Age Diversity in the Workplace: The Effect of Relational Age Within Supervisor–Employee Dyads on Employees’ Work Engagement

Abstract

Although having a younger supervisor or a supervisor of a similar age runs counter to the traditional older supervisor–younger subordinate norm, it is becoming increasingly common in the 21st-century workplace. The current study uses theories of relational demography and relational norms as well as Selective Optimization with Compensation theory and the job demands-resources model to understand how relational age within supervisor–employee dyads influences workers’ engagement. Cross-sectional data from a multiworksite (U.S.-based) sample of 2,195 workers aged 18 to 81 years were used to estimate ordinary least squares regression models. After accounting for a variety of factors that could influence engagement levels (i.e., demographics, health status, and job or personal resources), findings indicated that employees with similar-age supervisors were less engaged than employees with older supervisors. Moreover, while employees who did not know the ages of their supervisors were just as engaged as employees with older supervisors. Implications for engaging an age-diverse workforce are discussed.