The voice of experience — older workers’ accounts from a Portuguese organisation

This study aims to analyse perceptions about Human Resource Management (HRM) practices in a Portuguese industrial company characterised by an aging workforce. It also discusses to what extent age segmentation in HRM practices contributes to the productive inclusion and well-being of older workers. Emphasis is given to the mentoring process. This qualitative research is divided into two stages, two years apart: In the first stage, 10 blue-collar workers are interviewed about the perceived effects of HRM practices and, in the second stage, nine interviews with mentors, mentees, and HR managers are combined with the analysis of documents to analyse the (de)merits of the mentoring in force in the company. This study adds workers’ perspectives to the HR managers’ perspectives on the productive inclusion of older workers, and it contributes to the debate on career extension by showing the benefits older workers bring to the organisation through formal mentoring programmes.