ELMA - Maintaining the Professional Performance and Motivation of Older Employees

Scientifically substantiated statements on the learning potential and adaptability of older employees are especially topical in view of the following fact: older labor force potential must be increasingly relied upon in order to safeguard Germany as a business location. Even if the current discussion about a potential rise in unemployment appears to give a different impression, we are already seeing an obvious shortage of qualified labor in our country today. A shortage that will only be resolved if we can qualify employees for the entire duration of their professional life to be productive, driven, innovative, and motivated, even in the later phases of their careers.

With this future prospect in mind, the Robert Bosch Stiftung and Robert Bosch GmbH were motivated to launch a real-life-based research project focusing on older employee qualification. The scientific responsibility for this project as well as employee qualifications at Robert Bosch GmbH sites fell under the responsibility of the Institute for Gerontology at the University of Heidelberg. The qualification process involved four components: cognitive training, physical training, adopting health-conscious lifestyles, and a reflection on personal age image.

• Older employees definitely possess an aptitude and willingness to learn. Qualifications in earlier phases of employment history have a positive impact.
• Increased performance can be observed in various areas of problem solving, retention, and concentration abilities.
• Comparable potential for change is recognizable in physical fitness.
• Imparting health-related knowledge and adopting a health-conscious lifestyle are associated with an increase in subjectively experienced responsibility for one’s own health and health-conscious behavior.
• Positive changes are evident in personal future prospects and subjective age image: the aging process is also associated with potential strengths and opportunities, not just weaknesses and risks.
• The motivation to participate in the project was very high, as was the motivation to persevere; employees (from a wide range of various professions) were confident of gaining a high degree of personal benefit from this project.

• Current knowledge systems and action strategies are activated and expanded in an ideal way.
• The sense of feeling appreciated and needed even as an older employee is noticeably increasing – along with workplace motivation and satisfaction.
• Company loyalty is reinforced when a company invests in older staff members.
• In addition, the project makes a positive contribution to changing the image of age and aging in our society.