979797

research-article2020
GJH0010.1177/2397002220979797German Journal of Human Resource ManagementSousa et al.

Article

German Journal of

Retaining an age-diverse
Human Resource Management
1­–27
© The Author(s) 2020
workforce through HRM: The Article reuse guidelines:
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mediation of work engagement DOI: 10.1177/2397002220979797
https://doi.org/10.1177/2397002220979797
journals.sagepub.com/home/gjh
and affective commitment

Inês C. Sousa
Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Business Research Unit (BRU-IUL), Lisbon, Portugal

Sara Ramos
Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), DINÂMIA’CET, Lisbon, Portugal

Helena Carvalho
Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), CIES-IUL, Lisbon, Portugal

Abstract
An aging population and an increasingly age-diverse workforce exemplify the complex challenge
that age represents for most managers today. For that reason, research has shown the importance
of designing and implementing human resources (HR) practices that meet age-related differences
in workers’ motives and needs. Drawing on signaling and social exchange theories, the current
study investigated a first stage moderated parallel multiple mediation model. We examined the
mediating roles of work engagement and affective commitment in the relationship between age-
diversity practices and turnover intention, as well as the moderating role of work centrality in
these mediated relationships. Using a sample of 802 Portuguese workers, the study supported
the parallel multiple mediation hypotheses. Further, the findings revealed that work centrality
moderated the relationship between age-diversity practices and turnover intention via work
engagement, but not via affective commitment. Age-diversity practices may motivate those
workers who place less importance on work to be more engaged, which, in turn, reduces their
intentions to leave the organization. Moreover, all workers, regardless of the importance that
work plays in their life, are more emotionally attached to the organization and more willing to
stay when there are age-diversity practices. Thus, to retain a healthy and productive age-diverse
workforce, organizations should implement age-diversity practices. Empirical and practical
implications are discussed.

Corresponding author:
Inês C. Sousa, Business Research Unit, Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Avenida das Forças Armadas,
Building II, Room D406, 1649-026 Lisbon, Portugal.
Email: ines_carneiro_sousa@iscte-iul.pt
2 German Journal of Human Resource Management 00(0)

Keywords
Age-diversity practices, commitment, structural equation modeling, turnover, work engagement

Introduction
The population is aging across the world as birth rates decrease and longevity improves.
The age structure of the workforce is also shifting, as older workers represent a growing
percentage of the working population and younger workers entering the labor market are
insufficient to replace workers leaving into retirement (Alley and Crimmins, 2007;
European Commission, 2017). The expectations of labor and skills shortages in the short
term threaten the sustainability of organizations, increasing the pressure to attract
younger workers and to retain older workers (Chand and Tung, 2014; Kulik et al., 2014).
These socioeconomic and political changes, combined with changes in the nature of
work, have been drawing the attention of managers and researchers to an age-diverse
workforce. Age-diverse workforces show a multitude of different knowledge, skills,
experiences, values, and preferences that must be effectively managed in order for organ-
izations to seize the potential of their best human capital (Backes-Gellner and Veen,
2013; Rabl and Triana, 2014). Human Resource Management (HRM) can have a funda-
mental role in age-diversity management by creating and adapting organizational poli-
cies and practices that contribute to the alignment between workers’ needs and the
organization’s strategy and mission (Hertel et al., 2013; Riach, 2009). In fact, previous
investigation has shown that workers’ age has an effect on the associations between per-
ceived human resources (HR) practices and job attitudes and behavior (Innocenti et al.,
2013; Kooij et al., 2010, 2013). Researchers have been especially striving to understand
how organizations can encourage older workers to stay active for longer and to postpone
retirement (e.g. Armstrong-Stassen and Ursel, 2009; Bal et al., 2012; Pak et al., 2019).
Retaining the ever-greater number of older workers, who are the repositories of impor-
tant knowledge and skills for organizational success, is an important strategy to mini-
mize the looming impact of skill shortage.
Although research on these topics has been prolific, rarely has it focused on younger
and middle-aged workers. In a time of shortage in the labor force, it is necessary that this
retention strategy be extended to all workers, regardless of their age, to promote the sus-
tainability of organizations, as well as to proactively tackle age barriers that can affect all
workers. Instead of focusing only on late-career phases, HRM should create a workplace
for successful aging at work for all workers (Zacher and Yang, 2016). In this manner,
workers will have opportunities to achieve physical, social, and mental well-being in
their workplace and to continue contributing positively to organizational performance,
throughout their entire life (Zacher, 2015). In this paper we propose that age-diversity
practices (bundles of age-sensitive HR practices) can help to retain the talent of all work-
ers in organizations, regardless of their age.
Moreover, empirical research shows consistently that organizations that aim to retain
their talents have to increase the engagement and commitment of the workforce (e.g.
Marescaux et al., 2013; Mercurio, 2015). Indeed, according to Holtom et al. (2008), the
key to organizational success is to acquire, develop, and retain high-quality employees,
Sousa et al. 3

which can be achieved through HR policies and practices that contribute to higher levels
of energy and dedication toward the job and the organization. Hence, grounded in signal-
ing theory (Connelly et al., 2011; Spence, 1973) and social exchange theory (SET; Blau,
1964), we argue that work engagement and affective commitment may be important
mediating mechanisms through which age-diversity practices affect turnover intention
(i.e. a conscious and planned willingness of the worker to leave his or her current organi-
zation; Griffeth et al., 2000; Tett and Meyer, 1993).
Furthermore, identifying moderators in the relations between age-diversity practices,
engagement and commitment may extend the knowledge about who benefits most from
these practices. Given the interindividual differences in the importance that work plays
in people’s lives, this study focuses on work centrality. Work centrality has been consid-
ered an important aspect of individuals’ career trajectories as it influences their predispo-
sition to behave in a certain way in relation to work (Uçanok and Karabatı, 2013). Such
centrality can lead people to be more involved in work processes, more committed to the
organization, and to invest more effort to achieve individual and organizational goals
(e.g. Hirschfeld and Feild, 2000). Therefore, we investigate the moderating role of work
centrality in the relation between age-diversity practices and turnover intention through
work engagement and affective commitment.
With this study, we aim to contribute to the literature in several ways. First, this inves-
tigation answers Truxillo et al. (2015) call to consider the needs of workers of all ages,
by examining the relevance of age-diversity practices, bundles of organizational prac-
tices that can accommodate and develop workers’ skills, preferences, and goals, without
targeting a particular age group. This study highlights the importance of adjusting HR
practices to an age-diverse workforce as a mechanism to motivate workers to stay in the
organization.
Second, this investigation extends previous research on the impact of age-diversity
management on individual and organizational outcomes (Ali and French, 2019). This
study increases our knowledge of the processes underlying the relationship between age-
diversity practices and turnover intention, uncovering the mediating role of work engage-
ment and affective commitment in this relationship.
Finally, our study provides further understanding of how personal differences might
affect the relationship between organizational practices and work engagement, by
examining the moderating role of work centrality in the organizational setting. Thus,
this study also contributes to the literature by explaining the extent to which work
centrality can buffer the effect of age-diversity practices on work engagement, as these
practices can be especially relevant for the engagement of those workers who attribute
less importance to work.

Theoretical background and hypotheses

The growing recognition that age diversity needs to be included in HRM has triggered
organizational initiatives to welcome workers of all ages and create a sustainable work
environment that supports individuals in engaging and remaining in work throughout
an extended career. In particular, HR practices might be used to accommodate and
leverage age differences as well as to communicate to internal and external clients that
4 German Journal of Human Resource Management 00(0)

the organization is concerned with fairness and inclusion of workers. Thus, in order for
all workers to reach their full potential in a sustainable manner, HRM should create,
communicate, and implement practices that support and promote the development of
workers of all ages, that is, age-diversity practices (Bieling et al., 2015; Boehm et al.,
2014). Age-diversity practices refer to workers’ perceptions that organizational prac-
tices, policies, and procedures are age-inclusive and age-sensitive, as well as accom-
modative to age-related changes in workers’ needs, preferences, and goals (Boehm
et al., 2014; Kunze et al., 2013; Sousa et al., 2019). According to the framework pro-
posed by Parker and Andrei (2020), age-diversity practices can be understood as a set
of integrative, inclusion, and individualized strategies. Age-diversity practices involve
integrative strategies through which all individuals can contribute to the organization
with their abilities, knowledge, skills, and motivation, making them feel valued (Hertel
et al., 2013; Truxillo et al., 2015). For example, Burmeister et al. (2018a) found that
contexts where diversity is valued can facilitate knowledge transfer in age-diverse
coworker dyads. In addition, age-diversity practices rely on inclusion strategies that
aim to remove age barriers in recruitment, training, and career development. Since age
discrimination can affect workers of all ages, these practices do not target a specific
age group (i.e. non-age biased), but rather are implemented to create a comprehensive
age-inclusive workplace where all workers fit in, are accepted and fairly treated.
Simultaneously, and building on a life-span perspective, age-diversity practices also
require individualized strategies to adapt the work to the unique needs and goals of
each person (e.g. work design).
The way that HR practices are perceived and interpreted by workers may not be in
line with how managers intend to implement them (Khilji and Wang, 2006). Therefore,
perceived age-diversity practices are the focus of the present paper since those practices
are viewed by workers as a signal of the organizations’ commitment to them (Den Hartog
et al., 2004). Age-diversity practices elicit affective reactions in individuals toward their
job and their organization as part of a sensemaking process that can be explained by
signaling theory (Spence, 1973) and SET (Blau, 1964). Building on these theories, we
develop the mediation hypotheses of this study.

Signaling and social exchange theories: The impact of age-diversity

practices on turnover intention
Signaling (Spence, 1973) and social exchange (Blau, 1964) theories are frequently
invoked in organizational behavior and HRM research to explain how organizational
practices influence individuals’ attitudes and behaviors at work (e.g. Alfes et al., 2013;
Marescaux et al., 2013). These theories focus on the interdependent transactions between
workers and employers to uncover the circumstances through which HR practices can
influence workers’ intentions to stay or leave the organization.
As interactions among people take place under conditions of uncertainty, the inter-
pretation of signals is very important for individuals to decide if the other party can be
trusted. Signaling theory is fundamentally concerned with how actors interpret the cues
or signals sent by other actors (e.g. individuals, groups, organizations) to decide about
Sousa et al. 5

their trustworthiness (Connelly et al., 2011). Building on the work of Spence (1973),
and considering an employer-worker relationship, individuals use signals from the
organization to make conclusions about its intentions toward them. According to
Connelly et al. (2011), the organization (i.e. the signaler) takes actions to deliberately
communicate positive organizational attributes to the worker (i.e. the receiver). These
signals are then interpreted by receivers, and translated into perceived meaning
(Connelly et al., 2011). Thus, when organizational practices are implemented, workers
interpret these as a signal of the level of investment the company is making in its work-
ers (Den Hartog et al., 2004).
At its core, SET refers to a series of interdependent and contingent interactions estab-
lished by an individual with another party (Blau, 1964). Social exchanges involve
unspecified obligations in which the actors expect to receive something from the coun-
terparty when they supply a benefit—the principle of reciprocity (Cropanzano and
Mitchell, 2005). However, as these interactions focus essentially on socio-emotional
aspects (e.g. support, influence), individuals do not know the exact nature of the return,
that is, how and when the counterparty will reciprocate (Shore et al., 2006). For this
reason, the development of trust between the parties is critical for establishing a long-
term relationship.
Tsui et al. (1997) examined the reciprocal interdependence that characterizes social
exchanges from the employers’ perspective. The authors found that in a balanced worker-
organization relationship there is a comprehensive consideration of an individual’s well-
being and a mutual investment from both parties. Conversely, in an underinvestment
relationship, the worker is fully committed to the organization that reciprocates with
essentially monetary rewards (Tsui et al., 1997). Hence, according to SET, when organi-
zational initiatives are in place, workers will feel trusted and supported by the organiza-
tion, and they will likely reciprocate with attitudes valued by the counterparty, establishing
high-quality exchange relationships (Cropanzano et al., 2017; Tsui et al., 1997).
Taken together, these theories indicate that HR practices are perceived as signals of
the organization’s concerns with workers’ well-being, initiating a relationship based on
social exchanges: the more the worker trusts the good intentions of the organization, the
more he or she tends to reciprocate with favorable attitudes and behaviors. In fact, in the
last two decades and drawing on these theories, researchers have proposed and demon-
strated that HR practices are an important mechanism to retain the best talents, identify-
ing these practices as an important predictor of the desire to remain in the organization
and turnover intentions (e.g. Allen et al., 2003; Kehoe and Wright, 2013; Kuvaas, 2008).
In this study, we argue that age-diversity practices, as a set of specific HR practices,
can also be an important antecedent of turnover intention. According to the principles of
these theories, age-diversity practices can be perceived by workers as a set of opportuni-
ties for maintaining their physical and mental health, developing skills and knowledge,
and advancing their careers. This individual interpretation will be a signal that the organ-
ization cares for workers’ well-being and is interested in keeping the best human capital,
regardless of their age, leading to greater motivation to stay in the organization.
By implementing age-diversity practices, organizations are recognizing and valuing
their workers, who in response will likely show fewer turnover intentions. We propose
that the relationship between age-diversity practices and turnover intention can be
6 German Journal of Human Resource Management 00(0)

explained by two processes: work engagement and affective commitment. The first one
is job-related and refers to a persistent, positive state of mind at work that is character-
ized by vigor (i.e. being charged with energy), dedication (i.e. being enthusiastically
involved in work), and absorption (i.e. being fully concentrated and engrossed in work)
(Bakker et al., 2008; Schaufeli et al., 2002). The second process is organization-related
and can be defined as the psychological attachment the worker develops toward his/her
organization mainly due to his/her previous work experiences (Mathieu and Zajac, 1990;
Meyer and Allen, 1991).
Work engagement and affective commitment are established as two related but clearly
different concepts (Hallberg and Schaufeli, 2006; Schaufeli and Bakker, 2010). Work
engagement represents perceptions that are based on the work itself (i.e. one’s formal
role), whereas affective commitment refers to an emotional attachment to the organiza-
tion as a whole (i.e. a person’s attitude toward the organization) (Christian et al., 2011;
Hallberg and Schaufeli, 2006). For example, people can be fulfilled with energy and
motivated to put forth a lot of intensity and attention in their jobs, but they may not have
an emotional connection to the organization. In this study we propose that both concepts
can mediate the influence of age-diversity practices on turnover intention, but work
engagement and affective commitment have different roles in this relationship.

The mediating role of work engagement

The topic of work engagement has attracted growing interest over the past two decades
due to the competitive advantage it represents to organizations. In fact, engagement has
become a term often used in the discourse of practitioners because of the findings that
show the influence of work engagement in individual (e.g. work-related attitudes, turno-
ver intention) and organizational outcomes (e.g. team performance, organizational per-
formance) (Bailey et al., 2017; Christian et al., 2011).
The relevance of this topic to explain organizational success prompted research to
identify the antecedents of employee engagement. One trend in the literature is the inves-
tigation of the impact of HRM systems on work engagement. Findings show that the
implementation of HRM policies, practices, and procedures creates conditions for peo-
ple to fully invest their physical, cognitive, and emotional resources in their work roles
(Alfes et al., 2013; Bal et al., 2013). Moreover, HR practices engender positive experi-
ences at work by satisfying needs of autonomy, belongingness, and competence
(Marescaux et al., 2013). Consequently, workers find their work more motivating and
fulfilling and feel obliged to invest their personal energy in their tasks (Van den Broeck
et al., 2008).
Following this reasoning, we argue that age-diversity practices are an important pre-
dictor of work engagement by showing that the organization is focused on maintaining a
healthy and productive workforce. Age-diversity practices provide all workers, regard-
less of their age, with resources that facilitate their job tasks. For example, work should
be adjusted to workers’ levels of functioning, which can change over time, such as
changes in job design (e.g. reduction of workload, job enrichment). Also, age-diversity
practices can help individuals to develop the skills and knowledge needed to achieve a
good performance, driving workers to focus their energy on their work. Training
Sousa et al. 7

programs are beneficial to the sense of competence of individuals if these activities are
age-sensitive and respond to specific needs. This means that a younger worker could
benefit, for instance, from training in soft skills (e.g. communication, conflict manage-
ment), while for an older worker it might be more important to receive training about a
new software.
In line with signaling theory, age-diversity practices may be a signal to workers that
the organization is trustworthy and willing to protect their resources, whereas the lack of
these practices may signal that the organization is not concerned with the workers’ well-
being and retention. This strategy can, according to SET, be interpreted by workers as an
investment of the organization in a long-term relationship in which there is continuous
trade of benefits and resources from the organization (age-diversity practices) for an
individual effort (work engagement) (Cropanzano and Mitchell, 2005; Cropanzano et al.,
2017). If workers perceive that there are age-diversity practices in their organization,
they will likely invest more energy and effort to perform their tasks, and be more involved
and fully concentrated in their work.
While age-diversity practices will likely contribute to an engaged workforce, work
engagement is expected to influence turnover intentions. In line with previous research
(e.g. Halbesleben, 2010; Marescaux et al., 2013), individuals who manifest increasing
levels of energy, and involvement in their work and feel passionate about what they do
are more willing to stay in the organization. By implementing age-diversity practices,
organizations communicate to workers that they are willing to empower, develop, and
manage them according to their age-related needs and goals. As repayment for the
resources they receive from the organization, workers show their willingness to dedicate
their efforts and abilities to the work task, and to remain in the organization. On the other
hand, in the absence of age-diversity practices, workers will likely feel less involved,
enthusiastic, and empowered at work, and more likely to leave the organization (Tsui
et al., 1997).
Building upon the theories of signaling and social exchange, we argue that age-diver-
sity practices, which are age-sensitive HR practices, are positively related to work
engagement that, in turn, will be negatively linked to turnover intention. Therefore:

Hypothesis 1: Work engagement mediates the relationship between age-diversity

practices and turnover intention.

The mediating role of affective commitment

While work engagement has attracted considerable attention in the latest HRM literature,
the topic of affective commitment has a long and rich tradition in this field. Affective
commitment has the strongest and most consistent relationship with organizational citi-
zenship behavior, absenteeism, turnover, and performance (Meyer et al., 2002; Solinger
et al., 2008), compared to continuance commitment and normative commitment. Due to
its importance, theoretical and empirical research has explored the causes and trends in
the development of affective commitment (Gao-Urhahn et al., 2016). Particularly,
research has demonstrated that HR practices are positively related to high levels of affec-
tive commitment (e.g. Kooij and Boon, 2018; Morrow, 2011).
8 German Journal of Human Resource Management 00(0)

In this study we argue that when organizations implement age-supportive practices,

that recruit, develop, recognize, and reward workers of all ages, they promote and
reinforce commitment. Thus, following the principles of signaling theory and SET, we
propose that age-diversity practices will have a positive impact on affective commit-
ment. Through initiatives that facilitate the acceptance of people from different age
groups, age-diversity practices can help to increase emotional attachment to the organ-
ization by providing workers with a sense of support and fair treatment. Also, age-
diversity practices can enhance workers’ perceptions of career planning and promotion
opportunities within the organization. For example, the implementation of a perfor-
mance evaluation system that is age-sensitive will increase the perception of justice
among colleagues and attenuate negative age stereotypes within the organization such
as the belief that older workers are less motivated and less productive than younger
workers (Posthuma and Campion, 2009). Thus, it is important for organizations to cre-
ate a sense of inclusion and appreciation of diversity, signaling workers of all ages that
they are welcome and valued in the organization, which will result in higher levels of
affective commitment.
We also expect that affective commitment is an important predictor of turnover inten-
tion as demonstrated by previous research (e.g. Mercurio, 2015). The perception that
there are age-diversity practices conveys the organizations’ concern for the individuals’
well-being, which creates a greater obligation of workers to return the investment.
Workers will likely feel more identified with and involved in the organization, and be
more inclined to stay in the organization. However, if workers feel HR practices are not
accessible to individuals of all ages, they will likely show a decreasing level of emotional
attachment to the organization that might result in a greater desire to leave it. Therefore,
we propose:

Hypothesis 2: Affective commitment mediates the relationship between age-diversity

practices and turnover intention.

The moderating role of work centrality

The importance of work to the human being has been a topic debated in disciplines
ranging from economics to psychology, from sociology to medicine. The assumption
that work plays a fundamental role in individuals’ life has received empirical support,
leading researchers to establish the concept of work centrality (Mannheim et al., 1997;
MOW—International Research Team, 1987). Work centrality is defined as the beliefs
that individuals have about the value and importance of work in their lives, regardless
of one’s current job (Hirschfeld and Feild, 2000; Uçanok and Karabatı, 2013).
Individuals who have high work centrality perceive work as a main component of their
life, which is related to more positive attitudes at work such as relational psychological
contracts (Bal and Kooij, 2011), and outside of it such as work-family conflict (Michel
et al., 2011). Higher levels of work centrality are also associated with increased work
engagement and commitment, and reduced turnover intention (Bal and Kooij, 2011;
Hirschfeld and Feild, 2000; Mannheim et al., 1997). For example, a study from Arvey
Sousa et al. 9

et al. (2004) revealed that lottery winners who considered work as a core component of
their lives were less likely to quit working than those who viewed work as less impor-
tant in their lives.
We argue that work centrality buffers the positive relationships of age-diversity prac-
tices with work engagement and affective commitment. People who consider work as a
core component of their life are already more predisposed to invest time and energy in
the job and in their relationship with the organization (Bal and Kooij, 2011). Hence, it is
expected that these individuals are less responsive to various work experiences such as
age-diversity practices than are individuals with low work centrality. Conversely, people
who score low on work centrality perceive age-diversity practices as a motivational
mechanism to invest in building a mutual relationship with the employer, which will
result in higher work engagement and affective commitment. Individuals with low work
centrality attach little value to work, and the presence of age-diversity practices can trig-
ger an increased sense of obligation for workers to invest more energy, be more enthusi-
astic and immersed in their work, and become more involved with the organization
(Hirschfeld and Feild, 2000; Sharabi and Harpaz, 2010).
We argue that age-diversity practices are especially important to the work engage-
ment and affective commitment of those workers who see work as less central in their
lives. Therefore, we propose the following hypotheses:

Hypothesis 3: Work centrality moderates the relationships of age-diversity practices

with (a) work engagement and (b) affective commitment, such that these positive
relationships will be weaker for high (vs low) levels of work centrality.

Finally, we assert that work centrality will also moderate the indirect effects of age-
diversity practices on turnover intention through work engagement and affective com-
mitment. Age-diversity practices encourage workers to feel energized, enthusiastic,
engrossed in what they do, and therefore are more inclined to stay in the organization,
even when work plays a minor role in the lives of people (Bal and Kooij, 2011;
Cropanzano and Mitchell, 2005). Also, such practices create an emotional bond between
the worker and the organization, which is particularly important for individuals with low
work centrality, and results in the individual’s desire to remain in the organization (Kooij
et al., 2010; Mannheim et al., 1997).
Thus, we argue that when individuals attach little value to work, the effect of age-
diversity practices on turnover intention via work engagement and affective commitment
will be greater than when people consider work as central in their lives. Therefore, we
hypothesize that:

Hypothesis 4: Work centrality moderates the relationships between age-diversity

practices and turnover intention via (a) work engagement and (b) affective commit-
ment, such that these indirect effects will be weaker for high (vs low) levels of work
centrality.

The conceptual model of the study is represented in Figure 1.

10 German Journal of Human Resource Management 00(0)

Figure 1. Proposed conceptual model.

Method
Sample and procedures
The data used in the present study were part of a larger survey about the work attitudes of an
age-diverse workforce in Portugal. Participants took about 15 minutes to complete the ques-
tionnaire that had both an online and a paper and pencil version. Several organizations from
different industries and both private and public sectors were invited to participate in this
study. The research team sent an e-mail to the HR department of each of these organizations
explaining the purpose of the study and asking for their collaboration by disseminating the
questionnaire among their workers. Data were also collected by a group of students enrolled
in undergraduate and master programs at Iscte – University Institute of Lisbon, through their
personal contacts and in their workplaces and internship places. Students participated in this
research as part of their academic training and received credits for doing so.
The sample consisted of 802 Portuguese workers, aged between 18 and 72 years old
(M = 38.42, SD = 12.82). Of the total respondents, 55.6% were female, 56.4% completed
higher education, and 29.5% graduated from high school. About 41.8% had worked for
more than 20 years, and 28.3% for less than 5 years. Most of the participants worked in
the private sector (63.5%). About 15% of the participants worked in the health and social
support sector, 13.1% worked in sales, and 12.6% in education and training. About 49%
of the respondents had been in the organization for a maximum of 5 years, and 23.1%
were in the organization for more than 20 years.

Measures
All participants were fluent in Portuguese, which required the questionnaire to be devel-
oped in the Portuguese language. The work centrality scale was originally developed in
Sousa et al. 11

the Portuguese language by Lobo et al. (2016). The work engagement scale had already
been adapted and validated for Portugal (Sinval et al., 2018), as had the affective com-
mitment scale (Nascimento et al., 2008). For age-diversity practices and turnover inten-
tion, the translation-back-translation process (Brislin, 1970) was followed, taking into
consideration the recommendations of Van de Vijver and Hambleton (1996). Unless oth-
erwise noted, participants answered on a six-point agreement scale ranging from 1
(strongly disagree) to 6 (strongly agree).

Age-diversity practices. Age-diversity practices were measured using a seven-item scale

(Sousa et al., 2019). This scale assesses the extent to which workers perceive an inclusive
and non-discriminatory treatment of workers of all ages regarding age-sensitive HR
practices. Example items include: “Employees are developed (i.e. training) and advanced
without regard to the age of the individual” and “Experience, skills, and knowledge of
workers are recognized, irrespective of their age.” The Cronbach’s alpha showed good
internal reliability (α = 0.87).

Work centrality. Work centrality was assessed using ten items from Lobo et al. (2016). It
refers to people’s beliefs regarding the degree to which the work role is central in their
lives. A sample item is: “The most important things that happen to me involve my work.”
The internal consistency coefficient for this scale was good (α = 0.86).

Work engagement. Work engagement was measured using the short version of the Utre-
cht Work Engagement Scale with nine items (UWES-9) (Schaufeli et al., 2006; Sinval
et al., 2018). The scale assesses a positive, fulfilling work-related state of mind (Schaufeli
et al., 2002). An example item is: “I am enthusiastic about my job.” Participants indi-
cated how often they felt the way described in the statements, answering on a seven-
point rating scale that ranges from 0 (never) to 6 (always). In this study, since the focus
is on the overall concept of engagement, the UWES-9 scale was used as a unidimen-
sional scale (Hallberg and Schaufeli, 2006). The scale revealed very good internal con-
sistency (α = 0.94).

Affective commitment. Workers’ affective commitment was assessed using a six-item

measure from Allen and Meyer (1990; Nascimento et al., 2008). The scale captures
workers’ emotional attachment to, identification with, and involvement in the current
organization. Example items are: “This organization has a great deal of personal mean-
ing for me” and “I do not feel like ‘part of the family’ at my organization” (reverse). The
Cronbach’s alpha showed good internal consistency (α = 0.84).

Turnover intention. Turnover intention was assessed through a three-item scale. It refers to
individuals’ desire to leave the organization that includes thinking frequently about it,
actively seeking a new job in a different organization, and thinking about leaving in the
following year. One item was adapted from Landau and Hammer (1986): “I am currently
searching for a job in another organization.” Two items were developed: “I often think
about leaving this organization” and “About my future in this organization, I think of leav-
ing within the next year.” The Cronbach’s alpha revealed good internal reliability (α = 0.84).
12 German Journal of Human Resource Management 00(0)

Control variables. Age, measured in years, was included in the model as a control varia-
ble. Previous research shows that age may affect perceived HR practices (e.g. Kooij
et al., 2010), work engagement (e.g. Kim and Kang, 2017), organizational commitment
(e.g. Mathieu and Zajac, 1990), and turnover intention (e.g. Cotton and Tuttle, 1986).

Analytical strategy
A Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was conducted to validate the full measurement
model with the proposed five factors of the study: age-diversity practices, work central-
ity, work engagement, affective commitment, and turnover intention. Moderated media-
tion models were tested through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The analyses
were conducted with Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS, v. 25; Arbuckle, 2017). To
test direct and indirect effects, bootstrapping was used to create confidence intervals
(CIs) (Cheung & Lau, 2008).
In SEM, to define the products that represent the latent interaction (moderation), the
matched-pair strategy of Marsh et al. (2004) was followed. This strategy is appropriate
for this model considering the great number of indicators involved in the moderation,
which can result in an under-identified model (Cortina et al., 2001). First, all the indica-
tors of age-diversity practices (independent variable) and work centrality (moderator)
were standardized. Second, the multiplicative terms of the latent interaction factor were
created, by matching the items in terms of their quality. Seven matched-pair products
were created as age-diversity practices had seven items and work centrality had ten. All
seven indicators of age-diversity practices were matched with the best seven indicators
of work centrality: the best indicator of age-diversity practices’ scale was matched with
the best indicator of work centrality’s scale (Marsh et al., 2004). Third, we proceeded
with the test of the research hypotheses.

Measurement model
The measurement model was evaluated based on multiple goodness-of-fit measures: the
chi-square test (χ2), the normed chi-square (χ2/df), the comparative fit index (CFI), the
Tucker-Lewis index (TLI), the root mean squared error of approximation (RMSEA), and the
standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) (Hair et al., 2010; Hu and Bentler, 1999).
The measurement model reached acceptable fit, χ2 (df) = 1545.44 (528), p < 0.001,
χ2/df = 2.93, CFI = 0.94, TLI = 0.93, RMSEA = 0.05, SRMR = 0.06. This five-factor measure-
ment model was compared with a range of models with fewer factors, as showed in Table 1.
Since there was a large correlation between work engagement and affective commit-
ment (latent r = 0.75) (Cohen, 1992), a four-factor model (model 2) in which these two
constructs were combined into a single factor was also examined. Model 2 showed an
acceptable fit, χ2 (df) = 1979.56 (532), p < 0.001, χ2/df = 3.72, CFI = 0.92, TLI = 0.91,
RMSEA = 0.06, SRMR = 0.07, but still a significantly poorer fit than the five-factor
model (χ2 dif (df) = 434.12 (4), p < 0.001). The results also showed that the hypothesized
five-factor model yielded a better fit than any alternative three- or two-factor model.

Common method variance. To address concerns of common method variance (Podsakoff

et al., 2003), the Harman’s single factor test and the common method latent factor were
Sousa et al. 13

Table 1. Fit indices for measurement model comparisons.

Models Five-factor–model 1 Model 2a Model 3b Model 4c Model 5d

(Full measurement (Harman’s
model) single factor)
χ2 (df) 1545.44 (528) 1979.56 (532) 2560.91 (535) 3520.73 (537) 4029.53 (538)
χ2/df 2.927 3.721 4.787 6.556 7.490
CFI 0.94 0.92 0.88 0.83 0.80
TLI 0.93 0.91 0.87 0.81 0.78
RMSEA 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.09
SRMR 0.06 0.07 0.07 0.09 0.09
χ2dif (df) 434.12 (4)*** 1015.47 (7)*** 1975.29 (9)*** 2484.09 (10)***

N = 802; χ2: chi-square; df: degrees of freedom; χ2/df: normed chi-square; CFI: comparative fit index; TLI:
Tucker–Lewis index; RMSEA: root mean square error of approximation; SRMR: standardized root mean
square residual; χ2dif: chi-square difference.
a
Work engagement and Affective commitment combined into a single factor.
b
Work engagement, Affective commitment, and Turnover intention combined into a single factor.
c
Age-diversity practices and Work centrality combined into one factor; work engagement, affective com-
mitment, and turnover intention combined into a second factor.
d
The five factors combined into a single factor.
***
p < 0.001.

tested. As shown in Table 1, a single-factor model revealed a poor fit to the data. Also,
the goodness-of-fit of the full-measurement model and the model with the common
method latent factor were compared by calculating CFI-difference (Byrne, 2016). The
difference between model 1 (full-measurement model) and the six-factor model was
0.021, which was below the rule of thumb of 0.05 suggested by Bagozzi and Yi (1990).
These results support that common method variance did not influence the validity of the
factor structure.
Finally, following the recommendations of Richter et al. (2016), the potential effects
of multicollinearity in the full-measurement model were also examined. The variance
inflation factor (VIF) ranged between 1.33 and 1.79, which is below the rule of thumb of
5, and the values of tolerance ranged from 0.56 to 0.75, which is greater than 0.1 (Hair
et al., 2010). The highest value of condition index was 12.49, which is lower than the
threshold value of 30 (Cohen et al., 2003). Also, all correlations were lower than 0.90,
meaning that variables were not highly correlated (Tabachnick and Fidell, 2013). Thus,
multicollinearity does not affect the model fit or the predictions of the model.
The data were collected from a single source (i.e. workers) using self-reported meas-
ures. Note that as the focus of this study was workers’ perceptions of age-diversity prac-
tices and their work-related outcomes, it was not adequate to obtain the information from
alternative sources such as colleagues or supervisors.

Results
Table 2 presents the descriptive statistics of the variables under study. As anticipated, age
showed significant correlations with all constructs: it was negatively related to
14 German Journal of Human Resource Management 00(0)

Table 2. Means, standard deviations, correlations, and reliabilities.

M SD 1 2 3 4 5 6
1. Age 38.42 12.82
2. Age-diversity practices 3.82 1.13 −0.09* (0.87)
3. Work centrality 2.96 0.86 0.10* 0.38*** (0.86)
***
4. Work engagement 4.33 1.28 0.15 0.56*** 0.57*** (0.94)
***
5. Affective commitment 4.00 1.14 0.34 0.58*** 0.66*** 0.75*** (0.84)
***
6. Turnover intention 2.38 1.43 −0.36 −0.40*** −0.34*** −0.56*** −0.79*** (0.84)

N = 802. Reliability coefficients are reported in parentheses.

*
p < 0.05. ***p < 0.001 (two-tailed test).

age-diversity practices (r = −0.09, p < 0.05) and turnover intention (r = −0.36, p < 0.001),
and positively associated with work centrality (r = 0.10, p < 0.05), work engagement
(r = 0.15, p < 0.001), and affective commitment (r = 0.34, p < 0.001). All the variables in
the study were significantly correlated.

Structural model
The hypothesized moderated mediation model showed an acceptable fit, χ2 (df) = 2228.05
(822), p < 0.001, χ2/df = 2.71, CFI = 0.92, TLI = 0.92, RMSEA = 0.05, SRMR = 0.061.
Hypothesis 1 predicted that work engagement mediated the relationship between age-
diversity practices and turnover intention. As shown in Table 3, results revealed that the
indirect effect was significant (B = −0.10, 95% Boot CI = −0.16, −0.05), providing sup-
port for Hypothesis 1. Findings also supported Hypothesis 2, which proposed that affec-
tive commitment would mediate the relationship between age-diversity practices and
turnover intention (B = −0.24, 95% Boot CI = −0.33, −0.17). The more age-diversity
practices were perceived by workers, the more engaged in their work and committed to
their organization they were, which in turn decreased turnover intention. Without the
control variable, the results for the indirect effects via work engagement (B = −0.11, 95%
Boot CI = −0.17, −0.05) and affective commitment (B = −0.30, 95% Boot CI = −0.38,
−0.22) were very similar. The direct effect became not significant with the introduction
of the two mediators (B = −0.07, p > 0.05, 95% Boot CI = −0.19, 0.06).
Hypothesis 3a stated that work centrality moderated the relationship between age-
diversity practices and work engagement. Results supported the hypothesis (B = −0.16,
t = −3.68, p = 0.001, 95% Boot CI = −0.26, −0.06). Therefore, post-hoc probing was con-
ducted to test the main effect of age-diversity practices on work engagement at specific
levels of work centrality. The interaction effect was plotted using one standard deviation
below (−1SD) and above (+1SD) the mean of work centrality (Aiken and West, 1991;
Preacher et al., 2006).
As can be seen in Figure 2, the relationship between age-diversity practices and work
engagement is weaker when work centrality is high (B = 0.31, t = 4.63, p < 0.001, 95%
Boot CI = 0.18, 0.44) and stronger when work centrality is low (B = 0.62, t = 9.52,
p < 0.001, 95% Boot CI = 0.50, 0.75). Hence, these results supported Hypothesis 3a.
 Sousa et al.

Table 3. Multiple regression results for work engagement, affective commitment, and turnover intention.

Variables Work engagement Affective commitment Turnover intention

Coeff SE 95% CI Coeff SE 95% CI Coeff SE 95% CI

Total effect
  Age-diversity practices (predictor) −.40*** .05 −.51, –.31
Direct effects
  Age (control variable) .11*** .02 .07, .15 .24*** .02 .19, .29 −.15*** .03 −.21, –.09
  Age-diversity practices .47*** .04 .38, .55 .50*** .03 .44, .57 −.07 .06 −.19, .06
  Work centrality .50*** .04 .44, .57 .61*** .05 .51, .71
  Age-diversity practices × work centrality −.16*** .05 −.26, –.06 −.07 .05 −.17, .03
   Work engagement (WE) −.21** .06 −.33, –.10
   Affective commitment (AC) −.48** .07 −.62, –.35
Indirect effect via WE (H1) −.10** .03 −.16, –.05
Indirect effect via AC (H2) −.24*** .04 −.33, –.17
Conditional indirect effect via WE
   Low (–1SD) Work centrality −.13*** .04 −.21, –.06
  High (+1SD) Work centrality −.06*** .02 −.12, –.03

Note: N = 802. Standardized coefficients are reported and were estimated using SEM. All estimates for the moderated mediation were also tested for significance
using bias-corrected (BC) confidence interval from 5000 bootstrap samples.
**
p < 0.01. ***p < 0.001.
15
16 German Journal of Human Resource Management 00(0)

Hypothesis 3b proposed that work centrality would moderate the relationship between
age-diversity practices and affective commitment. Unexpectedly, this hypothesis was not
supported by the findings (B = −0.07, t = −1.51, p = 0.171, 95% Boot CI = −0.17, 0.03).
Hypothesis 4a posited that work centrality would moderate the indirect relationship
between age-diversity practices and turnover intention via work engagement. The sig-
nificant index of moderated mediation was 0.03 (95% CI = 0.01, 0.07), showing that as
work centrality decreases, the indirect effect of age-diversity practices on turnover inten-
tion via work engagement increases (Figure 3). The simple slopes test provides further
support for Hypothesis 4a (Blow = −0.13, t = −3.39, p = 0.001, 95% Boot CI = −0.21, −0.06;
Bhigh = −0.06, t = −2.78, p = 0.001, 95% Boot CI = −0.12, −0.03).
Finally, hypothesis 4b stated that the indirect relationship between age-diversity
practices and turnover intention via affective commitment is moderated by work cen-
trality. Since there is no significant moderation effect of work centrality on the rela-
tionship between age-diversity practices and affective commitment, this hypothesis
was also not supported. The index of moderated mediation was 0.03 (95%
CI = −0.19, 0.06).
The results of the moderated mediation model are depicted in Figure 4. The predictors
of turnover intention included in this model explain 49.9% of its variance.

Figure 2. Moderating effect of work centrality on the relationship between age-diversity

practices and work engagement.
Sousa et al. 17

Figure 3. The conditional indirect effect of age-diversity practices on turnover intention via
work engagement.

Figure 4. Results of the moderated parallel multiple mediation model.

Note: Standardized coefficients are reported and were estimated using SEM. All estimates for the moder-
ated mediation were also tested for significance using bias-corrected (BC) confidence interval from 5000
bootstrap samples. Indicators of latent factors are omitted for clarity.
ns: not significant; **p < 0.01. ***p < 0.001.
18 German Journal of Human Resource Management 00(0)

Discussion
A great challenge for contemporary organizations is how to attract, recruit, and retain
workers, and specifically how to keep them motivated and productive without compro-
mising their health. The present study examined the mediating effects of work engage-
ment and affective commitment in the relationship between age-diversity practices and
turnover intention, as well as the moderating role of work centrality in these mediated
relationships.
The findings show that both work engagement and affective commitment mediated
the relationship between age-diversity practices and turnover intention. This evidence is
supported by signaling theory and SET (Blau, 1964; Connelly et al., 2011), which postu-
late that workers view HR practices as an indicator of the organization’s investment in
them and as recognition of their contributions, triggering the desire to reciprocate through
positive attitudes. Although previous research has already demonstrated the relevance of
engagement and commitment as determinants of the intention to continue in the organi-
zation (e.g. Allen et al., 2003; Marescaux et al., 2013), this study demonstrates the value
of implementing a strategy of age-diversity management to motivate workers of all ages.
In a context of an age-diverse workforce, HR practices that are sensitive to individuals’
aging can be especially important to retain the best talents. Age-diversity practices are a
set of flexible practices that can support workers throughout the life span, by accommo-
dating and leveraging age differences (Sousa et al., 2019). Age-diversity practices can
promote work engagement, a form of job-focused involvement that encourages workers
to stay in the organization. Workers who perceive that there are age-diversity practices in
their organizations are more energetic, immersed and dedicated to their work, and thus
show less intention to leave the organization. Work will engender positive experiences
that individuals will seek to maintain by staying in the organization (Alfes et al., 2013).
Age-diversity practices can also foster affective commitment, a form of involvement
with the organization as a whole. Workers are more emotionally attached to the organiza-
tion when employers offer good career prospects and opportunities for skill develop-
ment, provide job security, and promote the necessary adaptations in the work, thereby
making workers less likely to leave the organization (Morrow, 2011). Therefore, age-
diversity practices are perceived as age-supportive practices that encourage workers to
embrace the organizational membership as an important part of their identity.
Work centrality moderated the indirect effect of age-diversity practices on turnover
intention via work engagement but not via affective commitment. The results suggest
that individuals who assigned less importance to work understood age-diversity prac-
tices as a mechanism to create an inclusive and supportive workplace where a worker can
perform successfully their tasks, which motivates the desire to stay (Bal and Kooij,
2011). For instance, a 40-year-old worker who attaches less value to work may perceive
that an adjustment in his or her work arrangement (e.g. working from home, compressed
hours due to parental responsibilities) is a long-term investment by the organization.
Age-diversity practices are less important for people who have higher work centrality
because work is something to be engaged in for its own sake. If a person sees work as a
core component of his or her life and is energetic, passionate about, and immersed in the
job, he or she might give less importance to the organization’s practices as a motivation
to stay in the organization.
Sousa et al. 19

Contrary to what one might expect, work centrality did not moderate the mediated
effect of age-diversity practices on turnover intention through affective commitment.
This suggests that workers, regardless of the role that work plays in their life, perceive
age-diversity practices as a signal that the organization is investing in them and recipro-
cate through increasing their levels of affective commitment, and are more willing to
stay in the organization. An individual who assigns minor importance to work in his/her
life can interpret the implementation of age-diversity practices as a sign that the organi-
zation intends to retain the best talents. Similarly, those individuals who consider work
as a crucial part of their life also feel valued by the organization that develops age-
diversity practices and, consequently, show more emotional attachment to the organiza-
tion (Mannheim et al., 1997). A possible explanation for the absence of the moderation
effect is the target of the individual’s attitude in work centrality. While work centrality
refers to the domain of the relationship between the individual and the work in general,
the relationship between age-diversity practices, commitment, and turnover focuses on
the individual-organization bond. This suggests that the attachment of workers to the
organization is of great importance for their retention.
The present study contributes to the HRM literature by revealing how organizations
can motivate their workers of all ages, that is, by exposing the underlying processes
through which age-supportive HR practices negatively affect turnover intention. At the
same time, the findings also show when these processes (i.e. work engagement and
affective commitment) work, that is, what is the role of work centrality in these relation-
ships. Despite work centrality being an individual and relatively stable belief about work,
organizations can play an important role in the engagement of those individuals who
attach less importance to work, with the implementation of age-diversity practices. Such
practices are a novel construct in the literature and the findings suggest that they are
important to promote a healthy and effective age-diverse workforce while encouraging
individuals to invest in the relationship with their organization.
The findings also underscore the need for age-diversity management. Most research
on the aging workforce focuses on implementing organizational practices that motivate
older workers to stay at work (Pak et al., 2019; Truxillo et al., 2015). However, as claimed
by the life-span perspective, younger and middle-aged workers may have different val-
ues, needs, motives, and goals (Kooij et al., 2011) that organizations should also meet to
retain their knowledge and skills. Further, younger and middle-aged workers are tomor-
row’s older workers, and thus organizational practices to support people during their
career are critical. Age-diversity practices should therefore be implemented to motivate
workers of all ages instead of targeting only the group of older workers.
In addition, older workers may not be a homogenous group, as important intra-indi-
vidual changes occur during later adulthood (Kanfer and Ackerman, 2004). Since adult
development and work experiences throughout life influence motivational patterns at
work, organizational practices should be flexible and inclusive.
This study also extends previous results beyond the Anglo-Saxon cultural contexts, as
data were collected in Portugal. The Portuguese context is especially suited to under-
stand the impact of age-diversity practices in work attitudes in light of the rapid aging of
the workforce in that country.
20 German Journal of Human Resource Management 00(0)

Implications for practice

The findings of this study offer practical contributions with managerial implications. First,
age-diversity practices have the potential to increase work engagement and affective com-
mitment, which can lead to higher levels of retention. The empirical evidence provided by
this study may help employers and managers to go beyond a non-discrimination policy
toward a strategy focused on capitalizing age diversity, which values workers of all ages.
Indeed, age-diversity practices communicate to workers what the opportunities for
development and advancement are in the organization, according to individuals’ prefer-
ences, goals, and needs. A 55-year-old worker might be motivated to continuously
develop his or her skills and knowledge that, when recognized, will facilitate career
progression (i.e. promotion to a senior position). A different worker of the same age
might have increased generativity motives and show preferences for teaching, training,
and sharing skills with younger workers or newcomers (Kooij and Van de Voorde, 2011).
The recognition of these skills and experience can prompt internal mobility, placing the
worker in a department or project in which he or she will have the opportunity to transfer
knowledge to others. Also, age-diversity practices can meet the needs of workers who for
various reasons (e.g. age-related changes, work injuries, health problems) have lower
levels of functioning.
Creating age-supportive workplaces can promote workers’ motivations and well-
being, while showing that the organization values their membership and is committed to
them. The way people experience and react to this organizational investment can be real-
ized in high levels of commitment. Affective commitment plays a fundamental role in the
results of this study because of its effect as a strong predictor of turnover intention for all
workers, regardless of the importance they attach to work. In a time when organizations
compete to attract and retain key skills and talent (Chand and Tung, 2014), managers
should create, monitor, and reinforce an employment relationship based on trust and loy-
alty. It is therefore important that the implementation of age-diversity practices be fol-
lowed by an assessment of workers’ perceptions about how suitable they are to respond to
their needs and to motivate them. Also, direct supervisors should be aware of how indi-
viduals are reacting and adapting to age-related changes (e.g. work ability, health) (Robson
and Hansson, 2007). To gather this information, organizations could, for example, develop
a tool for assessing age-diversity management that includes an annual questionnaire
directed to all workers and an individual interview for workers who are at risk.
Finally, the implementation of an age-diversity strategy cannot occur in a cultural vac-
uum, but needs to be accompanied by a commitment from the top management to diversity
management. The senior management must share a clear vision of inclusion and diversity
values, and role model those values in order for the age-diversity strategy to gain organiza-
tion-wide acceptance. Introducing age-diversity practices should be a top-down manage-
ment decision, but the support of all workers is crucial to the success of these initiatives.

Limitations and avenues for future research

The findings of this study should be considered in light of some limitations. We focus on
only one of the three commitment components proposed by Allen and Meyer (1990)
Sousa et al. 21

—affective commitment—since it has the strongest association with turnover intention.

Considering the importance of this construct in the findings, we suggest that future
research could include continuance (i.e. individuals need to stay in the organization) and
normative (i.e. workers feel they ought to remain) commitment in the model. Also, job
satisfaction, identified by previous research as a relevant predictor of turnover intention
(e.g. Fasbender et al., 2019), could be included in future studies.
A second limitation concerns the nature of the sample used in this study. Participants
were recruited using a non-probabilistic sampling process, limiting the generalizability
of the results. Finally, the study presents a cross-sectional design to examine a parallel
mediation model, which can generate biased estimates and prevents us from drawing
conclusions regarding causality among the variables. Although we provided solid theo-
retical arguments for the direction of the relationships, we cannot rule out the possibility
of a reverse relationship, and we encourage future researchers to replicate our findings
with longitudinal data. A longitudinal design could also provide an important and deeper
understanding of possible changes in the role of age-diversity practices to explain posi-
tive work-related outcomes.
We believe that the HRM literature would benefit from a more complete picture of
the relationship between age-diversity practices and turnover intention if future research
explores potential differences across professional groups or industries, especially those
that have high turnover rates (e.g. nurses, hotel staff, and agents in call-centers).
Moreover, other sets of variables in addition to the socio-demographic status, such as
organizational sponsorship (e.g. organization size) and human capital (e.g. type of con-
tract), can be included as statistical controls in future studies (Ng et al., 2005). For
example, controlling for organization size, as a proxy of the amount of resources an
organization has available to support workers, may be important in studies with multi-
ple organizations.
As age-diverse workforces can bring a multitude of different knowledge, skills, and
experiences to the workplace, knowledge retention and knowledge transfer between
younger and older workers constitute important lines of future research. For example, the
results of Burmeister et al. (2018b) showed that perceived ability and motivation to
receive/share knowledge mediate the effects of age on knowledge transfer. Thus, future
research can investigate the role of age-diversity practices in knowledge receiving and
sharing behaviors. Also, future studies might incorporate organizational performance as
a final output in the model, as in earlier investigations (e.g. Kunze et al., 2013), using
both subjective ratings and objective financial performance measures. A multilevel per-
spective can shed light on the effects of age-diversity practices for individuals and
organizations.

Conclusion
This study investigated the mediating role of work engagement and affective commit-
ment in the effect of age-diversity practices on turnover intention. Empirical evidence
supported the assumption that individuals perceiving the existence of age-diversity prac-
tices were more engaged and committed to the organization and, in turn, showed lower
turnover intention. This investigation also examined the moderating role of work
22 German Journal of Human Resource Management 00(0)

centrality in the indirect effects of age-diversity practices on turnover intention via work
engagement and via affective commitment. It was found that the relationship between
age-diversity practices and turnover intention through work engagement was stronger
for individuals with low work centrality than for those with high work centrality. For the
indirect effect via affective commitment, the moderation effect was not significant.
These results together highlight the importance of implementing an age-diversity strat-
egy to retain an age-diverse workforce.

Funding
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/
or publication of this article: This work was supported by a Research Grant awarded to Inês
Carneiro e Sousa (Ref. SFRH/BD/115007/2016) from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and
Technology (FCT).

ORCID iD
Inês C. Sousa https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7438-819X

Note
1. Although the focus of this study is the overall concept of engagement, several authors use the
three-factor solution of the UWES-9 and, therefore, that alternative was also tested. However,
in this study the moderated mediation model with a three-dimensional representation of work
engagement did not achieve good-fit indices (χ2 (df) = 3298.58 (816), p < 0.001, χ2/df = 4.04,
CFI = 0.87, TLI = 0.85, RMSEA = 0.06, SRMR = 0.07). The Akaike Information Criterion
(AIC) increased from 2562.05 to 3558.58, yielding a worse fit.

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