Employee Perceptions of Older Workers’ Motivation in Business, Academia, and Government
Thomas J. Calo, Meredith M. Patterson, Wayne H. Decker

Abstract
Stereotypes concerning older workers’ intrinsic and extrinsic motivation were examined in three types of organizations. Questionnaires were completed by employees of the governments of a county in the U.S.A. and a city located within the county, a university in the city, and a privately-held business headquartered in the county. Workers in the private business displayed the least age stereotyping overall, whereas those in local government displayed the strongest age stereotypes. Although older respondents rated older workers more favorably than did younger respondents on all scales, older government employees did not rate older workers any higher on motivation for Task Enjoyment and Compensation than did younger government employees. The implications for motivating employees and managing organizational culture are discussed.

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