Identifying Specific Human Resource Management Practices for Aging Workforce in Public Organizations

The main capital of any organization is its human resources (HR). Organizations invest substantial costs in attracting, retaining, and training individuals. Therefore, it is essential to identify and implement appropriate practices to preserve and enhance HR. Aging of employees is an inevitable phenomenon that poses challenges to all organizations, irrespective of specific geographical locations, because the employees will get old and leave the organization. This research aims to identify HR management practices for aging employees in public organizations in Jahrom City, Fars Province, Iran, in the year 2022.

This study utilizes meta-synthesis and Delphi methods to extract and identify management practices for aging HR. In the meta-synthesis section, the library method was used and community under study in the Delphi section included 28 academic (university professors with doctorate degrees in HR or organizational behavior) and organizational (senior managers and HR managers of public organizations in Jahrom) experts. The research tool used in the Delphi section was a questionnaire conducted in 3 rounds.

Through the study of the sources using meta-synthesis method, a total of 79 organizational practices were identified, categorized into 11 main dimensions. After three rounds, a consensus was reached on 60 practices, organized into 9 main dimensions, and the Delphi rounds were concluded. In the final round, no new practices were suggested or removed. Due to the minimal differences in the Kendall coefficient among the different rounds, the Delphi rounds were concluded.

It is necessary to plan and implement all these practices in parallel and simultaneously. However, as the most crucial management measure is planning, there is a need for planning, coordination, and harmonization at the legislative, administrative, and recruitment levels. Implementing the proposed practices through organizational experts, HR managers, and the active participation of aging employees in implementing practical practices will lead to better execution.