The Management of an Ageing Workforce: Organisational Policies in Germany and Britain

TitleThe Management of an Ageing Workforce: Organisational Policies in Germany and Britain
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2014
AuthorsSchröder, Heike, Muller-Camen, Michael, and Flynn, Matthew
JournalHuman Resource Management Journal
Volume24
Issue4
Pagination394 - 409
Keywordsage discrimination, age management;, Britain, case study, Germany, qualitative research
Abstract

Demographic change as well as pressure from the European Union and national government are forcing organizations to change age-discriminatory HRM approaches. Based on a qualitative analysis of eight British and German organizations, we found that commitment, scope, coverage and implementation of age management differ due to country-specific institutions, particularly government, in nudging employers and unions to preferred age practices. This confirms the path dependency concept suggested by institutional theory. Nevertheless, we also found that industry-specific factors mediate the implementation of age management, leading to some convergence across countries. This indicates that organizations deviate from the institutional path to implement practices that they deem important.