Older worker stereotypes among human resource professional in four Singapore industries

• Main Authors: Koh, Cui Shan, Ang, Eunice Bin Li, Aw, Cynthia Xin Yu
• Other Authors: Olexander Chernyshenko
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: DRNTU::Business::Industries and labor
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/51394
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This study focuses on the Human Resources (HR) professionals’ perception on generational differences in work attitudes such as work performance, intent to leave, ability to learn and organizational citizenship behavior. It was found that stereotypes against the older employees exist to a large extent. More than 50% of the respondents held onto the belief that older employees are slow in learning, and less willing to change. Significant differences in intent to leave and ability to learn between older employees and younger employees were revealed. It was found that although age is largely unrelated to work performance and organizational citizenship behavior, it demonstrated stronger relationship with conflict management and sense of belonging to the company, but negative relationship with contextual performance such as volunteering for additional job tasks and work motivation. Job complexity and removal of poor performers in organizations could have contributed to the null relationship between age and work performance. Career establishment could have contributed to the insignificance difference between age and organizational citizenship behavior. Implications for human resource management practices are discussed.