Successful ageing at work and the transition to retirement

Demographic changes and ageing workforces in most industrialised and some developing countries require that researchers and practitioners gain a better understanding of successful ageing in the work context and mature age employees’ transition to retirement. This symposium includes four papers that focus on the work concerns of mature age employees as well as their expectations and competencies regarding the last years on the job and the retirement process. The four papers investigate these topics using a broad range of theoretical perspectives and methods. They include a conceptual analysis of employers’ options to promote work-life balance among mature age employees, two survey studies with several generations of employees as participants and a controlled intervention study which aims to support mature age employees in their preparation for retirement. The samples in the empirical studies include Australian and European employees from different jobs and occupations. The papers included in this symposium have practical implications for the promotion of successful ageing at work and the optimal preparation of employees for the years before and after retirement.