How to manage senior employees? Theories and current fields of research in an organizational context

Abstract

The greying of the workforce is a globally discussed phenomenon. It gained importance for organizations, policy-makers and scholars alike. This article offers an overview of applied theories and fields of research pertaining to the discussion on senior employees in the workforce. It presents current managerial practices for senior employees and assesses factors for the employability of senior employees in an organization. Design/methodology: The paper is based on a review of recent academic articles published in peer-reviewed journals. Keywords and elimination criteria are explained in the corresponding section. Findings: The article incorporates studies on senior employees from various disciplines in the field of organizational research. It portrays leading streams of thought on the employability of senior workers (e.g. depreciation/conservation model, standard economic theory and human capital theory). Moreover, it elaborates organizational factors which affect the employability of this cohort (e.g. motivators and demotivators for senior employees) Research limitations/implications: The article discusses the field of organizational research and related factors. Therefore, it is limited to studies concerning the field of organizational research. Economic, social or individual influences also constitute an important topic which should be investigated and discussed. Originality/value: The article presents the first review of theories and fields of research on senior employees in organizations and connects job and organizational factors which influence the employment situation of senior employees in an organization. The review encourages a dialogue regarding senior employees from various disciplines.