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The influence of human resource practices on perceived work ability and the preferred retirement age: A latent growth modelling approach

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Abstract

Organisations are challenged to extend working lives of older workers. However, there is little empirical evidence available on how organisations should do this. This study aims to fill this gap by testing the effect of Human Resource (HR) practices on perceived work ability and the preferred retirement age. Based on the Conversation of Resources theory, we expected that the use of HR practices has a positive effect on perceived work ability and preferred retirement age. We have conducted latent growth curve modelling to test our hypotheses amongst 12,444 employees aged 45 and older at four time points. The results indicate that developmental practices are positively related to work ability, whereas maintenance practices are negatively related to work ability and the preferred retirement age. Accommodative practices are negatively related to the intercepts of both outcomes but not to the slopes, whereas utilisation practices are not related to the outcomes at all.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
The influence of human resource practices on
perceived work ability and the preferred
retirement age: A latent growth modelling
approach
Karen Pak
1,2,3
| Dorien T. A. M. Kooij
2
| Annet H. De Lange
3,4,5,6
|
Swenneke van den Heuvel
7
| Marc J. P. M. Van Veldhoven
2
1
Human Resource Studies, Tilburg University,
Tilburg and Human Resource Management,
HAN University of Applied Sciences, Arnhem
and Nijmegen, Arnhem, The Netherlands
2
Human Resource Studies, Tilburg University,
Tilburg, The Netherlands
3
Human Resource Management, HAN
University of Applied Sciences, Arnhem and
Nijmegen, Arnhem, The Netherlands
4
Open University, Heerlen, The Netherlands
5
Hotel School of Management, Social
Sciences, University of Stavanger, Stavanger,
Norway
6
Department of Psychology, Norwegian
University of Science and Technology
(NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
7
Netherlands Organisation for Applied
Scientific Research, TNO, Leiden, The
Netherlands
Correspondence
Karen Pak, Human Resource Studies, Tilburg
University, Tilburg and Human Resource
Management, HAN University of Applied
Sciences, Arnhem and Nijmegen, Arnhem, The
Netherlands.
Email: k.pak@tilburguniversity.edu
Abstract
Organisations are challenged to extend working lives of older
workers. However, there is little empirical evidence available
on how organisations should do this. This study aims to fill this
gap by testing the effect of Human Resource (HR) practices
on perceived work ability and the preferred retirement age.
Based on the Conversation of Resources theory, we expected
that the use of HR practices has a positive effect on perceived
work ability and preferred retirement age. We have con-
ducted latent growth curve modelling to test our hypotheses
amongst 12,444 employees aged 45 and older at four time
points. The results indicate that developmental practices are
positively related to work ability, whereas maintenance prac-
tices are negatively related to work ability and the preferred
retirement age. Accommodative practices are negatively
related to the intercepts of both outcomes but not to the
slopes, whereas utilisation practices are not related to the out-
comes at all.
KEYWORDS
ageing workforce, human resource strategy, longitudinal research,
motivation to work, work ability
Received: 21 May 2019 Revised: 3 April 2020 Accepted: 10 May 2020
DOI: 10.1111/1748-8583.12304
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and
reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
© 2020 The Authors. Human Resource Management Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Hum Resour Manag J. 2021;31:311325. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/hrmj 311
1|INTRODUCTION
Driven by population trends like the ageing of the workforce, there has been an increasing amount of pressure on
pension systems and labour shortages are expected to occur in the near future (Ng & Feldman, 2008; Taylor &
Earl, 2016). Governments of many developed countries have responded to these challenges by taking measures to
postpone the retirement age and prevent people from retiring at an earlier age (United Nations, 2017). In order to
work, longer people should remain able and motivated to continue working until or even past their retirement age.
These outcomes will be referred to as perceived work ability and preferred retirement age.
The body of research on the extension of working lives is growing (see e.g., Zacher, Kooij, & Beier, 2018) and
previous research suggests that organisations can enhance perceived work ability and preferred retirement age
through the use of Human Resource (HR) management (Truxillo, Cadiz, Rineer, Zaniboni, & Fraccaroli, 2012). How-
ever, little empirical evidence is available on the effects of HR practices on perceived work ability and preferred
retirement age (Pak, Kooij, De Lange, & Van Veldhoven, 2019). In a systematic review, Pak et al. (2019) showed that
although maintenance and accommodative practices have a positive effect on work ability, effects of developmental
and utilisation practices were mixed. Moreover, although developmental practices have a positive effect on preferred
retirement age, there was insufficient evidence to determine the effect of maintenance, utilisation and accommoda-
tive practices on preferred retirement age. Furthermore, the majority of studies focusing on work ability and pre-
ferred retirement age rely on cross-sectional data (Pak et al., 2019). However, ageing at work implies a temporal
dimension (Wang et al., 2017) which cannot be captured with cross-sectional data. Longitudinal growth models
Practitioner Notes
What is currently known
Perceived work ability and the preferred retirement age are important indicators of the extension of
working lives.
Personal and job resources are assumed to be beneficial for perceived work ability and the preferred
retirement age.
How this paper adds to current knowledge
We examine how outcomes related to the extension of working lives (i.e., perceived work ability and pre-
ferred retirement age) develop over time.
We examine whether HR practices influence perceived work ability and preferred retirement age
over time.
Practical implications
Perceived work ability decreases over the course of 3 years, whereas the preferred retirement age
increases over the course of 3 years.
Developmental practices are positively related to perceived work ability.
Maintenance practices are negatively related to perceived work ability and the preferred retirement age.
Accommodative practices are negatively related to the starting levels of perceived work ability and pre-
ferred retirement age.
Utilisation practices are negatively related to the starting levels of perceived work ability, but are
unrelated to the preferred retirement age.
312 PAK ET AL.
would allow us to advance the field of the extension of working lives by providing insight in the stability, growth and
decline of worker outcomes over time (Duncan, Duncan, & Strycker, 2013).
This article aims to contribute to the literature on the extension of working lives in two ways. First, we contrib-
ute to the limited knowledge on facilitators of the extension of working lives by examining the effect of HR practices
on perceived work ability and preferred retirement age. Previous studies have either not examined this relation or
found mixed results. With this study, we aim to clarify the relationship between four different types of HR practices
and perceived work ability and preferred retirement age. Second, this article examines changes in perceived work
ability and preferred retirement age over time with the use of latent growth curve modelling. As a result, we can
build further on current work that is mostly cross-sectional in nature by giving insight into the stability and change in
perceived work ability and preferred retirement age.
1.1 |HR practices as predictors of perceived work ability and preferred retirement age
Building on the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory (Hobfoll, 1989) and person-environment fit theory
(Edwards, Cable, Williamson, Lambert, & Shipp, 2006) we propose that the use of HR practices, an organisational
resource, will be positively associated with perceived work ability and preferred retirement age. Work ability repre-
sents the physical and mental capacity to perform one's job (Ilmarinen, Tuomi, & Klockars, 1997). Having a low work
ability is found to be a predictor of sickness absence and early retirement (Sell, 2009). In line with previous studies
on the extension of working lives the motivation to continue working is indicated by preferred retirement age (see
e.g., Carr et al., 2016; Henkens & Leenders, 2010).
COR theory posits that it is stressful for individuals to lose resources. To avoid losing resources individuals will
invest their current resources to protect their resources and potentially gain new ones. In addition, resources are cru-
cial in achieving one's (work-related) goals (Freund & Riediger, 2001). Since ageing is associated with gains
(e.g., crystalised intelligence) and losses (e.g., information processing speed and physical strength) in one's resources,
the preservation and generation of resources becomes more important to achieve (work-related) goals as one
becomes older (Baltes, Staudinger, & Lindenberger, 1999). Therefore, De Lange, Kooij, and Van der Heijden (2015)
argue that employees will work longer when they are capable of preserving and generating resources over the course
of their working life. Indeed, Pak et al. (2019), Airila et al. (2014) and Carr et al. (2016) found that job resources have
a positive influence on (perceived) work ability and preferred retirement age of older workers. In this study, we argue
that the use of HR practices as organisational resources can help individuals to compensate for age-related losses,
thereby preserving their resources, or generate new resources in order to start a resource gain cycle that is beneficial
or prevent a resource loss cycle that is detrimental to perceived work ability and the preferred retirement age.
Kooij, Jansen, Dikkers, and De Lange (2014) formulated four bundles of HR practices (e.g., developmental, mainte-
nance, utilisation and accommodative practices) based on the selection optimisation and compensation (SOC) model
(Baltes et al., 1999). The SOC model suggests that employees allocate their resources in line with four major life goals
namely; growth, maintenance, recovery and the regulation of loss. We propose that organisations can facilitate this alloca-
tion of resources by offering bundles of HR practices in line with these four major life goals. More specifically, develop-
mental practices reinforce growth strategies, maintenance practices reinforce maintenance strategies, utilisation practices
reinforce recovery strategies and accommodative practices reinforce strategies focused on the regulation of losses. As
the HR practices are bundled according to these employee goals, we argue that employees will use HR practices that fit
their goals (Bowen & Ostroff, 2004; Wright & Nishii, 2013). Building on person-environment fit theory (Edwards
et al., 2006), we argue that these bundles of HR practices are valuable organisational resources that can help older
workers generate additional personal and job resources to help them achieve relevant life-span goals.
First, developmental practices aim to aid workers in improving their performance (e.g., training and promotion).
They are seen as important organisational resources (Wheeler, Halbesleben, & Shanine, 2013) which can help
employees generate additional person and job resources that are cognitive and/or behavioural in nature. For example,
PAK ET AL.313
De Lange, De Witte, and Notelaers (2008) showed that employees gained autonomy and departmental resources after
receiving a promotion. As developmental practices are classified as organisational resources and can help workers gen-
erate additional job resources we argue that they will be beneficial for the extension of working lives. In line with this
expectation Aittomaki, Lahelma, and Roos (2003) and Bugajska and Łastowiecka (2005) found that the opportunity to
follow training courses (developmental practices) had a positive effect on perceived work ability. Moreover, Henkens
and Leenders (2010) and Thorsen et al. (2012) found that having a lack of developmental practices had a negative
effect on preferred retirement age. As developmental practices are likely to be used by employees who want to
improve their performance even further (Kooij et al., 2014) these individuals are likely to have good levels of perceived
work ability and preferred retirement age. Furthermore, based on the notion of resource caravans the use of develop-
mental practices can be seen as a resource that is expected to lead to the generation of additional resources. There-
fore, we expect that the developmental practices are positively related to the starting levels as well as the slopes of
work ability and the preferred retirement age. Therefore, we formulate the following hypotheses:
Hypothesis 1a The use of developmental practices is positively related to starting levels of perceived work ability.
Hypothesis 1 Increases in the use of developmental practices over time have a positive effect on changes in per-
ceived work ability.
Hypothesis 2a The use of developmental practices is positively related to starting levels of preferred
retirement age.
Hypothesis 2b Increases in the use of developmental practices over time have a positive effect on changes in pre-
ferred retirement age.
Second, maintenance practices are practices that facilitate workers to sustain their performance in spite of
(age-related) loss of resources (e.g., declines in physical capabilities). These practices are mainly focused on secu-
rity and protection of personal resources (e.g., health; Gong, Law, Chang, & Xin, 2009; Kooij et al., 2014). Exam-
ples of maintenance practices are health checks and performance appraisals (Kooij et al., 2014). Maintenance
practices can help individuals boost physical resources. For example, Robertson and O'Neill (2003) showed that
ergonomic adjustments made to the workplace can reduce the number of work-related disorders (and thus
increase health). As these practices are likely to be used by employees who face a loss of resources (Kooij
et al., 2014), these individuals are likely to have lower levels of perceived work ability and preferred retirement
age. Therefore, we expect that the use of maintenance practices is negatively related to the starting levels of
work ability and the preferred retirement age. However, as maintenance practices can be seen as organisational
resources that can help individuals create additional personal and job resources we expect that they have a posi-
tive effect on the slopes of perceived work ability and preferred retirement age. In line with this expectation,
Kuoppala, Lamminpää, and Husman (2008) found moderate evidence on the effect of health promotion activities
on perceived work ability in their meta-analysis. Furthermore, Shacklock, Brunetto, and Nelson (2009) showed
that flexible work options have a positive influence on older workers' decision to continue working. Therefore,
we formulate the following hypotheses:
Hypothesis 3a The use of maintenance practices is negatively related to starting levels of perceived work ability.
Hypothesis 3b Increases in the use of maintenance practices over time have a positive effect on changes in per-
ceived work ability.
Hypothesis 4a The use of maintenance practices is negatively related to starting levels of preferred retirement age.
314 PAK ET AL.
Hypothesis 4b Increases in the use of maintenance practices over time have a positive effect on changes in pre-
ferred retirement age.
Third, utilisation practices are practices that make use of the experience, knowledge and competencies of older
workers (e.g., mentoring roles and participation in decision making) thus optimising these personal resources. These
practices can be used to assist workers in regaining performance after having experienced a drop in performance.
They usually make use of lateral development in which job demands that are no longer achievable for the employee
are replaced by other demands that fit better with the existing personal resources of the individual (Zaleska & de
Menezes, 2007). For example, through mentoring an older worker is better able to use his or her resources
(e.g., knowledge and skills of the company and the profession). As these practices are likely to be used by employees
who experienced a drop in their performance (Kooij et al., 2014), these individuals are likely to have lower levels of
perceived work ability and preferred retirement age. Therefore, we expect that the use of utilisation practices is neg-
atively related to the starting levels of work ability and the preferred retirement age. However, as utilisation practices
can be seen as organisational resources that can help individuals make better use of their existing personal cognitive
resources (e.g., knowledge and skills) we expect that utilisation practices have a positive effect on the slope of per-
ceived work ability and preferred retirement age. In line with this expectation, two studies found a positive effect of
participation in decision making on the ability to continue working (de Croon et al., 2005; Tuomi, Vanhala, Nykyri, &
Janhonen, 2004). Furthermore, Bal and Visser (2011) found that having the opportunity to change work roles had a
positive effect on preferred retirement age. Therefore, we formulate the following hypotheses:
Hypothesis 5a The use of utilisation practices is negatively related to starting levels of perceived work ability.
Hypothesis 5b Increases in the use of utilisation practices over time have a positive effect on changes in perceived
work ability.
Hypothesis 6a The use of utilisation practices is negatively related to starting levels of preferred retirement age.
Hypothesis 6b Increases in the use of utilisation practices over time have a positive effect on changes in preferred
retirement age.
Fourth, accommodative practices (e.g., demotions and receiving an exemption from overtime) are used when an
employee can no longer regain previous levels of performance and needs to be assisted in functioning at a lower level
(Remery, Henkens, Schippers, & Ekamper, 2003). According to Kooij et al. (2014), these practices help to regulate the
loss of resources; by reducing demands there is less strain on the available resources of the employee. To illustrate, a
worker who had a burnout can be offered a demotion to a less challenging position which reduces the strain on the
resources that the individual has available. Indeed, Josten and Schalk (2010) found that demotions can reduce exhaus-
tion among older workers when they are moved to less physically challenging positions. As these practices are likely to
be used by employees who experienced a drop in their performance and can no longer regain their previous levels of
performance (Kooij et al., 2014) these individuals are likely to have lower levels of perceived work ability and preferred
retirement age. Indeed, Van der Meer et al. (2016) showed that people with a lower work ability were more likely to use
the company practice of reducing workload compared to people with a higher work ability. Therefore, we expect that
the use of accommodative practices is negatively related to the starting levels of work ability and the preferred retire-
ment age. However, as accommodative practices can be seen as organisational resources that can reduce strain on per-
sonal cognitive and physical resources, we expect that accommodative practices have a positive effect on changes in
perceived work ability and preferred retirement age over time. In line with this expectation, the accommodative prac-
tices workplace rehabilitation, reducing the number of working hours and getting exemptions from evening and night
PAK ET AL.315
work were found to have a positive effect on perceived work ability (Ahlstrom, Hagberg, & Dellve, 2013; Jensen, 2013;
Van der Meer et al., 2016). Therefore, we formulate the following hypotheses:
Hypothesis 7a The use of accommodative practices is negatively related to starting levels of perceived work ability.
Hypothesis 7b Increases in the use of accommodative practices over time have a positive effect on changes in per-
ceived work ability.
Hypothesis 8a The use of accommodative practices is negatively related to starting levels of preferred
retirement age.
Hypothesis 8b Increases in the use of accommodative practices over time have a positive effect on changes in pre-
ferred retirement age.
An overview of all HR practices that are included in the different bundles can be found in Table 1.
2|METHOD
2.1 |Design of the study and procedure
This research is a secondary data analysis of the Study on Transitions in Employment, Ability and Motivation (STREAM;
Ybema et al., 2014). STREAM is a longitudinal prospective cohort study among Dutch employed, self-employed and non-
employed persons aged 45 and older. In this study, only data from employed persons were analysed. Data were collected
with the help of questionnaires at seven measurement points. The first measurement (T1) took place in 2010, with yearly
follow-ups in 2011 (T2), 2012 (T3), 2013 (T4), 2015 (T5), 2016 (T6) and 2017 (T7). We used the first four waves for the
present study as changes were made in the questionnaire after the fourth wave.
2.2 |Sample
Participants of the STREAM study were recruited from an existing panel of Intomart GfK (i.e., a marketing
company) in October and November 2010. This panel consisted of about 110,000 persons, of which
TABLE 1 Overview of the HR practices included in the questionnaire (cf. Kooij et al., 2014)
Accommodative practices Utilisation practices Maintenance practices Developmental practices
Reduction of tasks and/or
responsibilities
Task enrichment Compressed workweek Promotion
Additional leave (Partial) change in tasks
or responsibilities
Ergonomic adjustments
to the workplace
Training or instruction on the job
Demotion Retraining for a new
profession
Adjustments to work
tasks due to illness
15 day course or education
Early retirement Course or education that takes
more than 5 days
Exemption from working
overtime/night shifts
Visit to trade fair, conference or
seminar
Reduced workload Visit to the supplier, trade
association or business counter
316 PAK ET AL.
approximately 35,000 were in the appropriate age range for the study. From these 35,000 eligible participants,
a stratified sample by age and initial employment status of 26,601 persons was invited to participate. They
received a maximum of two reminders to complete the questionnaire. Intomart GfK recruited their panel mem-
bers through the contacts of current panel members, newsletters and banners and by approaching participants
of previous nationally representative research. Participants received a small financial reward for participating
in this study (a maximum of 3 euro's per questionnaire when participants devoted sufficient time to the ques-
tions; Ybema et al. (2014).
Of the 26,601 invited individuals, 15,118 persons filled in the questionnaire at T1 (response of 71%). Of these
15,118 respondents, 2,674 were either self-employed or unemployed during the entire study and were removed
from the analysis. Individuals who were employed during at least one measurement moment during the study were
retained for those measurement moments at which they reported being employed. Although only 5,872 of the
respondents filled in the questionnaire at all four measurement moments all 12,444 employees who filled in at least
one of the questionnaires were included as Mplus is capable of dealing with missing data points. The age of the
respondents ranged from 45 to 65 (M= 54.40, SD = 5.49) and 55.9% of the respondents were male. Respondents
worked 30.86 hr on average (SD = 10.22). Education level was fairly equally distributed with 27.4% being low edu-
cated, 38.8% of the respondents having a middle level education and 38.8% having a high level of education. The
respondents worked in a range of different professions with administrative professions (16.4%), health care profes-
sions (14.2%) and managerial positions (10.1%) reported most often. With regard to industry, most participants
reported that they worked in the health care (19.2%), government (12.7%) and education sector (12.5%). Finally,
41.3% of the respondents worked in large companies with 249 employees or more.
2.3 |Measures
2.3.1 |Perceived work ability
Perceived work ability was measured with the first three items of the work ability index (Tuomi, Ilmarinen, Jahkola,
Katajarinne, & Tulkki, 1998). An example item is Assume that your work ability at its best has had a value of 10.
How many points would you give your current work ability?
2.3.2 |Preferred retirement age
Preferred retirement age was measured with one open-ended question which stated, Until what age would you like to
continue working?. To assess the validity of the single item measure of preferred retirement age we tested the associa-
tion with the related concept engagement (Polat, Bal, & Jansen, 2017) measured with the Utrecht Work Engagement
Scale (Schaufeli, Salanova, González-Romá, & Bakker, 2002). As expected, preferred retirement age was positively corre-
lated with engagement (T1: r=.136,p< .01, T2: r=.127,p<.01,T3:r=.143,p<.01,T4:r= .148, p<.01).
2.3.3 |HR practices
The use of HR practices in the last 12 months was measured with 18 self-constructed dichotomous items. An example
question is Haveyoumadeapromotioninthepast12months?These items were categorised and added together as
developmental (N= 6), accommodative (N= 6), utilisation (N= 3) and maintenance (N= 3) practices according to the HR
bundles of Kooij et al. (2014). Table 1 shows which HR practices are covered in each bundle. The bundles of HR
PAK ET AL.317
practices were conceptualised as a composite formative measurement model in line with the checklist for formative or
reflective models of Fleuren, van Amelsvoort, Zijlstra, de Grip, and Kant (2018) (see Appendix S1).
2.3.4 |Control variables
Calendar age, gender and health were included as control variables. Previous studies have shown that age (see
e.g., Ilmarinen et al., 1997), gender (Hsu & Jones, 2012) and health (Topa, Moriano, Depolo, Alcover, &
Morales, 2009) are predictive of perceived work ability and preferred retirement age. Gender is a dummy variable in
which males are the reference category.
2.4 |Analysis
Latent growth curve modelling was conducted in Mplus (version 8; Muthén & Muthén, 1998-2017). First, scale
scores were created to simplify the model. Growth curves consisting of the mean-level of the intercept and the mean
level of change were estimated for perceived work ability and preferred retirement age separately over a span of
3 years. The intercept represents the starting level with higher scores representing higher starting levels, whereas
the slope represents the level of change over the four measurement points with higher scores representing higher
increases over time (Duncan et al., 2013). Next, growth curves consisting of the mean level of the intercept and the
mean level of change in HR practices were used to predict variation in the intercept and slope of the outcome vari-
ables. The intercepts of the HR practices were used to predict variation in the intercepts of the outcome variables
whereas the slopes of the HR practices were used to predict variation in the slopes of the outcome variables.
3|RESULTS
3.1 |Preliminary analysis
The full correlation table including the correlations of all variables included in this study, their means and standard
deviations are reported in Appendix S2.
3.2 |Latent growth curve modelling
First, latent growth curve models for both outcome measures were created without including HR practices and con-
trol variables as predictors. The fit statistics, mean levels and variance levels of these models are displayed in
Table 2. The intercept of perceived work ability is 7.83 (on a scale ranging from 0 to 10), meaning that the initial level
of perceived work ability is rather high (p=.00). The slope of perceived work ability is .06, meaning that over time
perceived work ability significantly decreases (p=.010). The intercept of preferred retirement age is 63.63 (p=.00).
The slope of preferred retirement age is 0.37 (p=.00), meaning that preferred retirement age increases over time.
Subsequently, HR practices and control variables were added to the model for both outcomes. The standardised
estimates of the effects of HR practices over time on both outcomes can be found in Table 3. With regard to perceived
work ability model fit was good (χ2[222] = 4,105.020, p< .001, RMSEA = .038, CFI = .920). The intercepts of accommo-
dative (β=.17, p= .00), maintenance (β=.06, p= .00) and utilisation practices (β=.10, p= .00) have a negative
effect on the intercept of perceived work ability. The slope of maintenance practices (β=.26, p= .03) also have a nega-
tive effect on the slope of perceived work ability, whereas the slopes of accommodative (β=.09, p=.55)and
318 PAK ET AL.
utilisation practices (β=.12, p= .33) do not affect the slope of work ability. Developmental practices have a positive
effect on the intercept (β= .13, p= .00) and slope of perceived work ability (β= .36, p= .00). Gender had a negative
effect on the intercept of workability (β=.05, p=.00),whereasage(β=.04,p= .00) and health (β=.61,p=.00)hada
positive effect. Health had a negative effect on the slope of perceived work ability (β=.32, p=.00).
With regard to the preferred retirement age model fit was good (χ2[222] = 4,053.296, p< .001, RMSEA = 0.037,
CFI = 0.924). The intercepts of accommodative (β=.06, p= .00) and maintenance practices (β=.07, p=.00)hada
TABLE 2 Parameter estimates (unstandardised) and fit statistics of the outcome variables
Latent growth curve model Estimate SE χ
2
df CFI RMSEA
Perceived work ability 73.36*** 8 0.993 0.026
Means
Intercept 7.83*** 0.01
Slope 0.06*** 0.01
Variances
Intercept 1.38*** 0.03
Slope 0.10*** 0.01
Preferred retirement age 72.83*** 8 0.995 0.026
Means
Intercept 63.63*** 0.03
Slope 0.37*** 0.01
Variances
Intercept 8.37*** 0.16
Slope 0.41*** 0.02
Note: *p< .05, **p< .01, ***p< .001. N= 11,243 for perceived work ability, N= 10,784 for preferred retirement age.
TABLE 3 The effect of HR practices over time on the different outcome variables
Outcome Predictor
Intercept Slope
Standardised estimate SE Standardised estimate SE
Perceived work ability Development 0.13*** 0.01 0.36*** 0.08
Maintenance 0.06*** 0.02 0.26* 0.12
Utilisation 0.10*** 0.02 0.12 0.13
Accommodation 0.17*** 0.02 0.09 0.15
Age 0.04*** 0.01 0.01 0.03
Gender 0.05*** 0.01 0.00 0.03
Health 0.61*** 0.01 0.32*** 0.03
Preferred retirement age Development 0.02 0.01 0.09 0.06
Maintenance 0.06*** 0.02 0.21** 0.08
Utilisation 0.01 0.02 0.07 0.09
Accommodation 0.06** 0.02 0.06 0.10
Age 0.28*** 0.01 0.04 0.02
Gender 0.05*** 0.01 0.03 0.02
Health 0.07*** 0.01 0.02 0.02
Note: *p< .05, **p< .01, ***p< .001. N= 12,423.
PAK ET AL.319
negative effect on the intercept of preferred retirement age, whereas the intercepts of developmental (β=.02,p=.19)and
utilisation practices (β=.01, p= .50) had no effect. Furthermore, the slope of maintenance practices had a negative effect
on the slope of preferred retirement age (β=.21, p= .01), whereas the slopes of accommodative (β=.06,p=.55),
utilisation (β=.07,p= .43) and developmental practices (β=.09,p= .11) did not affect the slope of the preferred retirement
age. The intercepts control variables age (β=.28,p= .00) and health (β=.07,p= .00) had a positive effect on the intercept
of the preferred retirement age, whereas the intercept of gender had a negative effect (β=.05, p=.00).Theslopesofthe
control variables did not affect the slope of the preferred retirement age. An overview of which hypotheses are supported
and which are not can be found in Table 4.
4|DISCUSSION
This study investigated the relationship between HR practices and perceived work ability and preferred retirement age
through a secondary data analysis of the longitudinal STREAM (Ybema et al., 2014) amongst 12,444 employees aged 4564.
Latent growth curve modelling revealed a slight decrease in perceived work ability over time. Furthermore, we found
a positive effect of the use of developmental practices on the intercept and slope, which was in line with our
TABLE 4 Overview of the hypotheses
Hypothesis Supported?
1a The use of developmental practices is positively related to starting levels of perceived work ability Yes
1b Increases in the use of developmental practices over time have a positive effect on changes in
perceived work ability
Yes
2a The use of developmental practices is positively related to starting levels of preferred retirement
age
No
2b Increases in the use of developmental practices over time have a positive effect on changes in
preferred retirement age
No
3a The use of maintenance practices is negatively related to starting levels of perceived work ability Yes
3b Increases in the use of maintenance practices over time have a positive effect on changes in
perceived work ability
No
4a The use of maintenance practices is negatively related to starting levels of preferred retirement
age
Yes
4b Increases in the use of maintenance practices over time have a positive effect on changes in
preferred retirement age
No
5a The use of utilisation practices is negatively related to starting levels of perceived work ability Yes
5b Increases in the use of utilisation practices over time have a positive effect on changes in
perceived work ability
No
6a The use of utilisation practices is negatively related to starting levels of preferred retirement age No
6b Increases in the use of utilisation practices over time have a positive effect on changes in
preferred retirement age
No
7a The use of accommodative practices is negatively related to starting levels of perceived work
ability.
Yes
7b Increases in the use of accommodative practices over time have a positive effect on changes in
perceived work ability
No
8a The use of accommodative practices is negatively related to starting levels of preferred retirement
age
Yes
8b Increases in the use of accommodative practices over time have a positive effect on changes in
preferred retirement age
No
320 PAK ET AL.
expectations. Furthermore, in line with our expectations we found a negative effect of the use of utilisation, maintenance
and accommodative practices on the intercept of perceived workability. Contrary to our expectations, maintenance prac-
tices had a negative effect on the slope of perceived work ability and utilisation and accommodative practices did not
influence the slope of perceived work ability. This negative effect and lack of an effect might be explained by the imple-
mentation of these practices. Accommodative (autoregressive correlations ranging from 0.33 to 0.36), utilisation (auto-
regressive correlations ranging from 0.29 to 0.36) and maintenance practices (ranging from 0.56 to 0.58) correlate weakly
with themselves over time. This could indicate that these practices are mostly used in a curative ad hoc manner, rather
than in a consistent preventive manner, thereby limiting their potential positive effect.
Furthermore, our analyses revealed a slight increase in preferred retirement age over time. Furthermore, in line
with our expectations the use of accommodative and maintenance practices had a negative effect on the intercept
of the preferred retirement age. Contrary to our expectations, accommodative practices did not affect the slope of
the preferred retirement age, the use of maintenance practices had a negative effect on the slope of preferred retire-
ment age, and the use of utilisation and developmental practices did not affect the intercept nor the slope of the pre-
ferred retirement age. A possible explanation for the lack of an effect of developmental, utilisation and
accommodative practices is that in the retirement decision-making process work-related factors are merely one of
the possible predictors. Personal factors and societal norms also play an important role (Wang & Shultz, 2010) and
might outperform work-related factors (Kanfer, Beier, & Ackerman, 2013). Furthermore, the curative ad hoc imple-
mentation of these practices could also have caused this lack of an effect.
4.1 |Theoretical contributions
This study contributes to the literature on the extension of working lives in two ways. First, we examined how the
use of HR practices related to perceived work ability and preferred retirement age over time. These analyses rev-
ealed that the use of developmental practices has a positive effect on both the intercept and the slope of perceived
work ability but does not affect the preferred retirement age. The use of maintenance practices had a negative effect
on the intercept and the slope of perceived work ability and on the intercept and the slope of the preferred retire-
ment age. The use of utilisation practices had a negative effect on the intercept of work ability, but did not affect the
slope of work ability or the intercept and the slope of the preferred retirement age. The use of accommodative prac-
tices had a negative effect on the intercept of perceived work ability and the preferred retirement, but did not affect
their slopes. As evidence on the relationship between HR practices and outcomes related to the extension of work-
ing lives is limited and results were mixed, these results improve our understanding of how HR practices have an
effect on the extension of working lives. Based on our findings, we argue that the use of developmental practices
(rather than the availability of development practices) are important job resources that can facilitate the extension of
working lives, whereas HR practices that are traditionally offered to older workers (e.g., maintenance and accommo-
dative practices) do not appear to facilitate the extension of working lives. Nevertheless, the variables are not
strongly correlated with one another (Hemphill, 2003) which indicates that HR practices only predict a small amount
of the variance in the outcomes and that other variables, such as personal characteristics or societal norms might
play a larger role in predicting the extension of working lives (Wang & Shultz, 2010).
Second, we have studied changes over time with the use of latent growth curve modelling. Latent growth
modelling revealed that perceived work ability decreases over time whereas preferred retirement age increases over
time. These changes in both outcome measures over time highlight the need for more longitudinal research in the
field of the extension of working lives. Cross-sectional studies cannot capture these changes over time and therefore
do not say anything about the trajectories in these work outcomes and their predictors. With the use of this longitu-
dinal design, we could relate predictors (i.e., HR practices) to both the intercepts and the changes in perceived work
ability and preferred retirement over time, which cannot be done in cross-sectional studies.
PAK ET AL.321
4.2 |Limitations
Several limitations should be noted with regard to this study. First, preferred retirement age was measured with a
single item measure. Although single-item measures reduce the burden on respondents (Fuchs &
Diamantopoulos, 2009), it is preferable to use multi-item scales for independent and dependent variables as these
are considered to be more reliable and precise (Boyd, Gove, & Hitt, 2005). However, as the majority of studies that
use preferred retirement age as an outcome variable use a single item measure we considered it appropriate (see
e.g., Carr et al., 2016). Furthermore, Solem et al. (2016) showed that preferred retirement age is significantly related
to the actual retirement age. Second, the content validity of the HR items might be limited as respondents might
have different notions of the individual HR practices. For example, one employee might define a flexible work sched-
ule as starting between 8 and 9, whereas another employee might define this as complete freedom when to start
working. In future research this issue may be overcome by using company data on the usage of HR practices or by
adding a more elaborate description for each HR practice. Finally, Parker and Andrei (2020) distinguish between
three different HR strategies towards older workers: include (i.e., age-inclusive HR practices, see e.g., Boehm,
Kunze, & Bruch, 2013), individualise (i.e., age-specific HR practices, such as the HR bundles of Kooij et al., 2014) and
integrate (i.e., HR strategies aimed at facilitating interaction between age diverse colleagues, see for example
Burmeister & Deller, 2016). In this study, we focused particularly on the individualisation strategy. However, practi-
tioners should be aware that beside the four bundles of HR practices that we examined in this study more
approaches are available. In future studies it might be relevant to compare these three different strategies with
regard to their effectiveness in maintaining and stimulating perceived work ability and preferred retirement age.
4.3 |Practical implications
This study has several important implications for practice. Based on the results of this study, we suggest that organisa-
tions should focus on the use of developmental practices to stimulate perceived work ability. However, previous
research shows that older workers have fewer opportunities to participate in training compared to younger workers
(Canduela et al., 2012). Based on our findings, we urge practitioners to offer development opportunities to workers of
all ages to stimulate the extension of working lives. Furthermore, the findings of our study reveal that the use of accom-
modative, utilisation and maintenance practices, which are traditionally offered to older workers, have either a negative
effect or no effect on perceived work ability and preferred retirement age. Therefore, we recommend organisations to
offer developmental practices instead of accommodative, utilisation and maintenance practices to older workers and
only offer accommodative, utilisation and maintenance practices when older workers face problems at work.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare no potential conflict of interest.
ORCID
Karen Pak https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2675-5906
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SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Additional supporting information may be found online in the Supporting Information section at the end of this
article.
How to cite this article: Pak K, Kooij DTAM, De Lange AH, van den Heuvel S, Van Veldhoven MJPM. The
influence of human resource practices on perceived work ability and the preferred retirement age: A latent
growth modelling approach. Hum Resour Manag J. 2021;31:311325. https://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.
12304
PAK ET AL.325
... In line with Kooij, Nijssen, Bal, and van der Kruijssen (2020) we define successful aging at work as 'as the proactive maintenance of, or adaptive recovery (from decline) to, high levels of ability and motivation to continue working among older workers (p.351)'. Employees are usually considered as older employees when they are between 40 and 50 years and older (see for example Ng & Feldman, 2008;Pak, Kooij, De Lange, van den Heuvel, & Van Veldhoven, 2020;van der Heijden, 2003). According to the lifespan development perspective (Baltes & Baltes, 1990), the aging process consists of a combination of gains and losses in physical and mental abilities. ...
... The first bundle, developmental practices (e.g., training and promotion) are aimed at growth and help employees to improve their functioning at work (Kooij et al., 2014), which has a positive effect on work outcomes for older employees (Pak et al., 2020). Older employees indicate that they would like to receive more training to facilitate the learning of skills related to technology (Lee, Czaja, & Sharit, 2008). ...
... Therefore, in order to safeguard workers' SE, organizations need to configure work in a sustainable manner so that workers can maintain their well-being and health [5]. Limited prior research indicated that organizations can stimulate workers' SE by implementing development-based human resource management [HRM) practices [6] and creating a supportive leadership culture at the workplace [7]. ...
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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the experience of human resource (HR) professionals in managing career development for older workers. It focuses on the influence of personal, social and organisational experiences of HR professionals on (1) their approach to career development of older workers and (2) their organisation's career development practices for older workers. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews with 14 HR professionals from large organisations with at least half of their workforce aged 45 and above. The transcripts were analysed thematically, with the coding process informed by Ricoeur's theory of interpretation. Findings Three main themes emerged within the HR professionals' narratives. They identified with (1) the protagonist mindset in career development stories, (2) the enabling enforcer of individualised career development practices and (3) the agent for change in career development practices. Practical implications This study shows that a narrative thematic analysis can be used to explore how the experiences of HR professionals can affect the design and implementation of career development strategies for this cohort of workers. Further, recruiting HR professionals with a protagonist mindset can generate organisational practices inclusive of older workers. Originality/value This study is one of the first to focus on the role of HR professionals in managing career development practices for older workers and the influence of supportive managers on their attitudes and actions with older workers.
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Data
Chapter Data, Program Inputs and Outputs for all LGM Examples in the textbook "An Introduction to Latent Variable Growth Curve Modeling: Concepts, Issues, and Applications, Second Edition". Model specifications are included providing program syntax for Amos, EQS, LISREL, and Mplus software programs. The files are arranged by chapter and include syntax, data, and output files for all examples a particular software program is capable of estimating. The first three chapters (specification of the LGM, LGM and repeated measures ANOVA, and multivariate representations of growth and development) cover the development of the LGM. These are followed by three chapters involving multiple group issues and extensions (analyzing growth in multiple populations, accelerated designs, and multilevel longitudinal approaches), and followed by the chapter on growth mixture modeling, which addresses multiple-group issues from a latent class perspective. The remainder of the book covers 'special topics' (chapters on interrupted time series approaches to LGM analyses, growth modeling with ordered categorical outcomes, Missing data models, a latent variable framework for LGM power analyses and Monte Carlo estimation, and latent growth interaction models). The zipfile is quite large (1MB) since it contains all files for the various software programs.
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Objective: Constructs capturing health or functioning can have reflective and/or formative measurement models. Although a construct's measurement model has extensive implications on the construction, validation and use of a measurement instrument, measurement models are frequently wrongly or not explicitly specified. As this is likely due to a lack of guidelines, this study uses sustainable employability as an example to demonstrate a) the applicability of an adapted checklist for establishing a construct's measurement model; and b) the use of structural equation modelling to handle formative constructs. Study design and setting: First, the checklist is applied to sustainable employability to establish its measurement model. Second, using observational self-report data from 2,544 employees, structural equation models are estimated to evaluate the structural and criterion validity of sustainable employability as a formative construct. Results: The checklist demonstrates strong applicability, identifying sustainable employability as a formative construct. Model fit indices (CFIs > .932, TLIs > .925, RMSEAs < .034) suggest the formative measurement model for sustainable employability is valid. Conclusion: The checklist and structural equation modelling facilitate handling formative constructs. By establishing sustainable employability as a formative construct, individuals' long term ability to function at work can be more adequately studied and intervened upon. Available from: https://www.jclinepi.com/article/S0895-4356(17)31132-0/pdf
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The objective of the Study on Transitions in Employment, Ability and Motivation (STREAM) is to acquire knowledge on determinants of transitions in employment and work productivity among persons aged 45-64 years. Research Framework: A research framework was developed, in which transitions in employment (e.g. leaving the workforce, entering the workforce, job change) and work productivity are influenced by the following determinants: health, job characteristics, skills and knowledge, social factors, and financial factors. Central explanatory variables in the framework are the ability to work, the motivation to work, and the opportunity to work. Study Design: STREAM is a prospective cohort study among 12,055 employees, 1,029 self-employed persons, and 2,034 non-working persons, all aged 45 to 64 years at baseline. The study sample was stratified by age and employment status (employed, self-employed, non-working), and was drawn from an existing internet panel. The baseline measurement was carried out in 2010 (response: 70%), and with yearly follow-up measurements in 2011 (response: 82%), 2012 (response: 80%), and 2013. At each wave, participants fill out an online questionnaire covering all aspects of the research framework. Place and Duration of Study: The Netherlands, between October 2010 and December 2013. Methodology: Quantitative data on all aspects of the research framework were assessed with an online questionnaire, qualitative data were assessed with interview studies, and the questionnaire data can be linked to register data at Statistics Netherlands for 89% of the participants. Results: Transitions in employment between the first three waves of data among the participants are described. Conclusion: STREAM will provide insight in the determinants of healthy and productive labour participation among persons aged 45 years and older, which will support the development of interventions prolonging working life in good health, while maintaining good work productivity.