Dissertation_Paula Aleksandrowicz_12 ... - Jacobs University

dominate over measures which treat older workers as a resource and aim at utilising or
enhancing their potential (left side and middle of table). ´Social benefits to older workers´
include dismissal protection for older workers exceeding the statutory 4-year-period prior to
retirement age, a protection against decrease in wages in case of downgrading of older
workers, jubilee awards, seniority wages, extra holidays for older workers, or exemption
from certain burdening tasks or shift work.
Another striking conclusion is that firms with foreign capital (cells with grey
background), with the exception of Firm PL-4 and Firm PL-5, have a more elaborate
personnel policy than firms with domestic capital, which is reflected in crossed cells in at
least three fields of personnel policy. This is in line with the finding of Pocztowski (2002:
22), who states that large firms and multinational companies apply a more modern approach
to HRM. That modern approach is reflected in personnel strategies and a clearly defined
mission of the personnel unit, and the conceptualisation of personnel tasks such as
employing workers, their appraisal, compensation and training in the personnel department
and not on the operational level (ibid). Moreover, companies in the upper part of the table
(Firm 1 till 4) were located in a region with high degree of rural employment and worse
infrastructure, which were therefore less attractive to foreign investors (Golinowska 2004:
358; „Polska Polsce nierówna“, Polska.pl (Iwona Borkowska) 4. June 2008).
To sum up: Polish interviewees characterise older workers in terms of their declining
opportunity, showing a reliance on assumptions of the labelling approach and the deficit
thesis of old age. Older workers are ascribed both more positive and more negative values
than was the case in the German study; that group of workers is assessed most negatively by
personnel managers from private or mixed ownership companies. Older workers are
assessed also negatively in times of their bad habits from old system, thus making them
victims of the transformation process.
In general, Polish interviewees are less sensitised to age management and to the
potential of older workers than German firm experts. The ageing of the workforce is
unanimously perceived as a threat.
In about half of the studied Polish firms, the interviewees assessed the personnel policy
as ´age-blind´; in fact, several preferential measures towards older workers were in place
(e.g. in the field of gratification or performance assessment).
In general, Polish firms do not apply any age management strategies, and many firms do
not have a holistic view on personnel policy but focus on singular areas of personnel policy,
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