The experiences of human resource professionals in managing career development of an ageing workforce: a narrative thematic analysis

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the experience of human resource (HR) professionals in managing career development for older workers. It focuses on the influence of personal, social and organisational experiences of HR professionals on (1) their approach to career development of older workers and (2) their organisation's career development practices for older workers. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews with 14 HR professionals from large organisations with at least half of their workforce aged 45 and above. The transcripts were analysed thematically, with the coding process informed by Ricoeur's theory of interpretation. Findings Three main themes emerged within the HR professionals' narratives. They identified with (1) the protagonist mindset in career development stories, (2) the enabling enforcer of individualised career development practices and (3) the agent for change in career development practices. Practical implications This study shows that a narrative thematic analysis can be used to explore how the experiences of HR professionals can affect the design and implementation of career development strategies for this cohort of workers. Further, recruiting HR professionals with a protagonist mindset can generate organisational practices inclusive of older workers. Originality/value This study is one of the first to focus on the role of HR professionals in managing career development practices for older workers and the influence of supportive managers on their attitudes and actions with older workers.

Automated summary

The purpose of this study is to investigate the experiences of HR professionals in managing career development for older workers and how these experiences influence their approach and their organization's practices. The findings reveal that recruiting HR professionals with a protagonist mindset can enhance the career development of older workers, and narrative thematic analysis is an effective method for studying the impact of HR professionals' experiences.