Relatively little attention has been paid to how age-management, through work adjustments, affect employers and employees’ attitudes to and strategies for a prolonged and sustainable working life in later ages. Scholars have called for actions at national and organizational levels to sustain older employees' motivation and ability to continue working (Truxillo et al. 2015). Hence, more knowledge is needed concerning potential organizational differences in attitudes
towards older employees. For instance, studies have shown that while some organizations tend to view older employees’ skills and expertise as an important asset worth retaining, others suggest that they are often stereotyped as, e.g., less productive and motivated (Henkens 2005, OECD 2017). Building on previous findings of older employees’ motivation and intentions to work in late age (Stattin & Bengs 2021, Jonsson et al. 2021), this project will explore the national prevalence of employment enhancing practices, and examine how these interact with individual predictors to influence retirement preferences?
A topical case in age management is related to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has imposed an accelerated transition to digital work for both employees and employers. This shift can be understood as part of an opportunity structure for both employers and employees where digital work can act as a means for a prolonged working life through flexibility and new work tasks. However, previous studies identify older people as a risk group for exclusion when workplaces, and society in general, are digitised (Hunsaker & Hargittai 2018). Thus, digitalization can narrow the gateways for a prolonged working life. Therefore, as a second aim, this project will explore employers’ and employees’ strategies of age management and digitalisation, specifically whether digital solutions can act as a means for a prolonged working life.
