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Successful aging at work

The concept of ‘successful aging’ has been expanded to the workplace and in this context it has been interpreted mostly from a life-span theory perspective. Life-span developmental theories view adaptation as a proactive (self-regulated) process, reflected in life management strategies applied by individuals in their attempts to cope with changes in themselves and their environment. For instance, according to the life-span theory of selective optimization with compensation (SOC) proposed originally by Baltes and Baltes (1990) individuals can successfully adapt to age-related changes and changes in the workplace through using three types of personal strategies: selection, optimization, and compensation. Further, there is substantial evidence that the use of SOC strategies can enhance workers’ performance and well-being, and that it becomes particularly important at older age. Another conceptual model, Socioemotional Selectivity Theory (SES), focuses on the fundamental role of perception of time in the selection and pursuit of social goals. With increasing age, as time becomes perceived as more limited, an individual’s priorities may shift from long-term knowledge-related goals (e.g. learning) to short-term emotional goals (e.g. focusing on meaningful activities and/or relationships). An extension of SES refers to the interpretation of age-related changes in work motivation. It’s been proposed that work motivation does not decline at older ages, but workers’ priorities tend to change over time and with age (e.g. from extrinsically to intrinsically rewarding job features).

Following these conceptualizations, one most recent interpretation of the concept of ‘successful aging at work’ is as a developmental process where growth is still possible. According to others, the construct of ‘thriving at work’ represents an individual’s simultaneous experiences of both vitality and learning in the workplace and is another term associated with successful aging at work. Theoretically, thriving implies the individual’s orientation toward growth and successful adaptation. It is a common view that thriving declines at older ages. Therefore, older workers would be expected to experience less thriving in the workplace compared with younger workers. However, recent research has demonstrated that experiences of thriving are common among older workers and that these experiences are positively associated with certain types of work environment.