Engaging Aging and Work Behavior

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Questions and Answers

What does proactive behavior at work involve? (Select all that apply)

Taking initiative and anticipating problems. (correct)

Voicing concerns and seeking feedback. (correct)

Passively adapting to existing conditions.

Accepting the status quo and following instructions.

What is the potential drawback of organizations' current human resource practices?

They are not effective in promoting employee engagement.

They are not effective in fostering a positive work environment.

They are not effective in improving employee performance.

They are not effective in increasing proactive motivation among employees. (correct)

What is the relationship between age and proactive behavior at work, according to the provided text?

There is a strong positive correlation between age and proactive behavior.

The relationship between age and proactive behavior is inconclusive. (correct)

Younger employees are more proactive.

Older employees are more proactive.

What is one potential benefit of proactive behavior at work?

Increased job satisfaction. (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is the main point of the passage?

Proactive behavior is important for employees to perform well. (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary focus of Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) theory?

Balancing job demands and personal resources (B) Signup and view all the answers

Which factor is NOT associated with higher levels of work engagement?

Limited task challenges (C) Signup and view all the answers

How does employee optimism influence work engagement according to JD-R theory?

It enhances engagement when facing pressures. (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is a consequence of high work engagement as suggested by the theory?

Higher task performance ratings (A) Signup and view all the answers

What does JD-R theory suggest employees need to maintain high levels of work engagement?

Proactivity in handling job challenges (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is primarily linked to a positive impact on physical well-being in older workers?

High work engagement (C) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following physical abilities declines with increasing age?

Visual acuity (A) Signup and view all the answers

What cognitive function is most likely to decrease starting in the early twenties?

Fluid intelligence (B) Signup and view all the answers

What health problems can arise in employees as they age, according to the content?

Cardiovascular diseases and minor aches (A) Signup and view all the answers

How do older workers typically maintain performance levels compared to younger workers?

By investing more cognitive and time resources (C) Signup and view all the answers

What characteristic is likely to increase in older workers compared to younger workers?

Emotional stability (C) Signup and view all the answers

Older workers are more likely to demonstrate which of the following behaviors in the workplace?

Greater self-discipline (D) Signup and view all the answers

How do older individuals typically react to social stressors compared to younger individuals?

They appraise events less negatively. (C) Signup and view all the answers

Which aspect of emotional intelligence is positively related to age?

Regulating emotions (B) Signup and view all the answers

What impact does age typically have on agreeableness in workers?

Higher agreeableness scores (A) Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Engaging Aging: A Model of Proactive Work Behavior and Engagement with Increasing Age

Work engagement is a positive, work-related mental state, characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption.
Older employees show slightly higher engagement than younger employees.
Work engagement differs from happiness/job satisfaction; it's an active, enthusiastic emotional state.
Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) theory suggests employee engagement is optimized by a balance of work challenges and personal resources.
Proactivity, or proactively managing personal resources, is crucial for maintaining engagement throughout life.
Older workers experience a decline in physical ability (e.g., strength, vision) and cognitive resources (e.g., processing speed, fluid intelligence).
Losses in physical/cognitive ability are compensated by gains in experience, knowledge, wisdom (crystallized intelligence), and personality traits (conscientiousness, agreeableness)
Proactive behaviors can assist retaining and improving work engagement in later life.
Organizations can support proactive behavior through targeted HR practices.

Age-Focused HR Practices

Health Behavior Climate: Employee perceptions of workplace policies encouraging healthy behaviors and reward for maintaining health (important in managing age-related resource loss).
Job Crafting: Employees can redesign their jobs to better suit their abilities and preferences by increasing job resources and reducing job demands.
Proactive Vitality Management (PVM): Employees increase proactive engagement by managing their own energy levels through intentional actions to improve well-being (balancing task demands with self-care).

Proactive Work Behaviors

Selective Optimization and Compensation (SOC): Strategy that focuses on choosing important goals, maintaining and improving skills, and compensating for losses.
Job Crafting: Refers to redesigning the work environment to align with personal abilities/preferences, ensuring task satisfaction and engagement. (e.g., increasing skill variety, taking on new tasks).
Proactive vitality management: This involves proactively managing physical and cognitive performance at work. (e.g., Taking breaks, exercising, maintaining a healthy diet.)

Model of Engaging Aging

Individuals experience resource losses with increasing age, this necessitates proactivity to mitigate the associated decline.
Resources gains such as, wisdom and experience can increase proactivity.
Age friendly HR practices support employees to remain proactive and maintain engagement in the workplace, as age influences levels of proactivity only moderately.

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Description

Explore how work engagement varies with age, focusing on the proactive behaviors that older employees exhibit in the workplace. This quiz dives into concepts like Job Demands-Resources theory and discusses the positive mental state of work engagement compared to job satisfaction. Test your knowledge on the challenges and benefits associated with aging in a professional context.