The paper studies the impact of age and experience of employees on job
satisfaction and organizational commitment. Data were collected from 380 employees at
junior, middle, and top level management from various public and private organizations
in India. Standardized scales were used to measure job satisfaction, and
organizational commitment. Results revealed that job satisfaction and organizational
commitment differed significantly across the different career stages of employees. It was
further observed that aged employees had higher job satisfaction and
organizational commitment. Job satisfaction and organizational commitment also
differed significantly based on work experience of employees. It was found that higher
the work experience of employees, higher was their job satisfaction and
organizational commitment. The implications of the findings have been discussed.
Ongoing skill development of employees is considered important in today's
context. Employees recognize their value in the labor market depending upon their capacity
to cope with challenging situations. The age and the experience of employees are
strongly related to the commitment and satisfaction as explained by career stage and life
stage models. The greatest need for development is for those individuals who have just
entered the organization, as they seek to identify themselves with the organization and
build competencies. It has been found that younger workers engage more in
self-development and other forms of training than their senior colleagues (McEnrue, 1989). They may
also add greater value to skill development and thus have higher expectations
of development (Keenan and Newton, 1986). It has been observed that while changing jobs or career
paths, aged workers also require development. On the other hand,
aged employees perceive less need for development and place less emphasis on training (Colquitt
et al., 2000).
Researchers on adult development have found that the employment priorities
of individuals get affected by different development stages that they pass through in
their life (Veiga, 1983). While these changes happen throughout life in an individual,
they tend to demonstrate themselves in certain key transitions, such as the initial
entry into the working world, rather than as a smooth progression
(Levinson et al., 1978). In addition to shifting personal developmental needs, the individuals may
acquire different family responsibilities, such as taking care of children and the aging
parents. When they grow aged these responsibilities can also affect their work needs.
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