Flexibility and security for older workers: HRM-arrangements in four European countries

National policies in the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and Belgium show policy shifts towards active ageing and towards flexicurity to enhance flexibility and security in the labour market. The main question is about the practice and implementation of these macro policies on the workplace level. Therefore this chapter presents the findings of a survey in workplaces in the four mentioned countries in four sectors of industry (N=3085). A flexicurity approach for senior workers is most visible in the Dutch and Danish workplaces because of a broader range of implemented facilities such as phased retirement, flexible working hours, education and training, in- and external job-job transitions. A flexicurity approach is far less implemented in German and Belgian workplaces. The large cross-national differences are visible in all 4 studied sectors. Examining the usage rates of arrangements, the survey show different strategies addressing the issue of the older workers. The Belgians aim for flexibility in working hours. The Dutch are still focused towards a ‘relief’ strategy (adaptation of workload, tasks and working hours), while the Danish favour an employability policy. The German workplaces show passivity in all items. Further, the investigations reveal cross-sectoral differences. Cross-national differences in initiating actors of flexible arrangements for the senior workers at the workplace can play a role in explaining the observed variance