Providing Digital Technology Training as a Way to Retain Older Workers: The Importance of Perceived Usefulness and Growth Need

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of aging workforce around the globe renders older worker retention an integral approach for organizations to maintain human capital. In the meantime, the increasing application of digital technologies at work poses new challenges for older workers. Providing digital technology training is therefore considered as a potential approach to retaining older workers. Yet, we have limited knowledge about the role played by digital technology training availability in facilitating older worker retention. Addressing this important research void, we examine the motivation-based (i.e., autonomy need satisfaction at work) and the ability-based (i.e., competence need satisfaction at work) mechanisms that transmit the positive indirect effects of digital technology training availability on older workers’ intention to remain. We also examine the critical roles of the relevance of the training (both the relevance to the situation and to the participant) in shaping the impacts of digital technology training availability. Analyzing data collected from 285 workers aged 40 years or older, we found that when digital technology was perceived to be more (vs. less) useful at work, digital technology training availability indirectly facilitated older workers’ intention to remain via both autonomy and competence needs satisfaction at work. Moreover, the amplifying effects of perceived usefulness of digital technology at work were more (vs. less) pronounced for participants who had higher (vs. lower) growth need. Theoretical and practical implications were also discussed based on our findings.