Funded by The Australian Research Council (Discovery Project)
Funding Amount: $310,200
Project start date: 2020
Researchers
- Prof Prashant Bordia (CI), ANU
- Prof Patrick Raymund James Garcia (CI), Macquarie University
- Dr Rajiv Amarnani (CI), University of Western Australia
Project Description
Older workers & psychological contracts: A dynamic perspective. This project aims to track the trajectories of older workers’ psychological contracts that shape their give-and-take with the organisation. Little is understood about how these psychological contracts change as older workers continue to pursue work through their fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth decades of life. This project tracks older workers over intensive, repeated in-depth interviews and a large-scale longitudinal panel study. The outcomes fill significant gaps in our understanding of older workers’ needs and orientation toward work, and identify the age-related changes and organisational practices that spur older workers to sustain a strong trajectory of productive participation in the workforce.
National Interest Statement
With increasing opportunity (owing to improved longevity and health) and necessity (to fund an extended retirement), older workers are working well into the sixth—or even seventh and eighth—decade of life and there is a strong need to better understand this late-career stage. This project aims to examine how work needs and orientations of older workers change as a consequence of changes in personal and situational characteristics that accompany ageing. The project aims to benefit older workers—and their employers— by generating knowledge vital for improving their preparedness for continued and productive participation in the workforce.