The strategic approach to age management in organizations represents the support of personnel strategy, personnel policy and procedures applied in personnel management. Age management has significant ethical aspects that create a good name of an organization, are an expression of its culture, affect the organizational climate and the relationship of employees to the organization.
Learning of employees and their involvement in age management implementation is necessary. The perception of age in the context of working life requires a change of thinking in many organizations. Holistic management is an approach that perceives the organization as a single entity, requires the ability to perceive and manage in contexts. The issue of age management needs to be reflected in all personnel processes (see Eurofound, 2006).
The starting point of age management – the management of the age structure of employees in the organization, is anti-discrimination legislation, it is linked to the concept of diversity management, corporate social responsibility, knowledge management, it is also associated with the working conditions, with alternative (flexible) working and work-life balance.
Age management – the management of the age structure of employees, focuses on age discrimination and ageism, socially (un)responsible behaviour of organizations towards all who have a relationship with the organization (stakeholders), on the benefits of age diversity for the organization and working groups or teams and on the importance of intergenerational learning at work.
At the organizational level, age management requires promoting equal opportunities for employees of all age groups, measures to prevent age discrimination. The group of older employees is a vulnerable group in the labour market and is at risk of age discrimination in a workplace (see Harris, Krygsman, Waschenko & Rudman, 2018). The European documents on equality and discrimination define a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation (Council Directive 2000/78/EC). The anti-discrimination directives prohibit discrimination in access to employment, especially in terms of recruitment and selection criteria, in employment promotion, in participation in education, consultation or retraining, in remuneration, dismissal etc. (The Council of the European Union, 2000).
Equal opportunities and discrimination against employees are reflected by diversity management. Diversity in the organization is characterized by the diversity of employees in terms of gender, ethnicity, physical characteristics, sexual orientation, religion, marital status and age. Age management affects all age groups, emphasizes the introduction and application of age diversity in the organization, age diversity in working groups or teams. The age diversity provides the organization with utilization of the skills of existing staff and the potential of new employees (see e.g. Parry & McCarthy, 2017; Profile, Sammarra & Innocenti, 2017).
According to the CSES (Centre for strategy and Evaluation Services) study the benefits of an active diversity policy – the voluntary activities of organizations in the field of selection, development and stabilisation of staff of various social groups, among others include following (The costs and benefits of Diversity, 2003):
- strengthening of cultural values in organization and reputation of organization,
- acquisition and stabilization of highly talented people,
- improvement of motivation and performance of existing employees,
- solution of lack of employees and reduction of turnover and absenteeism
Appropriate evaluation indicators of improving the quality of employment regarding age diversity are (European Commission, 2008):
- eliminating discrimination,
- skills,
- lifelong education and career development,
- occupational safety and health protection in the workplace,
- flexibility and certainty,
- work organisation and work-life balance,
- social dialogue and employee involvement and empowerment,
- total work performance.
The connection between age discrimination or diversity and the performance of an organization, the impact of diversity on the functioning and effectiveness of working groups or teams deserve attention (see e.g. Lorenzo, 2017).
As reported by Cletus, Mahmood, Umar & Ibrahim (2018), workplace diversity can contribute to improving the critical thinking of employees, enables them to use their individual strengths, and stimulates the personal growth of employees and their development. Workplace diversity promotes innovations and thus contributes to the competitiveness of the organization.
On the other hand, individual differences between employees could cause several problems. Therefore it is necessary that the organizations emphasizes the discrimination issue in the workplace, and introduces programmes to promote diversity and to strengthen the organizational culture, in which the differences among employees are the driving force for the organizational growth rather than the source of misunderstandings and conflicts.
Therefore it is necessary that the organizations emphasizes the discrimination issue in the workplace, and introduces programmes to promote diversity and to strengthen the organizational culture, in which the differences among employees are the driving force for the organizational growth rather than the source of misunderstandings and conflicts.
The Lisbon Strategy has set the goal to increase the employment of different age groups and to increase the age of exit from the labour market since 2000. The 2006 European Commission survey conducted on age and employment provides examples of the organizational best-practices that have begun to tackle the management of an ageing workforce. The survey involving forty-one case studies from eleven EU member states offers recommendations maintain employment relationship of older employees. Factors contributing to the success of age management strategies and procedures include:
- age management planning,
- creation of an organizational culture supporting age management,
- creation of age diversity of employees,
- elimination of age discrimination in the workplace;
- working with staff of all age groups,
- older employees´ involvement in planning and practicing age management,
- maintaining and valuing the knowledge and skills of older employees,
- enabling access to education and development programmes and career development to older employees,
- knowledge transfer management,
- introducing and promoting age diversity to the training of HR professionals, managers and representatives,
- enhancing the visibility of managers’ efforts towards age management,
- improving the working environment for all employees (a healthy working environment provides satisfactory working conditions, can reduce stress, improve physical and mental health, increase skills and personal performance),
- applying flexible working (e.g. flexible working hours, part-time or temporary jobs and cooperation on advisory basis for employees in retirement age),
- communication and information about age management issues within the organization,
- inclusion of strategy and methods of age management into social dialogue between the employer and trade unions,
- evaluating the effectiveness of age management strategies.