Organizational Hindrances to the Retention of Older Healthcare Workers

The Swedish healthcare sector is currently experiencing recruitment difficulties combined with increasing demand for healthcare services. This study accordingly seeks knowledge of the obstacles to and opportunities for retaining older employees in the Swedish healthcare sector. Results of interviews...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nordic journal of working life studies 2020, Vol.10 (1), p.41
Main Authors: Jonsson, Robin, Lindegård, Agneta, Björk, Lisa, Nilsson, Kerstin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Active aging policy
Age management
Age management / Line managers / HRM / Swedish healthcare / Active aging policy / Aging workforce / Retirement
Aging workforce
Arbetslivsstudier
Arbetsmedicin och miljömedicin
Environmental Health and Occupational Health
Gender, Ethnicity, Age and Diversity
Health Care Service and Management, Health Policy and Services and Health Economy
Health Sciences
Health, Working Environment & Wellbeing
HRM
Hälso- och sjukvårdsorganisation, hälsopolitik och hälsoekonomi
Hälsovetenskap
Hälsovetenskaper
Line managers
Medical and Health Sciences
Medicin och hälsovetenskap
Organization & Management
Retirement
Social Psychology
Socialpsykologi
Sociologi
Sociology
Swedish healthcare
Work Sciences
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Summary:The Swedish healthcare sector is currently experiencing recruitment difficulties combined with increasing demand for healthcare services. This study accordingly seeks knowledge of the obstacles to and opportunities for retaining older employees in the Swedish healthcare sector. Results of interviews with line managers and human resource (HR) partners indicate that the informants have positive attitudes toward older healthcare workers in general, particularly acknowledging their contributions based on long experience and skill. However, line managers’ high workload, the absence of age-management strategies, and universal HR policies not conducive to older workers’ individual needs are considered obstacles to retention on an organizational level. To retain older healthcare workers and maintain their ability and motivation, the healthcare sector and especially HR strategies need to be more proactive in addressing these issues, and formalized policies are required in order to benefit from the potential labor reserve that older employees constitute.
ISSN:2245-0157
2245-0157
DOI:10.18291/njwls.v10i1.118679