In the name of meritocracy: managers' perceptions of policies and practices for training older workers

Abstract

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  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.KEY WORDSmanagers' attitudes and practices, older workers, education and training, employability, human resource policy, meritocracy. Managers and older workersDecision-making by employers and workplace managers is central to the kinds of opportunities provided for older workers' employment, advancement and further development: that is, their employability. In the upsurge of discussion, policy and research about ageing populations across the world,

A new start? Negotiations of age and chrononormativity by older apprentices in England

“…However, on the other hand, a more positive picture emerges. Our research also revealed that the relationship between employers and older workers is both complex and contradictory (Martin et al 2014), and that a benefit of retraining in older age is empowerment. In Brenda's case, her new-found knowledge and sense of identity, supported by her trainers, eventually gave her the confidence to resist her boss's attempts to disaffirm her.…”

“…Very little is known about the phenomenon of ‘adult apprenticeship’ and what it may mean to retrain at an older age with experience and occupational expertise, as opposed to being young and more novice. With society and its institutions dominated by powerful discourses of ‘chrononormativity’ (Freeman 2010), temporal norms which benchmark the ‘right time’ for lifecourse and career intersections, research on ageing informs us that ‘deviating from social clocks’ (Barrett 2005: 166) can impact negatively on individuals’ senses of self, peer relations and experiences of transitions, as well as the potential for age discrimination (Chou and Choi 2011; Martin et al 2014). At the same time, alternative and competing discourses ‘of productive ageing’ argue that working in older age is beneficial for (economic) wellbeing.…”

How Meritocracy is Defined Today?: Contemporary Aspects of Meritocracy

“…From this point of view, the idea of meritocracy as an ideology and a system in which rewards are impartially distributed according to individual talent has gained support from people at the bottom of the social ladder in a given society (Chong, 2014;Newman et al, 2015). In this (Lipsey, 2014;Martin et al, 2014;Talib & Fitzgerald, 2015;So, 2015;Au, 2016) have argued that a meritocratic society should provide "equality of opportunity" to every member of society, regardless of social position, economic class, gender, and race.…”

“…Numerous studies (Panayotakis, 2014;Lipsey, 2014;Martin et al, 2014;Talib & Fitzgerald, 2015;So, 2015) have highlighted that equality of opportunity is a dominant value for creating harmony in a meritocratic society. There are two prerequisites for a meritocratic society: transparency and impartiality.…”

How Likely are Employers to Rehire Older Workers After Mandatory Retirement? A Vignette Study Among Managers

“…When mandatory retirement approaches, many factors that might influence the chance of reemployment are not or no longer under direct control of an employee. For example, older workers are unlikely to be considered for training to update their firm-specific human capital (Martin et al, 2014), and may have health problems which limit their employability. However, there are factors that are under the employee's control, such as downward wage flexibility and contract flexibility, and these factors may also affect their chances of reemployment.…”