Retirement Decisions/”Silver Work”

The focus of my research will be on the human resource value of older workers and innovative strategies of human resource management and development to manage the changing demographic reality in companies.
The AGIP-project with a focus on older employees, work design and development of older workers was based on the integrated work design framework by Morgeson and Campion (2003). This framework can be seen as a “meta” plan for current and future research in this area. The research is conducted in cooperation with Guido Hertel, University of Münster. Cooperation partners are Computer Science Corporation, Deutsche Bahn AG, SAP AG, The Geneva Association, and others.
The empirical project on “Silver Work”, sponsored by Patrick Liedtke (Secretary General, The Geneva Association; Executive Committee, Club of Rome), focuses on activities of those early retired and retired persons who are still valuably active (age 60 – 80). This project aims at a first empirical basis to understand activities and motivations by applying qualitative (resulting in case studies) and quantitative research methods. It is our goal to identify corporate HR frameworks and conditions which meet the demands and wishes of older employees. Astrium GmbH (EADS), Bremen, and Daimler, Stuttgart, are cooperating in the quantitative phase. Prof. Raffelhüschen, University of Freiburg, as well as Prof. Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker, Emmendingen, have already agreed to cooperate.