The effects of career development practices on expected retirement age of injured older workers

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Mok, Irene^{a; b; *} | Mackenzie, Lynette^{a; b} | Thomson, Kate^a

Affiliations: [a] Sydney School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia | [b] Ageing and Health Research Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Correspondence: [*] Address for correspondence: Irene Mok, Sydney School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Susan Wakil Building, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. E-mail: [email protected].

Abstract: BACKGROUND:Work injury can put older workers at higher risk of disability and early retirement. Rapid population ageing has raised questions about the ability of older workers to continue working, especially for those who have experienced work injury. Career development practices have been highlighted as a form of rehabilitation support to enable longer working lives of injured older workers. OBJECTIVE:The purpose of this study was to explore whether career development practices contribute to higher expected retirement age for injured older workers (aged 45 and above). METHOD:A total of 274 older Australian workers employed at large organisations completed a survey about their health, retirement intentions, work injury, and engagement with career development practices. Hierarchical multiple regression and two-way analysis of variances were used to analyse the data. RESULTS:Work injury contributed to significantly lower expected retirement age for older workers. Work training and development predicted a significant amount of variance in expected retirement age of injured older workers, and enabled them to work to later retirement ages. There was no statistically significant difference in injured older workers’ expected retirement age for those who participated in career discussion with their managers and those who did not participate. CONCLUSION:Lack of career development support can affect injured older workers’ ability to participate in employment. The findings highlight the importance for rehabilitation and human resource professionals to have a proactive and educative role in providing career development support to injured older workers.

Keywords: Work injury, career development, older workers, human resource management, retirement

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-211249

Journal: Work, vol. 74, no. 1, pp. 183-191, 2023