Dave Stynen

The relationship between qualitative job insecurity and OCB: Differences across age groups

Qualitative job insecurity may be associated with less (hindrance effect) and more (challenge effect) organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB). This article disentangles both effects by introducing an intermediate variable. The authors test whether basic need satisfaction explains the hindrance effect (i.e. less intrinsically motivated OCB); and whether there is a remaining, direct positive path to OCB reflecting the challenge effect (i.e. more instrumentally motivated OCB). In addition, they investigate whether these relationships vary with age. Multi-group path analysis on a Belgian sample (N = 3243) of young (18–30 years), prime age (31–49 years) and mature age workers (50 +) reveals that qualitative job insecurity frustrates basic needs across all age groups, but most strongly among mature age workers (i.e. hindrance effect). The authors find a remaining positive path (i.e. challenge effect) that is equally strong across all age groups. In sum, qualitative job insecurity is more hindering than challenging, in particular for older workers.

The relationship between motivation to work and workers’ pay flexibility : The moderation of age

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of motivation to work in explaining workers’ pay flexibility – as measured by their reservation wage ratio – across the lifespan. This is important since pay inflexibility may undermine mature age workers’ retention at the workforce. Design/methodology/approach – Relying on self-determination theory the paper broadens the role of “motivation to work” from the overall work valence an individual attaches to work to the underlying work values (i.e. the perceived value of work for its intrinsic vs extrinsic outcomes) and work motives (i.e. the underlying autonomous vs controlled reasons regulating ones work participation). The authors conducted hierarchical linear regression analyses on a sample of 1,577 Belgian workers to explore how individuals’ work values and work motives, in addition to work valence, shape workers’ reservation wage ratios across the lifespan. Findings – Results indicate that work valence and holding relative intrinsic work value...

The Impact of Physical Work Demands on Need for Recovery, Employment Status, Retirement Intentions, and Ability to Extend Working Careers: A Longitudinal Study Among Older Workers.

Objective: Prospectively investigating whether different approaches of physical work demands are associated with need for recovery (NFR), employment status, retirement intentions, and ability to prolong working life among older employees from the industry and health care sector. Methods: A subsample from the Maastricht Cohort Study was studied (n = 1126). Poisson, Cox, and logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate outcomes. Results: Perceiving physical work demands as strenuous was associated with higher NFR. Continuous physical strain was associated with being out of employment 4 years later. Employees with the highest amount of physical work demands perceived they were less able to prolong working life, although no significant associations between physical work demands and retirement intentions were found. Conclusions: Overall, physical work demands were associated with adverse outcomes, with divergent insights for the different approaches of physical work demands.

The impact of work-related and personal resources on older workers’ fatigue, work enjoyment and retirement intentions over time

Abstract This study aims to examine the impact of work-related and personal resources on older workers’ retirement intentions by studying the pathways (fatigue and work enjoyment) from resources to retirement intentions, the buffering role of resources for psychological job demands, in a cross-sectional and longitudinal timeframe. Longitudinal results on a subsample of full-time, older workers (n = 1642) from the Maastricht Cohort Study suggest that over four years of follow-up personal resources like personal mastery and perceived health related to less (prolonged) fatigue and more work enjoyment. Personal mastery also related to later retirement intentions. A work-related resource like decision authority related to less prolonged fatigue. (Prolonged) fatigue related to earlier retirement intentions, suggesting that fatigue may be a pathway to early retirement. Finally, little evidence was found for effect modification by resources. This prospective study indicates that work-related and personal resources may be useful for prolonging working careers. Practitioner Summary: To date, the impact of work-related and personal resources on older workers’ retirement intentions is rarely studied. As this prospective study shows that resources may impact older workers’ (prolonged) fatigue, work enjoyment and retirement intentions, the monitoring and fostering of resources is of importance for prolonging their working careers.

Impact of Development and Accommodation Practices on Older Workers' Job Characteristics, Prolonged Fatigue, Work Engagement, and Retirement Intentions Over Time

Objective: The impact of development and accommodation practices on older workers’ retirement intentions was investigated in this prospective study, together with potential pathways and the role of career stage. Methods: A subsample of full-time, older workers (n = 678) from the Maastricht Cohort Study was followed-up for 2 years. Regression analysis was conducted for three age groups. Results: Development practices related positively with later retirement intentions in workers aged 55 to 59 years. The accommodation practice of demotion related negatively with later retirement intentions in worker aged at least 60 years. Decision latitude and work engagement were found to link development and accommodation practices with later retirement intentions in particular in workers aged 55 to 59 years. Conclusions: It was indicated in this prospective study that development and accommodation practices may be useful for prolonging working careers.

The ageing shift worker: A prospective cohort study on need for recovery, disability and retirement intentions

OBJECTIVES This study investigates whether different shift work schedules, compared to day work, are associated with need for recovery (NFR), future disability, and retirement intentions for employees employed within different economic sectors over the course of their careers. Shift work exposure duration and the healthy worker effect are also examined. METHODS Data from the prospective Maastricht Cohort Study was used. Subsamples of industry (N=1877, all men) and healthcare (N=818, 624 women and 194 men) workers were separately investigated. GEE and Cox regression analyses were performed to investigate NFR longitudinally. Future disability was investigated using Cox regression, and retirement intentions were investigated using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS Three-shift industry workers were at risk of becoming a case of elevated NFR during follow-up, compared to industry day workers. Three- and five-shift industry workers were at risk for future disability. In healthcare, irregular shift work was a risk factor for disability among older shift workers. No significant results were found regarding retirement intentions. Findings were probably an underestimation as exposure duration to shift work and the healthy worker effect affected the results. CONCLUSIONS Shift work was associated with higher levels of NFR and a higher risk of disability. However, shift work is a multifaceted concept as different types of shift work schedules are differently associated with these outcomes. Different shift work types exist and shift work schedules allow for optimization, indicating that measures to prevent adverse outcomes should be tailored for different types of shift work and over the course of the work career.

Older Workers’ Wage Demands: Relationships with the Quantity and Quality of Work Motivation

The present study investigates the role of work motivation in explaining older workers wage demands. Relying on Expectancy-Value Theory and Self-Determination Theory we identify aspects of the quantity (the overall valence attached to working and expectations concerning the feasibility of working) and quality (the type of aspired work goals and reasons for engaging in work) of older workers’ work motivation and empirically investigate relationships with their wage demands. Analyses on large sample of 1 782 workers aged 50 or more indicate that aspects describing the quantity or intensity of work motivation are differentially related to wage demands. Attaching high valence to work is negatively related to wage demands, whereas having strong expectations about being able to find another job is associated with higher wage demands. In addition, also the type of work goals one aspire matters: aspiring intrinsic work goals is associated with lower wage demands. Finally, we find interaction effects between both qualitative dimensions and between the value attached to working and engaging in work for autonomous reasons. These results show that differences in wage demands among older workers can be better understood by taking into account the quantity and quality of their work motivation.