Methodology
The initial research approach is two-fold. In the UK, researchers from BRASS and CARBS (Paul Blyton, Jean Jenkins, Tess Saunders) are working with researchers at Nottingham (Nick Bacon, Kim Hoque) examining the findings from the recent WERS04 national survey, as these relate to the employment conditions of older workers and how these compare with other groups in both larger and smaller workplaces.
Second, a cross-national comparative study is being prepared examining the work experiences of older employees, and the HR practices towards older work groups in a matched sample of organisations. The methodology will involve interviews and employee surveys in a series of case organisations drawn from public and private and manufacturing and service sectors, and from larger and smaller organisations. Those who have expressed interest in the study include, to date, researchers in Canada (University of Victoria, BC) Australia (Deakin and La Trobe Universities, Melbourne) and Norway (National University of Norway, Trondheim). Discussions are also taking place with researchers in France, Germany and the Netherlands. The UK team is a collaborative group from Cardiff and Nottingham universities.
