The temporal dynamics of age metastereotyping and thriving at work

Abstract

ABSTRACT While extensive research has been carried out on thriving at work enablers, scarce attention has been devoted to the factors that may obstruct thriving. This daily diary study builds on the age-based metastereotype activation model to fill this research gap. According to this model, employees may challenge negative age-based metastereotypes (NABM) or feel threatened by them. Thus, this study examines the role of age-based stereotype threat (ABST) in the thriving experience – a combined sense of learning and vitality – and analyzes whether perceived age similarity moderates the threat reaction to NABM. Data were collected over the course of five consecutive workdays from 82 white-collar employees, most of whom were working in the services sector. The findings indicate that NABM have next-day consequences. Specifically, NABM directly obstruct next-day vitality levels and indirectly overall employee thriving and learning through ABST, highlighting thriving dimensions’ distinctiveness. Additionally, moderation analyses showed a “safety‑in‑numbers-effect” of perceived age similarity. As existing accounts fail to specify the time cycle of NABM consequences in the workplace, this study contributes to the ageism literature by advancing next-day effects of NABM on thriving.