Retaining an ageing workforce: The effects of high‐performance work systems and flexible work programmes

Abstract

Older workers make up a growing proportion of the workforce, and research on how best to manage them is being conducted accordingly. Here, we explored the employee retention payoff of high‐performance work systems (HPWS) and flexible work programmes (FWPs) when used with an older workforce. Drawing from the job demands‐resources model, we hypothesised that HPWS retention outcomes decrease as the workforce ages, whereas the retention capacity of FWPs increases. We also explored how the parallel provision of HPWS and FWPs affects workforce retention in more ageing workplaces. The results suggest that workforce age composition affects the HPWS‐retention relationship. However, the value of FWPs as retention tools does not vary significantly with workforce ageing. Furthermore, the provision of FWPs alongside HPWS appears to be a less‐than‐optimal approach to this retention. These findings may contribute to a better understanding of the HRM‐performance relationship, while inspiring further research into successful age‐differentiated HR strategies.

Age-Related Human Resource Management Policies and Practices: Antecedents, Outcomes, and Conceptualizations

“…Firm-level outcomes of age-related HRM typically include performance-related constructs such as firm performance (e.g., Bieling et al, 2015;Kunze et al, 2013), employee productivity (e.g., Göbel & Zwick, 2013), return on assets (e.g., Ali & French, 2019), turnover (intention) (e.g., Boehm et al, 2014;Stirpe et al, 2018) and firm-level sickness absence (e.g., Ybema et al, 2020). In addition, various studies investigated knowledge-oriented constructs such as workers' expertise (Calzavara et al, 2019) or dyadic and team knowledge sharing (e.g., Burmeister et al, 2018;Sammarra et al, 2017) as well as aspects of an age-friendly workplace (e.g., Eppler Hattab et al, 2020).…”

“…Yet, there is also research indicating that an age-specific approach to studying HPWP might be of value. For instance, Stirpe et al (2018) explored if HPWP contribute to the retention of staff and found that this is the case for younger, yet not for older employees. For them, HPWPs seemed to even impair retention.…”

HPWS and knowledge sharing behavior: The role of psychological empowerment and organizational identification in public sector banks

“…HPWS have a strong positive impact on individual and organizational outcomes like innovation, creativity implementation, human capital (Zhou, Fan & Son, 2019), job and organizational performance (Chang et al, 2017), well-being and flexible work programs (Stirpe, Trullen, & Bonache, 2018, Chas et al, 2019, job autonomy, self-efficacy (Wattoo et al, 2020). Job resources, physical, social, or psychological help in task performance and reduce the negative consequences (Agarwal & Farndale, 2017).…”

Job insecurity, commitment and proactivity towards the organization and one's career: Age as a condition

“…In contrast, for older employees, quantitative JI could have a very strong effect on their commitment and proactivity towards their career roles. Upon moving into the mid and late career stages, older employees prefer a more stable environment and place more value on their established social networks than their younger counterparts (Stirpe, Trullen, & Bonache, 2018). As discussed above, a job loss could mean the removal of important forms of support (Jahoda, 1982).…”