Aging & Social Change: Ninth Interdisciplinary Conference

Abstract

The aging workforce in many industrialized countries underlies important challenges, namely current and future labor shortages. Such challenges can be partly addressed by sustained efforts aimed at hiring younger workers, retaining older workers, and, most importantly, countering ageism. Age-based stereotypes and discrimination are indeed major barriers of workers’ job satisfaction and retention. Results of studies suggest that a positive intergenerational workplace climate and knowledge sharing practices between young and older workers are efficient ways of reducing ageism toward older workers as well as increasing job satisfaction. However, such studies mainly focused on older workers. Relying on Intergroup Contact Theory, the current study postulates that a positive perception of workplace intergenerational climate as well as knowledge sharing practices increase younger workers’ awareness of ageist behaviors that target older peers. In turn, such awareness has a negative effect on young workers’ level of job satisfaction. In total, 613 Canadian participants filled an online questionnaire measuring concepts under study. Hypotheses are partially confirmed such that only knowledge sharing practices increase young workers’ awareness of ageist behaviors; however, a positive intergenerational climate does not trigger a similar effect. On the other hand, both knowledge sharing practices and the perception of a positive intergenerational climate have a direct and positive impact on younger workers’ level of job satisfaction. Findings are discussed in light of the Intergroup Contact Theory, stressing the importance of multi-age workgroups and knowledge sharing practices as ways to decrease ageist beliefs and attitudes.