Psychosocial controversies over managing mature age employees (65+)

Abstract

The article discussed the issue of keeping or re-employing mature age employees (65+) in companies as an answer to the phenomenon of the increasing population of older people and the occurring threat of deficit in human capital of working age. The achievable results of reactivation of mature age employees (65+) were confronted with the rapidly changing profile of requirements of the contemporary labour market and psychological mechanisms of development and absorption of changes in the elderly. The controversies appearing in these areas were the main point of departure for the deliberations. The following features of the contemporary labour market were discussed: turbulent environment, innovativeness, internationalisation, mobility, coopetition and wikinomics as a new form of communication and cooperation. This was the background for presentation of the competencies of the future describing the figure of an employee in the current and future labour market. It was shown that the increasing pace of globalisation and breathtaking dynamics of the development of modern technologies intensify the complexity, variability and unpredictability of professional situations. Controversies over the professional activity of mature age employees (65+) mainly concern the discrepancies between the wealth of knowledge and experiences and the scope of openness to the complexity and changeability of the labour market as well as psychological potential of taking up new challenges. Recognition of this type of controversies is especially significant in relation to overcoming developmental pitfalls within the area of reactivating mature age employees (65+) in the contemporary companies. Taking them into consideration may give one assistance in formulating apt and effective solutions of demographic problems.