Age and Blended Working

Abstract

Blended working is the opportunity to blend on-site and off-site working (i.e., working location-and timeindependently), which is enabled by the utilization of information and communication technologies (ICTs) that provide workers with almost constant access to job-relevant information and coworkers.

Blended Working and the Employability of Older Workers, Retirement Timing, and Bridge Employment

“…In line with these three papers in Work, Aging and Retirement, in our work, we emphasize that blended working may be particularly suitable for specific groups of workers, including older workers (De Jonge, Van Yperen, & Rietzschel, 2015;Van Yperen & Wörtler, in press). Age is positively correlated with the need for autonomy (Kooij, de Lange, Jansen, Kanfer, & Dikkers, 2011) and the tendency to work from home (Bailey & Kurland, 2002;Gibson, Blackwell, Dominicis, & Demerath, 2002;Lister & Harnish, 2011) and negatively related to work-home segmentation preference, need for structure, and need for relatedness (Van Yperen et al, 2014).…”

“…Conversely, older workers may be ill-suited for using new Internetrelated technologies due to lack of skill and experience with the computer technologies required for blended work, or lack of confidence or anxiety to use these technologies, which may be fueled by negative stereotypes about older workers (De Jonge et al, 2015;Elias, Smith, & Barney, 2012;Hedge & Borman, 2012;Henkens, 2005;Hertel & Zacher, in press;Raiborn & Butler, 2009;Van Dalen, Henkens, & Schippers, 2010). For example, within cohorts of age 50 onwards, people are less likely to own a computer or to use the Internet or computers in general (Cutler, 2006;Hill, Ferris, & Märtinson, 2003).…”

“…Therefore, particularly for older workers, it is important to engage in ICTs training activities, which is advantageous to not only the individual worker but also the organization because (a) training investments tend to pay off within a few years (De Jonge et al, 2015;Ng & Feldman, 2012;Patrickson, 2002); (b) retaining older workers may avoid, or at least lower, the forecasted shortage of 20.8 million EU workers by 2030 (Dropkin et al, 2016;Hertel & Zacher, in press;Sharit et al, 2009); (c) it keeps workers with high levels of job expertise within the organization (Hedge & Borman, 2012); (d) an increasing number of older workers are delaying their retirement as a result of, among other things, improved education and health, economic conditions, and flexible retirement options (Elias et al, 2012;Hertel & Zacher, in press), but also with the intention to stay productive and mentally healthy (Lee, Czaja, & Sharit, 2009).…”

“…Relying on blended work practices may help to retain older workers (De Jonge et al, 2015;Van Yperen & Wörtler, in press). Older workers appear to be very willing to learn the technological knowledge and skills required for their job, and their experience of success when using new technologies results in favorable attitudes toward it (Cutler, 2006;Czaja & Moen, 2004;Ng & Feldman, 2012;Sharit et al, 2009).…”

“…Although older workers may benefit from blended working more than younger workers, a concern may be that older workers are illsuited for using new Internet-related technologies due to lack of skill and experience with the computer technologies required for blended work. Some older workers may be anxious to use these technologies, which may be fueled by negative stereotypes about older workers (De Jonge et al, 2015;Elias et al, 2012;Hedge & Borman, 2012;Hertel & Zacher, in press;Raiborn & Butler, 2009;Van Dalen et al, 2010;Van Yperen & Wörtler, in press). Therefore, future studies may focus on how to successfully engage older workers in ICTs training activities.…”