford

    Research output: Contribution to journalMeeting abstract

    Abstract

    Australia’s population is ageing and with it the workforce. This is producing social, political and economic challenges. An increasing pool of retirees is contributing to a skills shortage and placing demands on government resources. Increasing the participation rate of mature-aged workers may address these challenges and have benefits for the individual, such as improvement in health and well-being. The aims of this research were to identify management practices that drive employee engagement amongst mature-aged workers and to ascertain whether these differ to those that drive engagement of younger workers. The data, analysed from organisational climate surveys completed by 9437 employees across 896 organisations, indicated that there are some minor differences between the drivers of engagement for employees aged 20-29 years of age compared to those employees 50 years or older. Career opportunities and performance appraisal appear to be less important for older workers, while role clarity and resources are more important. Rewards and recognition are significant drivers of engagement for both older and younger workers. Work/life balance was one of the least significant drivers for all age groups. Consistent with previous research, older workers report higher levels of engagement, implying there may be benefits for employers by employing older workers.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)138-139
    Number of pages2
    JournalAustralian Journal of Psychology
    Volume59
    Issue numberSuppl.
    Publication statusPublished - 2007
    EventIndustrial and Organisational Psychology Conference (7th : 2007) & Asia Pacific Congress on Workplace and Organisational Psychology (1st : 2007) - Adelaide
    Duration: 25 Sept 200729 Sept 2007

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