Perceived High Involvement Work Practices and Retirement Intentions

Abstract

Sustainable human resource management (HRM) stresses the importance of maintaining and developing organizations’ human capital for social, ecological and financial reasons. In the context of aging workforce, the social aspect of sustainable HRM relates to the discussion of retaining older employees and preventing their early exit from work life. This study builds on sustainable HRM literature and examines the antecedents of working until official retirement age and continuing working beyond retirement age with special reference to perceived high involvement work practices (HIWPs). The study population consisted of older (more than 50 years) nursing professionals who work at a Finnish university hospital. The quantitative survey data were collected in spring 2016 as a part of the Work Careers of Older Workers Continued Work Participation and Bridge Employment Research project (JATKIS), conducted at the Gerontology Research Center, University of Jyväskylä. The results indicated that good work ability, older age and HIWPs perceived as good were positively related to older nursing professionals’ intention to continue working until retirement age and beyond. A better financial situation was in turn negatively associated with the intention to continue working until retirement and after retirement.