Age as moderator in the relationship between HR development practices and employees' positive attitudes

Drawing on social exchange theory, prior research suggests that the adoption of HR practices in the areas of training and development helps to maximize employees’ positive work attitudes. However, while research has generally assumed that HR practices influence all employees in the same way, there are many evidences that employees’ motives and needs change with age, suggesting that older workers may react differently to the same HR practices as compared to younger colleagues. This study sheds light on this important and under-explored issue, analyzing whether the effect of HR development practices on job satisfaction and affective commitment is moderated by age in a sample of 37 companies located in Italy, involving a total of 6,182 employees. Applying a multilevel approach, our results confirm a positive influence of HR Development practices in increasing job satisfaction and affective commitment and show that this positive relationship weakens with age. Indeed, HR development practices were associated with lower job satisfaction and affective commitment for the oldest employees. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed suggesting the need to attribute greater consideration to age diversity when tailoring HR practices to improve their effect on employees’ positive work attitudes.