Dissertation_Paula Aleksandrowicz_12 ... - Jacobs University

Poland
I constructed an index which took into account the policy of the firms with regard to recruitment, the
termination of the work contract, further training, and health and integration management.
´Internalisation´ in recruitment denoted an assessment of the applicants´ aptitude for the position solely based
on qualification (Firm PL-7 as of 2006), a ´medium-internalising position´ denoted equal chances of all
workers with the exception of some areas (no cases, as those firms which claimed an age-blind recruitment
policy in theory factually only seldom recruited persons above 49), a ´medium-externalising position´ – some
chances for older applicants (Firm PL-1, Firm PL-6, Firm PL-10, Firm PL-11, Firm PL-12, Firm PL-13, Firm
PL-14, Firm PL-15, Firm PL-16, Firm PL-17), and ´externalisation´ - not hiring of older persons (Firm PL-2,
Firm PL-4, Firm PL-8, Firm PL-9).
Internalisation´ in further training denoted equal access given to workers of all ages, a requirements
planning/qualification plan for all workers, and codification in the Collective Agreement or social plan (Firm
PL-9, Firm PL-16), a ´medium-internalising position´ - equal access to workers of all ages and a qualification
plan for all workers or annual appraisal interviews in which qualification demand is also assessed (Firm PL-1,
Firm PL-2, Firm PL-10, Firm PL-14), a ´medium-externalising position´- undeclared rule of access to further
training, and/or measures implemented ad hoc acc. to internal demand or request by workers (Firm PL-7,
Firm PL-8, Firm PL-12, Firm PL-15, Firm PL-16), ´externalisation´- older workers excluded from further
training (with the exc. of renunciation on their part), or no further training at all (Firm PL-4, Firm PL-6, Firm
PL-11, Firm PL-13).
With regard to health and integration management, the assessment criteria differ from the German case and
were adapted to the Polish situation. I assigned an ´internalisation´ value if the firm included a regulation on
those matters in the Collective Agreement at firm level or a social plan, if health management included
measures beyond the obligatory ones, and if workers inflicted by health impairments on the job were reintegrated
at easier workplaces (Firm PL-4, Firm PL-8), a ´medium-internalising position´ – if there was no
codification in any agreement with the employee representatives, but the other two criteria were fulfilled
(Firm PL-1, Firm PL-14), a ´medium-externalising position´ – if the firm provided extended health care
services, but integration management was deficient – once a work incapacity has occurred, externalisation is
the preferred measure, or vice versa (Firm PL-2, Firm PL-6, Firm PL-7, Firm PL-9, Firm PL-12, Firm PL-
15, Firm PL_16, Firm PL-17), ´externalisation´ – if health management was not pursued at the time of the
study, easier workplaces were provided only in exemplary cases, and externalisation was the casual measure
of dealing with impaired workers (Firm PL-10, Firm PL-11, Firm PL-13).
In the field of employee exit, such firms were assigned the highest value which allowed the workers to work
past standard retirement age if they so wished (Firm PL-1, Firm PL-7 as of 2006), a ´medium-internalising
position´ - firms which allowed older workers to determine the timing of exit and gave them the opportunity to
work until standard retirement age (Firm PL-8, Firm PL-10, Firm PL-14, Firm PL-16), a ´mediumexternalising
position´ – firms which were actively pushing out older workers but gave them the final decision
whether to accept that offer or not, or where interviewees gave an equivocal account on that practice (Firm
PL-2, Firm PL-6, Firm PL-9, Firm PL-12, Firm PL-15, Firm PL-17), and ´externalisation´ – firms which
determined the timing of exit of older workers (Firm PL-4,Firm PL-11, Firm PL-13; see Table 22 in section
4.3.6.).
The rules for computing the numerical values are the same as in the case of German firms.
The values in the dimension ´HRM strategy´ vs. ´muddling through´ were derived from Table 21 in section
4.3.2. If the firm was active in 0-2 HRM fields, it was classified as practicing ´muddling through´ policies, 3
HRM fields – as pursuing a ´rather reactive orientation´ in personnel policy, 4 HRM fields – a ´rather strategic
orientation´, and if the firm was active in 5 or more HRM fields, I assigned it the value of ´HRM strategy´.
Comparative Analysis
Figure 14 in section 4.4. condenses information from Table 19 (section 4.2.10.) and Table 23 (section 4.3.10.).
The scaling on the X-axis is more detailed in order to prevent a visual overlapping of firms – firms are
denoted there with the absolute number (e.g. 1.66, 0.33) instead of variable value (where 0.33 would be 0, and
1.66 would be 1). ´0´ on the X-axis denotes ´externalisation´, ´1´ till ´1.66´ – a ´medium-externalising
position´, ´2´ till´ 2.66´ – a ´medium-internalising position´, and ´3´ – ´internalisation´. The lines on the Y-axis
denote ´muddling through´ (0; it is raised above the cutting point as otherwise there would be too little space
to place all firms with this value), a ´rather reactive orientation´ (1), a ´rather strategic orientation´ (2) and
´HRM strategy´ (resp., in the case of German firms, ´age management strategy´).
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