In the name of meritocracy: managers' perceptions of policies and practices for training older workers
Open accessAbstract
Workplaces, managers and employers who are seeking to maintain the standing, capacities and productivity of their workplaces are now facing two crucial facts: (a) an ageing workforce and (b) all workers, regardless of age, need to adapt to the changing requirements for workplace performance. These facts mean that managers and supervisors need to confront issues found in the changing demographics of their own workforce. That is, as the portion of workforces aged over 45 years (i.e.older workers) increases, it is these workers who are available to be employed, and supported in sustaining their ongoing employability. To address these issues requires understanding of particular workers' capacities and aspirations and then acting to develop further their capacities based on new understanding, and rebutting social sentiments about these workers that are often value-laden, contradictory and biased. The case here is made through drawing on literature and analyses of interview data of Australian managers of older workers, that the current logic of management relies upon deeply held and widely shared beliefs of age-blind meritocracy and equal opportunity rather than informed views.
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Organizations adopting age-friendly employment practices are likely to attract older people and gain a wider talent pool.
“Organizations that adopt age-friendly employment practices are likely to attract an older population and find themselves able to choose from a wider pool of talent (Martin et al., 2014).”
From Policy Initiatives to Address the Challenges of an Older Population in the Workforce (2023) · cites this paper as Martin et al., 2014
The 'Employer attitudes to older workers' section describes HR policies intended to protect and attract older workers, supporting the attraction part of the claim. It does not say that adopting those practices is likely to give organizations a wider talent pool, and cautions that policies alone are no cure-all without a commitment to challenging discrimination. No page number is available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.82)
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References 64 · Cited by 45
Research works printed but not linked: 11
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- Authors
- MARTIN, G., DYMOCK, D., BILLETT, S., & JOHNSON, G.
- Affiliations
- University of Technology Sydney (AU)
- Griffith University (AU)
- Corresponding author
- MARTIN, GREGORY
- Venue
- Ageing and Society
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2013-01-11
- Volume
- 34
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 992-1018
- ISSN
- 0144-686X (ISSN-L)
- 1469-1779
- OpenAlex
- W2160637406
- Cited by
- 45
- References
- 64
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 9.98
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Ageing and Society (publishedVersion)
- Griffith Research Online (submittedVersion)
- OPUS - Open Publications of UTS Scholars (University of Technology Sydney) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Griffith University
- Australian Research Council
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Demography › Retirement, Disability, and Employment
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Human Resource Development and Performance Evaluation
- Social Sciences › Life-span and Life-course Studies › Generational Differences and Trends
- Keywords
- older workers, aging workforce, equal opportunities, managers' perceptions, employee training, employability, ageism, workplace aging
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