Have you ever felt excluded because of your age? Are you looking to better engage the older employees in your organisation? This presentation will help you to understand the negative impacts of age-based stereotypes, which are becoming increasingly important to recognise and manage as our working population ages. This research shares information about the antecedents and consequences of stereotype threat for older employees and will help you to target both interventions and hold informed discussions with older employees, leading to increased engagement and retention.

Given that 22% of Australia’s population is predicted to be over 65 years old by 2057 (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2014), it is increasingly important to understand and address experiences of stereotype threat that older employees may face in the workplace. This session will provide insight to the antecedents of stereotype threat amongst older employees in the workplace. Knowing and understanding these antecedents can help professionals implement targeted interventions and have conversations with their mature-age employees to minimise feelings of stereotype threat, consequently improving job attitudes and retention in an ageing workforce.

Coulon, Sophie; von Hippel, Courtney; Peters, Kim