Age and the Psychological Contract

Abstract

Definition Psychological contracts describe the exchange relationships between employees and organizations. It consists of the unwritten mutual obligations between the two parties. In the current chapter, three ways through which age has an impact on the psychological contract are described. First, age can have an impact on the type of obligations employees exchange with their employers. Secondly, age can have an effect through influencing the type of psychological contract (i.e., transactional or relational) employees have with their organization. Finally, age influences the responses employees show towards breach and violation of the psychological contract. Synonyms: Aging workers, employee motivation, employment relationship, older workers. Cross-references Age diversity at work Age stereotypes in the workplace Job attitudes and age Job crafting and age Recruitment and Selection of older workers Work Design and Aging Work motivation and aging