Dissertation_Paula Aleksandrowicz_12 ... - Jacobs University

Annex C: Constructing Firm Typologies
Germany
I constructed an index which took into account the policy of the firms with regard to recruitment, the
termination of the work contract, further training, and health and integration management.
´Internalisation´ in recruitment denoted an assessment of the applicants´ aptitude for the position solely based
on qualification (no case), a ´medium-internalising position´ denoted equal chances of all workers with the
exception of some areas (Firm DE-1, Firm DE-9, Firm DE-11), a ´medium-externalising position´ – some
chances for older applicants (Firm DE-2, Firm DE-4, Firm DE-7, Firm DE-12, Firm DE-13), and
´externalisation´ - not hiring of older persons (Firm DE-3, Firm DE-6, Firm DE-10, Firm DE-14).
´Internalisation´ in further training denoted equal access given to workers of all ages, a requirements
planning/qualification plan for all workers, and a works council agreement on further training (Firm DE-3,
Firm DE-10, Firm DE-12), ´a medium-internalising position´ - equal access to workers of all ages and a
qualification plan for all workers or annual appraisal interviews in which qualification demand is also assessed
(Firm DE-4, Firm DE-11), a ´medium-externalising position´- undeclared rule of access to further training,
and/or measures implemented ad hoc acc. to internal demand or request by workers (Firm DE-1, Firm DE-2,
Firm DE-6, Firm DE-9,), ´externalisation´- older workers excluded from further training (with the exc. of
renunciation on their part), or no further training at all (no cases); Firm DE-7, Firm DE-13 and Firm DE-14
could not be assessed here and were therefore assigned a medium value.
With regard to health and integration management, I assigned an ´internalisation´ value if the firm had a
works council agreement on health management or workplace health promotion or a steering committee on
that issue, if workers inflicted by a health impairment on the job were integrated at easier workplaces, and if
the preservation of workability is a goal in the assessment of both the HRM and the WCM (with the exception
of firms with workplaces suitable for work until standard retirement) (Firm DE-2, Firm DE-10, Firm DE-13),
´medium-internalising position´ – if one of those criteria was not fulfilled (Firm DE-1, Firm DE-3, Firm DE-
4, Firm DE-7, Firm DE-13, Firm DE-14), a ´medium-externalising position´ – if there are measures of
behavioural prevention and ergonomic improvement of workplaces, but once work incapacity has occurred,
externalisation is the preferred measure (Firm DE-6), ´externalisation´ – if health management was not
pursued at the time of the study, easier workplaces were provided only in exemplary cases, and externalisation
was the casual measure of dealing with impaired workers (Firm DE-9, Firm DE-11); Firm DE-12 could not be
assessed and was therefore assigned a medium value.
Finally, with regard to the termination of the work contract, such firms were assigned the highest value
which allowed the worker to decide on the timing of exit (no cases, as all German firms had a regulation that
the work contract is automatically terminated upon reaching the standard retirement age), a ´mediuminternalising
position´ - firms which (with the exc. of that regulation) allowed older workers to determine the
timing of exit and the form of exit and even tried to retain some older workers (Firm DE-1, Firm DE-2, Firm
DE-4, Firm DE-6, Firm DE-12), a ´medium-externalising position´ – firms which were actively pushing out
older workers but gave them the final decision whether to accept that offer or not; that assessment is a little
biased, as only in those firms which conducted personnel reductions a thorough assessment was possible
(Firm DE-10, Firm DE-11, Firm DE-13), and ´externalisation´ – firms which determined the timing of exit of
older workers, whether during personnel reductions or not (Firm DE-3, Firm DE-7, Firm DE-9, Firm DE-14;
see Table 18 in section 4.2.6.).
The firms were assigned numerical values in each of those personnel policy fields (0 ´externalisation´; 1 / 3 -
´medium-externalising position´; 2 / 3 - ´medium internalising position´; 1 ´internalisation´). The value of the
index for each firm, which can be read off from Figure 14, was computed by adding those numbers together.
As a result, firms which are depicted in the area ´integration´ have values between 3 and 4, firms with on
overall ´medium-internalising policies´ have reached values between 2 and 2 2 / 3 , firms with ´mediumexternalising
policies´ have values between 1 and 1 2 / 3 and firms in the area ´externalisation´ have values
between 0 and 2 / 3 .
The values in the lines regarding the complexity of HRM policy (´age management strategy´ vs. ´muddling
through´) are based on Table 16 in section 4.2.2. which visualised in how many HRM fields the studied firms
are active. If the firm pursued 0 till 2 personnel policy fields with regard to older workers, it was assigned the
value ´muddling through´. If it pursued 3 personnel policy fields with regard to older workers, it was assigned
the value ´rather reactive orientation´, in the case of 4 personnel policy fields - ´rather strategic orientation´,
and in the case of 5 or more fields - ´age management strategy´.
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