Cultural Adaptation of the Workplace Age-Friendliness Measure to German with Validation in Austrian Organizations.

Abstract

Background and objectives: The workplace age-friendliness measure is a multidimensional, four-factor instrument measuring organizational support for maintaining the employability of older workers that was developed in English and Hebrew. This study aimed to adapt it culturally for use in organizations where German is spoken, and to validate its psychometric properties in the context of workplace health promotion initiatives.

Research design and methods: The English version of the scale was cross-translated into German and piloted in a convenience sample in Austria. It was then circulated in six Austrian organizations across various industries and regions, mostly from health and education sectors, within their workplace health promotion projects, resulting in 1,725 employee responses. This sample was used to report on and validate the scale's psychometric properties.

Results: Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated construct validity and measurement equivalence across multigroup socio-demographic variables of age, gender, and education. The results also supported the four-factor solution of the construct, with acceptable internal consistency and reliability. Correlations demonstrated the criterion (concurrent) validity of the scale with related constructs. An analysis of variance revealed meaningful differences in factor mean scores across individual and organizational characteristics.

Discussion and implications: This is the first study to develop and validate a German-language version of the workplace age-friendliness measure. As a reliable and valid instrument, it can be used to assess organizations' practices regarding their support for an aging workforce. Further implications and limitations of using this instrument in future empirical research are discussed.