Managing older workers : Policy changes in ten pioneering companies in Alsace[Politiques de gestion des seniors : quelles évolutions dans dix entreprises alsaciennes pionnières ?]

Before it became a legal obligation for companies with over fifty employees to negotiate employment agreements for older workers or draw up action plans to promote their recruitment and retention, a number of Alsace-based companies had already taken voluntary steps to do so. This article explores the extent to which the legal obligation acted as a change driver for the companies in question. It asks whether the law encouraged companies to expand their policies by developing new management practices for older workers, recording these practices in writing, or as part of an agreement or action plan; or whether the companies simply formalized existing practices. The study draws on the results of field surveys to present the rationales behind the voluntary policies developed for older workers before the legal obligation came into effect, identifying a wide array of practices and a range of action levels. It then focuses on the content of the action plans and agreements themselves to outline the obstacles to the development of policies to recruit and retain older workers, as well as the progress made. The article finally deals with non-formalized practices.