Retirees’ motivational orientations and bridge employment: Testing the moderating role of gender.

Abstract

Bridge employment refers to the labor force participation after people retire from career jobs. It is becoming a prevalent phenomenon for retirees transitioning from employment to complete work withdrawal. Building on existing literature on retirement transition and older adults' work motivation, the present study examined the effects of 3 motivational orientations (i.e., status striving, communion striving, and generativity striving) in relating to retirees' bridge employment participation (i.e., bridge employment status and bridge employment work hours). This study also applied the social gender role theory to examine the effect of gender in moderating the effects of motivational orientations. Data from 507 Chinese retirees in Beijing revealed that communion striving and generativity striving were positively related to bridge employment participation. Further, gender moderated the effect of status striving such that status striving was positively related to bridge employment participation for male retirees but not for female retirees. In addition, exploratory analysis was conducted to examine the effects of the same set of motivational orientations on postretirement volunteering activities. Results showed that status striving was negatively related to volunteering after retirement. The findings are discussed in terms of their theoretical implications for the bridge employment literature and practical implications for recruiting and retaining older workers.

On the quality of adjustment to retirement: The longitudinal role of personality traits and generativity

“…In the work domain, generativity has been mainly studied as a motive for older people to look for a job (Mor-Barak, 1995), to engage in bridge employment (Dendinger, Adams, & Jacobson, 2005; Zhan, Wang, & Shi, 2015), or to transfer the family business to the next generation (Zacher, Schmitt, & Gielnik, 2012). In a study with a sample of older university employees, working for generative reasons predicted job satisfaction and attitudes toward retirement, in terms of perceived gains and losses associated with retirement (Dendinger et al, 2005).…”

“…Generativity has been linked to individuals' positive adjustment to different life transitions and events, such as parenting (Guastello, Guastello, & Briggs, 2014;Pratt, Danso, Arnold, Norris, & Filyer, 2001), grandparenting (Thiele & Whelan, 2008;Villar, Celdr an, & Triad o, 2012), or caregiving for aging parents (Peterson, 2002). In the work domain, generativity has been mainly studied as a motive for older people to look for a job (Mor-Barak, 1995), to engage in bridge employment (Dendinger, Adams, & Jacobson, 2005;Zhan, Wang, & Shi, 2015), or to transfer the family business to the next generation (Zacher, Schmitt, & Gielnik, 2012). In a study with a sample of older university employees, working for generative reasons predicted job satisfaction and attitudes toward retirement, in terms of perceived gains and losses associated with retirement (Dendinger et al, 2005).…”

Retiring: Role identity processes in retirement transition

“…This research has been aimed at identifying various predictors (i.e., the “what” question): What predicts engagement in retirement planning, what predicts early retirement, or what predicts participation in bridge employment? It also provides insights into the underlying causes (the “why” question), such as motivational needs (Zhan, Wang, & Shi, 2015), for bridge employment. However, given the diverse, temporal, and often nonlinear trends in retirement transition, there is a need for greater attention to processes and unfolding mechanisms in the retirement process (i.e., the “how” question; Sargent, Lee, Martin, & Zikic, 2013): For example, how do retirees cope with the loss of status and meaning afforded by work; how do they utilize personal and contextual resources to respond to a major life change such as retirement?…”

Transitions: a Theoretical Model for Occupational Health and Wellbeing

“…Of course certain limitations would have to be considered, including diminishing capacity and endurance as well as the financial cost of including senior workers. Notwithstanding these limitations, bridge employment involving employment in one's career field after "retiring" is associated with fewer major diseases and functional impairments and improved mental health for employees compared to those who did not engage in bridge employment (Zhan et al 2009(Zhan et al , 2015. Government incentives could be used to encourage companies to develop these options for their employees rather than the traditional options associated to retirement.…”