Abstract
Just after the turn of the century, when the “leading edge” of the baby boomers approached the age of 65, there was an increase in the public attention devoted to the work and retirement intentions of older adults. Some experts voiced worries about the economic fragility of older Americans who might struggle to support their households with the conventional “three-legged stool” set of strategies (i.e., savings/investments, Social Security, and private pensions). In response, researchers began to take a serious look at the options and benefits associated with voluntary extension of the labor force participation of older adults. While the arguments for working longer are multi-faceted, there is wide recognition that older adults who are able to work past the normative retirement age (62–65 years) can benefit from the financial benefits offered by employment (both income and possible access to continued employer-sponsored benefits). In this chapter, we present an argument with supporting evidence that job quality affects older adults’ intentions with regard to their transitions into retirement. We found that, compared to employees who report that they intend to stay with their current employer “until they retire,” there are negative relationships between satisfaction with meaningful work as well as with compensation and the intent to leave before they retire (in the next 5 years).
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Beehr, T. A., Glazer, S., Nielson, N. L., & Farmer, S. J. (2000). Work and nonwork predictors of employees’ retirement ages. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 57(2), 206–225. https://doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.1999.1736
Carstensen, L. (2006). The influence of a sense of time on human development. Science, 312(5782), 1913–1915. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1127488
Coile, C. C., & Levine, P. B. (2006). Bulls, bears, and retirement behavior. Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 59(3), 408–429. https://doi.org/10.1177/001979390605900304
Congdon-Hohman, J. (2015). Love, toil, and health insurance: Why American husbands retire when they do. Contemporary Economic Policy, 33(1), 118–140. https://doi.org/10.1111/coep.12060
Danna, K., & Griffin, R. W. (1999). Health and well-being in the workplace: A review and synthesis of the literature. Journal of Management, 25(3), 357–384. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920639902500305
De Preter, H., Mortelmans, D., & Van Looy, D. (2012). Retirement timing in Europe: Does sector make a difference? Industrial Relations Journal, 43(6), 511–526. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2338.2012.00699.x
De Preter, H., Van Looy, D., Mortelmans, D., & Denaeghel, K. (2013). Retirement timing in Europe: The influence of work and life factors. The Social Science Journal, 50(2), 145–151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soscij.2013.03.006
Demeroutik, E., Bakker, A., Nacheiner, F., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2001). The job demands-resources model of burnout. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3), 499–512. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.86.3.499
Dudel, C., & Myrskylä, M. (2017). Working life expectancy at age 50 in the United States and the impact of the Great Recession. Demography, 54(6), 2101–2123. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13524-017-0619-6
Edgar, F., Geare, A., Halhjem, M., Reese, K., & Thoresen, C. (2015). Well-being and performance: Measurement issues for HRM research. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 26(15), 1983–1994. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2015.1041760
Grawitch, M. J., Gottschalk, M., & Munz, D. C. (2006). The path to a healthy workplace: A critical review linking healthy workplace practices, employee well-being, and organizational improvements. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 58(3), 129–147. https://doi.org/10.1037/1065-9293.58.3.129
Greenwald, L., Copeland, C., & VanDerhei, J. (2017). The 2017 Retirement Confidence Survey: Many workers lack retirement confidence and feel stressed about retirement preparations. EBRI Issue Brief, No. 431, pp. 1–32. Retrieved from https://www.ebri.org/pdf/surveys/rcs/2017/IB.431.Mar17.RCS17..21Mar17.pdf
Gupta, D. N., & Larsen, M. (2010). The impact of health on individual retirement plans: Self-reported versus diagnostic measures. Health Economics, 19(7), 792–813. https://doi.org/10.1002/hec.1523
Gustman, A. L., Steinmeier, T. L., & Tabataba, N. (2012). Did the recession of 2007–2009 affect the wealth and retirement of the near retirement age population in the Health and Retirement Study? Social Security Bulletin, 72(4), 47–67. Retrieved from https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v72n4/v72n4p47.html
Hershfield, H. E. (2011, October). Future self-continuity: How conceptions of the future self-transform intertemporal choice. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1235, 30–43. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.2011.06201.x
Hill, E. J., Grzywacz, J. G., Allen, S., Blanchard, V. L., Matz-Costa, C., Shulkin, S., et al. (2008). Defining and conceptualizing workplace flexibility. Community, Work and Family, 11(2), 149–163.
Ilmarinen, J. (2009a). Aging and work: An international perspective. In S. J. Czaja & J. Sharit (Eds.), Aging and work: Issues and implications in a changing landscape (pp. 51–73). Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press.
Ilmarinen, J. (2009b). Work ability—A comprehensive concept for occupational health research and prevention. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, 35(1), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.1304
Johnson, R. W. (2004, November). Retirement timing of husbands and wives. Benefits and Compensation Digest, 41(11), 14–19.
Karasek, R., & Theorell, T. (1990). Healthy work: Stress, productivity, and the reconstruction of working life. New York: Basic Books.
Kowalski, T. H. P., & Loretto, W. (2017). Well-being and HRM in the changing workplace. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 28(16), 2229–2255.
Lambert, S. J., Haley-Lock, A., & Henly, J. R. (2012). Schedule flexibility in hourly jobs: Unanticipated consequences and promising directions. Community, Work & Family, 15(3), 293–315.
Lavine, L. (2012). Exploring the relationship between corporate social performance and work meaningfulness. Journal of Corporate Citizenship, 2012(46), 53–70. https://doi.org/10.9774/gleaf.4700.2012.su.00005
Lilly, M. B., LaPorte, A., & Coyte, P. C. (2007). Labor market work and home care’s unpaid caregivers: A systematic review of labor force participation rates, predictors of labor market withdrawal, and hours of work. Milbank Quarterly, 85(4), 641–690. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0009.2007.00504.x
Lumsdaine, R. L., & Vermeer, S. J. C. (2015). Retirement timing of women and the role of care for grandchildren. Demography, 52(2), 433–454. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13524-015-0382-5
Maestas, N., Mullen, K. J., Powell, D., von Wachter, T., & Wenger, J. B. (2017). Working conditions in the United States: Results of the 2015 American Working Conditions Survey. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation. Retrieved from www.rand.org/t/RR2014
McFall, H. B. (2011). Crash and wait? The impact of the great recession on the retirement plans of older Americans. American Economic Review, 101(3), 40–44. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.101.3.40
Mermin, G. B., Johnson, R. W., & Murphy, D. P. (2007). Why do boomers plan to work longer? Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 62B(5), S286–S294. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/62.5.S286
Moen, P. (2016). Encore adulthood: Boomers on the edge of risk, renewal, & purpose. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Munnell, A. H., & Sass, S. A. (2008). Working longer: The solution to the retirement income challenge. Washington, DC: The Bookings Institution Press.
O’Rand, A. M., & Farkas, J. I. (2002). Couples’ retirement timing in the United States in the 1990s: The impact of market and family role demands on joint work exits. International Journal of Sociology, 32(2), 11–29. https://doi.org/10.1080/15579336.2002.11770247
Oakman, J., & Wells, Y. (2016). Working longer: What is the relationship between person–environment fit and retirement intentions? Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 54(2), 207–229. https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7941.12075
OECD. (2018, January). Ageing and employment policies: United States 2018. Working better with age and fighting unequal ageing. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264190115-en
Olesen, S. C., Butterworth, P., & Rodgers, B. (2012). Is poor mental health a risk factor for retirement? Findings from a longitudinal population survey. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 47(5), 735–744. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-011-0375-7
Peetz, J., & Wilson, A. E. (2008). The temporally extended self: The relation of past and future selves to current identity, motivation, and goal pursuit. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 2(6), 2090–2106. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-9004.2008.00150.x
Pitt-Catsouphes, M., & McNamara, T. (in press). Quality of employment and well-being: Updating our understanding and insights. In R. Burke & A. Richardsen (Eds.), Creating psychologically healthy workplaces. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing.
Pitt-Catsouphes, M., McNamara, T., & Sweet, S. (2015). Getting a good fit for older employees. In R. J. Burke, C. L. Cooper, & A.-S. G. Antonoiou (Eds.), The multigenerational and aging workforce: Challenges and opportunities (pp. 383–407). Cheltenham, UP: Edward Elgar Publishing.
Pitt-Catsouphes, M., McNamara, T., James, J., & Halvorsen, C. (2017). Innovative pathways to meaningful work: Older adults as volunteers and self-employed entrepreneurs. In J. McCarthy & E. Parry (Eds.), Age diversity and work (pp. 195–224). London: Palgrave-Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-46781-2
Pitt-Catsouphes, M., McNamara, T., & Sweet, S. (2015). Getting a good fit for older employees. In R. J. Burke, C. L. Cooper, & A.-S. G. Antonoiou (Eds.), The multigenerational and aging workforce: Challenges and opportunities (pp. 383–407). Cheltenham, UP: Edward Elgar Publishing.
Pitts, D. (2009, March–April). Diversity management, job satisfaction, and performance: Evidence from U.S. Federal Agencies. Public Administration Review, 69(2), 328–338. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6210.2008.01977.x
Rogowski, J., & Karoly, L. (2000). Health insurance and retirement behavior: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Survey. Journal of Health Economics, 19(4), 529–539. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-6296(00)00038-2
Ross, M., & Wilson, A. E. (2002). It feels like yesterday: Self-esteem, valence of personal past experiences, and judgments of subjective distance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82(5), 792–803. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.82.5.792
Saad, L. (2016, May 23). Three in ten workers foresee working past retirement age. Gallup. Retrieved from http://news.gallup.com/poll/191477/three%60-workers-foresee-working-past-retirement-age.aspx
Sargent-Cox, K. A., Anstey, K. J., Kendig, H., & Skladzien, E. (2012). Determinants of retirement timing expectations in the United States and Australia: A cross-national comparison of the effects of health and retirement benefit policies on retirement timing decisions. Journal of Aging & Social Policy, 24(3), 291–308. https://doi.org/10.1080/08959420.2012.676324
Silver, M. P., & Williams, S. A. (2016). Reluctance to retire: A qualitative study on work identity, intergenerational conflict, and retirement in academic medicine. The Gerontologist. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnw142
Smyer, M. A., Besen, E., & Pitt-Catsouphes, M. (2009). Boomers and the many meanings of work. In R. Hudson (Ed.), Boomer Bust? The new political economy of aging (pp. 3–16). New York: Praeger.
Smyer, M. A., & Pitt-Catsouphes, M. (2007). The meanings of work for older workers. Generations, 31(1), 23–30.
Solem, P. E., Syse, A., Furunes, T., Mykletun, R. J., De Jange, A., Schaufel, W., et al. (2016). To leave or not to leave: Retirement intentions and retirement behavior. Ageing and Society, 36(02), 259–281. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X14001135
Strahan, E. J., & Wilson, A. E. (2006). Temporal comparisons and motivation: The relation between past, present, and possible future selves. In C. Dunkel & J. Kerpelman (Eds.), Possible selves: Theory, research, and application (pp. 1–15). Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers.
Szinovacz, M. E., DeViney, S., & Davey, A. (2001). Influences of family obligations and relationships on retirement: Variations by gender, race, and marital status. The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 56(1), 20–27. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/56.1.s20
Valtorta, N. K., Kanaan, M., Gilbody, S., Ronzi, S., & Hanratty, B. (2016). Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for coronary heart disease and stroke: Systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal observational studies. Heart, 102(13), 1009–1016. https://doi.org/10.1136/heartjnl-2015-308790
Warr, P. (1994). A conceptual framework for the study of work and mental health. Work & Stress, 8(2), 84–97. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678379408259982
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
McNamara, T., Pitt-Catsouphes, M. (2020). The Stickiness of Quality Work: Exploring Relationships Between the Quality of Employment and the Intent to Leave/Intent to Retire. In: Czaja, S., Sharit, J., James, J. (eds) Current and Emerging Trends in Aging and Work. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24135-3_19
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24135-3_19
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-24134-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-24135-3
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)