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Technology, Identity and Older Workers’ Work-Life Decisions: Insights from the Australian Transport and Logistics Sector

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Work-Life Research in the Asia-Pacific

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Abstract

The Australian transport and logistics sector faces a severe labour shortage and the potential skill obsolescence of many of the current workforce as new technologies are implemented. This chapter explores how workplace digital transformation affects the experiences of older workers, their occupational identity, and the likely acceleration of their exit from the workforce. The rapid implementation of digital technologies in the workplace significantly disrupts older workers’ occupational identity, leading to worker alienation, isolation, resistance to change, and intention to exit from the workforce. The experiences of work for these workers have been transformed in ways that are not yet fully explored and understood. Interviews with managers from a broad range of firms in this industry expose negative attitudes and unwillingness to invest in skill upgrades for older workers. Drawing upon an identity perspective, our analysis reveals that occupational identity disruption is a deeper reason to explain older workers’ attitudes towards technology. We highlight that in addition to digital skill training, organisations should strategically buffer the digital challenges for older people by creating a friendly and supportive social environment to assist older workers in adapting to new technologies.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Supply Chain and Logistics, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Victor Gekara & Shea X. Fan

  2. Department of Management, Deakin University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Shea X. Fan

Authors
  1. Victor Gekara
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  2. Shea X. Fan
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Correspondence to Victor Gekara .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Employment Relations and Human Resources, Griffith Business School, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia

    ** Wen Chan

  2. Department of Employment Relations and Human Resources, Griffith Business School, Griffith University, Southport, QLD, Australia

    Sudong Shang

  3. Department of Business Administration, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Luo Lu

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Gekara, V., Fan, S.X. (2024). Technology, Identity and Older Workers’ Work-Life Decisions: Insights from the Australian Transport and Logistics Sector. In: Chan, X.W., Shang, S., Lu, L. (eds) Work-Life Research in the Asia-Pacific. Palgrave Studies in Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Indigenization in Business. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-52795-1_6

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