ABSTRACT

The concepts “younger worker” and “older worker” are common in the business community. Between both these age categories, there is a fairly large middle category in most organizations, though this is seldom given an age-related label. Although it is an established fact that roughly halfway through their career, many people arc faced with functioning and personality problems or with feelings of depression and psychosomatic complaints—designated by terms such as “mid-career problems” or “mid-life crisis”—(Gerrichhauzen, 1989; Hunt & Collins, 1983; Kleber, 1982; see also Chapter 12, Volume 3 of this Handbook), the middle age group seldom receives special attention in the practical implementation of personnel policy. Such attention is, however, given to the “young” and the “old” because they are viewed as potential high-risk groups. Policy in the case of younger workers aims at averting the danger of problems of adaptation and adjustment and at reducing the risk of excessive unproductive orientation periods. In the case of older workers, policy is concerned essentially with preventing or eliminating productivity losses resulting from “aging” or “not being able to keep up”. Health problems are also a major factor in this policy.