Talk
Age diversity management: current challenges for organizations
Sara Ramos (Ramos, S.); Joana Alexandre (Alexandre, J.); Inês Couto (Couto, I.); Inês Valente (Valente, I.);
Event Title
16th International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations
Year (definitive publication)
2016
Language
English
Country
Spain
More Information
--
Abstract
Diversity is one of the great challenges for organizations. The European Union's Eurobarometer survey data of 2015 point out the most common forms of discrimination (age discrimination is considered “common” by 42% of Europeans, 64% for ethnic, and 68% for physical disabilities). However, when it comes to discrimination in the job context, age emerges as the leading factor, considered by 56% of Europeans as the main criterion for a decision on access to employment (46% for ethnic discrimination, 46% for disability; 27% for gender). Ageing is one of the most prominent phenomena of demographic change for the majority of Western countries. This is reflected in the gradual ageing the workforce in organizations (Schalk et al, 2010; Volkoff, 2012). Encouraging active ageing has been one of the measures proposed by the European Union to face up to demographic change in Europe, establishing objective targets to increase the employment rate of workers between 55 and 64 years, as well as the increase of the legal age of retirement. The permanence of the elderly in the labor market increases workforce age diversity inside the organizations, stressing the need to manage simultaneously different generations of workers. We analyzed the relationship between age diversity climate and intention to turnover in a sample of 360 workers (aged between 20 and 72, mean=38.2 and sd=13.5). Our findings suggest that a positive age diversity climate is related with the intention to stay in the organization. These results reinforce the need for organizations to rethink their management practices. Research in this field states the positive results (namely in performance) of an effective diversity management through (Kunze, Boehm & Bruch, 2013).
Acknowledgements
--
Keywords
Age diversity Age management Ageing at work