Examining positive and negative perceptions of older workers: a meta-analysis

• Published in: The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences Vol. 66; no. 6; pp. 687 - 698
• Main Authors: Bal, Anne C, Reiss, Abigail E B, Rudolph, Cort W, Baltes, Boris B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Oxford University Press for Gerontological Society of America 01.11.2011
• Series: Journals of Gerontology: Series B
• Subjects: Age Factors; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Female; Humans; Interpersonal Relations; Interprofessional Relations; Job Satisfaction; Male; Middle Aged; Occupational Diseases; Personal Satisfaction; Prejudice; Social Perception; Surveys and Questionnaires; Workplace - statistics & numerical data
• ISSN: 1079-5014; 1758-5368
• DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbr056

This article presents an updated meta-analysis of field and laboratory studies that examine the influence of age on a number of evaluative workplace outcomes (advancement, selection, general evaluations, interpersonal skills, and reliability). Method. A random effects meta-analytic procedure was used. In line with the perspective that perceptions of older workers are multidimensional, the observed meta-analytic correlations indicate that age has medium-sized negative effects on majority of the outcomes investigated (r(advancement) = -.21, r(selection) = -.30, r(general evaluations) = -.24, and r(interpersonal skills) = -.23, and a medium-sized positive effect on perceptions of reliability (r(reliability) = .31). Additionally, evidence of moderation by study design for the selection outcome is presented, such that within-subjects designs elicit stronger effects of age than between-subjects designs. Discussion. The present study demonstrates that it is likely that older workers are not viewed entirely negatively or entirely positively in the workplace; rather, the perceptions of older workers are more are varied, and even positive in some cases.