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AbstractKnowledge transfer between younger and older employees can help to prevent organizational knowledge loss and contribute to business success. However, despite its potential benefits, knowledge transfer does not occur automatically. To better understand the challenges associated with age-diverse knowledge transfer, we develop a conceptual model outlining 10 propositions. Specifically, we adopt a temporal social comparison perspective suggesting that employees compare their current and future status (i.e., the prestige, respect, and esteem provided by others). Expected future status differences are meaningful among age-diverse employees because older employees may have a higher current status than their younger colleagues, whereas younger employees may gain a higher status in the future. In our conceptual model, we propose 2 opposing pathways through which temporal social comparison impacts knowledge transfer, namely age-specific motives (i.e., generativity and development striving) and discrete emotions (i.e., fear of losing status and fear of losing face). In addition, we introduce individual and organizational boundary conditions that can modify the downstream consequences of temporal social comparison on knowledge transfer between younger and older employees.

AbstractControl is one of the most ubiquitous and fundamental concepts to the study of psychology, including to theory, research, and practice related to aging and work. Indeed, control constructs exist in many different forms (e.g., self-efficacy, job autonomy, locus of control), and they have been extensively linked to performance and well-being with age. This article provides a review of age- and work-relevant theory and research pertaining to a variety of "actual," perceived, and enacted control constructs. The article seeks to fulfill 3 goals. First, we review predominant control constructs with respect to theory and research, considering their distinguishing and overlapping features, relationships with age- and work-relevant concerns, and areas of consensus and ambiguity. Second, we synthesize and organize our review findings into a work-focused "lifespan control framework" to guide theoretical revision, hypothesis formation, and construct choice/comparisons, and we provide recommendations to researchers for using this framework. Third and finally, we generate a focused research agenda for impactful studies of age, control, and work. The concept of control has contributed to our knowledge of and practice with work-relevant processes, and this review aims to aid in integration, organization, and innovation to move the study of age, control, and work forward.

AbstractUnderstanding the effects of intergenerational contact at work is important given aging and increasingly age-diverse workforces. The aim of this research was to better understand who derives motivational benefits from intergenerational contact, and the processes by which this occurs. To do so, we adopted a motivational lens grounded in need-based theories of work motivation and lifespan development theory. We argue that the motivating effect of intergenerational contact on work engagement via sense of belonging is more pronounced for older compared with younger employees due to changes in goal priorities across the lifespan. Specifically, we posit the generativity motive and perceived remaining time at work as lifespan-related mechanisms that explain the moderating effects of age on the links between intergenerational contact and work engagement. In Study 1, a laboratory experiment with 45 younger and 45 older participants in Switzerland, we found support for a causal effect of intergenerational contact on sense of belonging. In Study 2, a three-wave field study with 560 employees in Germany, we found that sense of belonging mediated the relation between intergenerational contact and work engagement. Furthermore, perceived remaining time at work explained the moderating effect of age on the link between sense of belonging and work engagement. By highlighting age differences in the motivating potential of intergenerational contact, we advance research on intergroup contact, employee motivation, and workforce aging.

Abstract
Retirement and reminiscence research prosper largely independent of another. The current research integrates both perspectives to explore what retirees remember when they look back upon their work life and whether reminiscing work life is related to their current well-being. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six retirees to develop initial codebooks. To characterize work-related memories and explore links between memory characteristics and retirees' well-being, 66 retirees participated in an online study. They reported memories in text and rated memory valence and indicators of subjective well-being. Qualitative content analyses of memory narratives show that retirees recalled both work tasks and workplace relationships that were particularly pleasant or conflict ridden. They reminisced about profound (e.g., job loss) and small events (e.g., appreciative gestures from the leadership). Most retirees described their work life in an accepting way, although some expressed bitterness. Correlational analyses indicate links between memory valence and retirees' perceived stress in work life and subjective well-being. We discuss our findings within the resource perspective on retirement with consideration of reminiscence as internal resources with permanent access. We suggest that well-being in retirement depends not only on external resources, but also on what retirees reflect on and remember. Practically, we discuss how work could be designed to build up such internal resources. We conclude with future research ideas, emphasizing the importance of a rigorous mixed-methods approach to studying how the life chapter of work that is long gone may continue to shape the lives of retirees.

AbstractWhile literature about the relationship between well-being and accomplishment exists, previous studies were mainly quantitative and neglected the subjective experience of female retirees, which the current study aimed to address. Three female retired charity CEOs based in the United Kingdom were interviewed using in-depth, semi-structured interviews. The interpretative phenomenological analysis yielded 3 themes: (1) "accomplishment and well-being—a potentially negative interaction," (2) "accomplishment and well-being—a positive link through interaction with other well-being domains," and (3) "retirement—a moderator for negative direct impacts." The results provided a complex picture of how high-achieving women postretirement perceived accomplishment as a contributor to their well-being. By highlighting an intricate link between accomplishment and other domains of well-being, particularly positive relationships, the findings critique that positive psychology overemphasizes the individual and highlight the need for further research into the interaction between different domains of well-being. The study also contributes to the debate about the relationship between age and well-being by illuminating the individuality of the experience depending on circumstances and environment. Finally, discussed are the implications of the current study in the context of retired high-fliers.

AbstractVirtual interviews have become ubiquitous, yet research on the psychological effects of their technological characteristics remains sparse. Many practitioners caution that malfunctions that commonly occur during interviews may negatively influence interviewers' perceptions of an applicant. This concern is heightened for some groups of applicants, particularly those of certain age groups. Age stereotypes characterize older adults as technologically inept, and per the similarity effect, the dual ages of an applicant and an interviewer likely influence an interviewer's attributions of a technology malfunction. We explored these propositions by investigating the effects that one such malfunction, an echo, has on raters. This experiment used a 2 (younger applicant vs. older applicant) × 2 (younger rater vs. older rater) × 3 (no echo vs. minor echo vs. severe echo) between-subject design to test hypotheses. Results showed that raters generally made situational attributions of malfunctions. Raters blamed the echo on older applicants slightly more than younger applicants, but attributions did not predict perceptions of interview performance, decisions to hire, or salary recommendations. Malfunctions and age similarity were generally not related to hiring outcomes. These findings advance theories surrounding attributions and age biases while offering no clear evidence that specific age groups are at a disadvantage in virtual interviews.

Abstract
Older workers are increasingly being encouraged to work beyond normal retirement age (NRA). Given that employers generally control opportunities for employees to work beyond NRA, better understanding their motivations, attitudes, and experiences in (re)hiring employees to work beyond NRA is vital. To date, however, research investigating employment beyond NRA has primarily focused on the perspective and experiences of employees. In this study, we analyzed data from a 2017 survey of 1,214 Dutch employers to examine whether workplace social norms, employers' concerns related to workforce aging, and structural organizational characteristics were related to whether or not they employed working retirees. We found that workplace norms about working beyond NRA, concerns about career opportunities for younger workers, and structural characteristics such as organizational size, sector, and proportion of female and older workers in the organization were significantly associated with whether or not organizations employed workers beyond NRA. In the second, exploratory, phase of our analysis, we investigated attitudes and approaches toward workers beyond NRA among those who had previously employed such workers. Most employers agree that they mainly (re)hire workers with unique knowledge or experience to work beyond NRA and that employees usually take the initiative in prolonging employment. Employers' opinions on whether employees working beyond NRA should accept a pay cut or block the progress of other employees are more mixed. Insights gained from the current research can help guide future research and policy to support longer working lives, from both employee and employer perspectives, even beyond normal retirement age.

This study investigated the relationship between measures of college education and work performance for a cohort of 84 police officers over a 10-year period. College education variables showed a statistically significant relationship with promotions (average r = .31), and supervisory ratings of job knowledge (average r = .25). However, there was an inconsistent relationship with measures of disciplinary action. These patterns of relationships may indicate that college education is relevant to many aspects of police work but should not be assumed to predict all areas of job performance.