Workplace age discrimination and engagement: the role of emotional regulation

Introduction: Gaining competitive advantage is essential to modern organizations, for which it is fundamental that workers are engaged with their work. Perceived age discrimination in the workplace is a factor that may influence workers’ engagement. Objectives: The present study aimed to analyze the moderating role of emotional regulation in the relationship between perceived age discrimination and work engagement. Methods: This empirical study included a sample of 452 Portuguese workers of various age groups, between 18 and 65 years-old and used the questionnaire as data collection method. Results: Results show that perceived workplace age discrimination negatively impacts work engagement. Further, results suggest that emotional regulation exacerbates the negative relationship between perceived age discrimination and work engagement. Conclusions: Age management strategies to address perceived age discrimination and work engagement, particularly due to the increasing proportion of older workers, are discussed.