Abstract
Age-related diversity policies rarely exist in isolation; they are rather shaped by organizational cultures, dominant social identities, and institutional frameworks.This research, based on in-depth, structured interviews with employers in Romania, examines barriers and facilitators at the company level to career paths available to aging employees, from recruitment through establishment and exit or continuation of working life. Our approach focuses on age-diversity strategies and policies, both formal and informal, and often tacit understandings of age and aging, as well as how different forms of ageism are integrated in informal practices. Results indicate that the integration of aging workers is uneven across phases. Recruitment involves gatekeeping through job ad profiles often seen as young-oriented. In the establishment phase, companies promote integration across all ages and encourage cross-generational environments, yet support for older workers remains largely invisible. Exit strategies or extending older workers’ careers mainly focus on retention via mentoring programs, with less emphasis on specialized interventions tailored to their unique or distinct needs during this phase. Organizational policies and managerial practices related to age diversity are frequently embedded within broader diversity paradigms, which, while gaining traction, can be interrogated for their limited impact and occasional unintended consequences, like creating pockets of advancement in age diversity while at the same time reproducing various forms of ageist attitudes or ageist policies. Informal practices often demonstrate incongruent results in the integration and maintenance of aging workers. Recommendations for a coherent policy response are further discussed.
Presenters
Laura TufaResearcher, Social Science Division, Research Institute of the University of Bucharest, Bucuresti, Romania Rosa Maria Radogna
Research Assistent, Social Sciences, ICUB - Research Institute of the University of Bucharest, Romania Iuliana Precupetu
Senior Researcher, Social Sciences, Research Institute of the University of Bucharest, Bucuresti, Romania
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Economic and Demographic Perspectives on Aging
KEYWORDS
Age Diversity; Older Workers; Organisational Policy; Ageing; Ageism
