Australia: Employee Engagement the Key To Keeping Mature Workers Active in Workplace

According to research from the Voice Project at the Department of Psychology at Macquarie University, higher levels of engagement may lead to increased participation rates by mature-aged workers, as engagement has been shown to be associated with positive organizational outcomes such as reduced absenteeism, higher productivity, and lower turnover rates. After surveying workers in age brackets 20-30, 30-40, 40-50, 50-60 and 60 plus, Nick Vrisakis from Voice Project said researchers found there were some significant differences. While younger workers valued career opportunities, rewards and recognition, for older workers wellness was the strongest driver of engagement over and above salary and seniority.

"These results suggest that older workers are looking for less stress in their working lives and that this may be related to the nature of the role rather than the number of hours worked. Older employees may be happy to work full-time hours if it means they can be exposed to less stress or at least maintain a sense of wellbeing. If older workers could wind down whilst continuing to work it may be that many would continue to work full-time."

In addition, the research showed that overall older workers were more satisfied, committed and had a stronger intention to stay with their organizations. As Vrisakis pointed out, this is good news for employers who are seeking to attract or retain mature-aged workers and provides incentive for other employers to do so.

Source: Macquarie University Press Release (November 14, 2007