| Age-based employment decisions by human resource professionals can negatively impact an organization through decreased employee morale, unexpected legal costs, diminished organizational success, loss of productivity, and the loss of human capital potential. This study addressed the knowledge of aging from the perspective of human resource managers, using age, gender, education, ethnicity, and years of experience. The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the association between the characteristics of human resource practitioners and their knowledge of aging to determine whether the human resources practitioner might knowingly or unknowingly make employment decisions based on age. Ageism and stereotype theories provided the theoretical foundation for this study. The 1976 Facts on Aging Quiz, a validated and widely recognized tool, was used to measure the knowledge of aging of the human resource practitioners who voluntarily participated in this study. Practitioners from both the private and public sectors responded to the survey. The statistical tools for this study included Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient, 2-sample t test, analysis of variance, and multiple linear regression analysis. The study results did not reach significance but did highlight the need for future studies among human resource professionals regarding an aging workforce. The implications of this study bring heightened attention to the awareness of personal characteristics as they relate to fair and equitable hiring practices; this awareness promotes positive social change for individuals, organizations, and society. |
