Older Workers’ Stereotypes and Communication Research: A Review

• In Event: Organizational Communication Research Escalator - Extended Session (Part 1)

Abstract

Across Europe, older workers continue to face barriers to employment, training, and, promotion due to negative stereotypes. This study reviews the literature on the link between on the one hand corporate and mass media's portrayals and organizational communication, and on the other older workers' stereotypes. The results show that empirical work in this domain is still scarce. The available evidence suggests that salient stereotypes in the media environment are inherently linked to, and potentially perpetuated by, communication within organizations with negative consequences for interactional and behavioral outcomes. By disconfirming negative stereotypical information, mass media may contribute to a more positive rebranding of older workers. Based on our analysis we propose a research agenda, focusing on (a) how stereotypes in media content evolve over time, (b) how group membership and media use interact to reinforce or counter-salient stereotypes, and (c) how barriers to intergenerational communication in organizations can be overcome.

Authors

• Anne Cornelia Kroon, uva

• Martine van Selm, Amsterdam School of Communication Research