Older employees' workplace fear of missing out and intergenerational knowledge transfer: A conservation of resources perspective in AI-exposed work contexts.

Abstract

In AI-enabled workplaces, rapid technological change has increased the salience of knowledge renewal and intergenerational knowledge transfer in organizations. Although older employees possess valuable experience and tacit knowledge, they may also experience workplace fear of missing out when they perceive a risk of losing access to important information, career opportunities, social connections, and developmental resources. Drawing on conservation of resources theory, this study examines why older employees' workplace fear of missing out reduces intergenerational knowledge transfer by developing a resource-based explanation of this process. We conducted two studies: a scenario-based experiment with 492 older employees and a three-wave time-lagged field survey with 400 older employees who had AI-related work exposure. The results consistently showed that older employees' workplace fear of missing out negatively predicted intergenerational knowledge transfer. Occupational future time perspective was found to mediate this relationship, suggesting that workplace fear of missing out may reduce older employees' perceived remaining career time and opportunities, which may in turn decrease their engagement in intergenerational knowledge transfer. Moreover, age-inclusive HR practices buffered the negative relationship between workplace fear of missing out and occupational future time perspective, whereas workplace friendship strengthened the positive relationship between occupational future time perspective and intergenerational knowledge transfer. These findings provide convergent evidence consistent with the view that older employees' workplace fear of missing out undermines intergenerational knowledge transfer through a resource-loss mechanism, and that this mechanism is shaped by perceived organizational and interpersonal resource conditions. Practically, this study suggests that organizations should cultivate age-inclusive HR systems and supportive workplace relationships to promote knowledge flow in age-diverse workplaces where employees are exposed to AI-related tools or intelligent systems.