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Who benefits from more tasks? Older versus younger workers

Who benefits from more tasks? Older versus younger workers Purpose – Although a substantial body of research has examined the effects of job characteristics on job attitudes, there is a paucity of work on individual difference moderators of these relationships. Based in selective optimization with compensation theory and socio‐emotional selectivity theory, the purpose of this paper is to show that age moderated the relationship between task variety and two key job attitudes, job satisfaction and engagement. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected through self‐report questionnaires ( n =152), using a time‐lagged design with two waves (two to three weeks between T 1 and T 2 ). Findings – The authors found that task variety had a stronger relationship with job satisfaction and work engagement for younger workers compared to older workers. Research limitations/implications – Although there was good age variance in the sample, it had fewer late‐career workers and more workers who are in their early and mid‐career. Practical implications – To have workers of all ages satisfied and engaged at work, we need to understand which work characteristics are the best for them. For example, it may be a competitive gain for organizations to challenge younger workers with different tasks, and to challenge older workers in ways that utilize their experience. Social implications – The study addresses a societal issue related to profound demographic changes in the age composition of the workforce, gaining a better knowledge of differences between workers of different ages to promote effective interventions and policies. Originality/value – This is the first study to show that task variety differentially affects worker satisfaction and engagement depending on the age of the worker. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Managerial Psychology Emerald Publishing

Who benefits from more tasks? Older versus younger workers

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References (57)

Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © 2014 Emerald Group Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.
ISSN
0268-3946
DOI
10.1108/JMP-12-2012-0381
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Purpose – Although a substantial body of research has examined the effects of job characteristics on job attitudes, there is a paucity of work on individual difference moderators of these relationships. Based in selective optimization with compensation theory and socio‐emotional selectivity theory, the purpose of this paper is to show that age moderated the relationship between task variety and two key job attitudes, job satisfaction and engagement. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected through self‐report questionnaires ( n =152), using a time‐lagged design with two waves (two to three weeks between T 1 and T 2 ). Findings – The authors found that task variety had a stronger relationship with job satisfaction and work engagement for younger workers compared to older workers. Research limitations/implications – Although there was good age variance in the sample, it had fewer late‐career workers and more workers who are in their early and mid‐career. Practical implications – To have workers of all ages satisfied and engaged at work, we need to understand which work characteristics are the best for them. For example, it may be a competitive gain for organizations to challenge younger workers with different tasks, and to challenge older workers in ways that utilize their experience. Social implications – The study addresses a societal issue related to profound demographic changes in the age composition of the workforce, gaining a better knowledge of differences between workers of different ages to promote effective interventions and policies. Originality/value – This is the first study to show that task variety differentially affects worker satisfaction and engagement depending on the age of the worker.

Journal

Journal of Managerial Psychology – Emerald Publishing

Published: Jul 8, 2014

Keywords: Job satisfaction; Work engagement; Age; Job enlargement; Task variety

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