Trajectories of Procedural and Interactional Justice as Predictors of Retirement among Swedish Workers: Differences between Three Groups of Retirees

Abstract

Organizational justice is an important aspect of the psychosocial work environment, but there is a lack of studies on whether justice perceptions also predict retirement decisions. The aim of this study is to examine trajectories of procedural and interactional justice perceptions prior to retirement of three groups of retirees while considering self-rated health and important demographics. Data from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (2006–2018, N = 3000) were used. Respondents were grouped into early retirement, normative retirement and late retirement. Latent growth curve models and multinomial logistic regressions were conducted to test whether trajectories of justice perceptions prior to retirement differed between retirement groups while controlling for self-rated health development and demographic variables. Late retirees had higher intercept levels of interactional justice and higher intercept levels of self-rated health prior to retirement, compared to early retirees. Late retirees also showed a slower decrease in procedural justice compared to early retirees. Only intercept levels of self-rated health differed between early retirees and normative retirees, such that early retirees had lower levels of self-rated health prior to retirement. Keeping employees in the workforce is a major challenge for any aging society. Organizational justice perceptions in the years prior to retirement seem particularly influential for delaying retirement.

Work changes and employee age, maladaptive coping expectations, and well-being: a Swedish cohort study

“…For retaining employees in times of organizational changes, organizations could pay particular attention to their justice climate in general and the perceived fairness of change procedures in particular. Employee organizational justice perceptions are associated with employee health (Herr et al 2018 ), and individual and group-level outcomes, such as organizational commitment and turnover intentions (Simons and Roberson 2003 ), and retirement decisions (Eib et al 2021 ). Organizations that create a climate in which resources are fairly distributed, rules for decision-making are transparent and fair, and social interactions are informative and respectful, are better able to reduce negative responses to a reorganization and retain committed employees than organizations that thwart employees’ need for fairness (Kernan and Hanges 2002 ).…”