Aging & Social Change: Eleventh Interdisciplinary Conference

Abstract

The phenomenon of an aging workforce continues to grow in importance. Beliefs against older workers (e.g. their difficulty in adapting to new work methods) are still deeply rooted socially (Harris, et al., 2017). Prejudices against this population give rise to various situations of marginalization and exclusion, including difficulties in finding employment from a certain age and a lack of access to continuing education within the workplace (Wanberg, et al., 2016). Yet there is little evidence on how older workers actually perceive and adapt to workplace innovation. A study, based on a qualitative methodology and aimed at portraying the subjective relationship between an aging workforce and workplace innovation is presented. It is based on individual interviews conducted with two categories of workers in the health and social services sector (Quebec-Canada) who have experienced the implementation of an innovative method: nurses and community workers supporting people with dementia and their caregivers. The results make it possible to address action levers that can be considered by an organization concerned about taking into account the aging of the workforce in an innovative context (e.g., respect for limits and beliefs, peer exchange, leeway, explanation of processes, and its sustainability).