Second, we found that employee average use of SOC behaviors acted as a buffer in the negative relationship between company average age and company work ability. This indicates that a company with high employee average use of SOC strategies might be more
capable of adapting to age-related resource loss as a whole, because the use of SOC strategies
as an informal practice can help maintain resources needed for employee functions (Freund
& Baltes, 2002). By examining this company-level effect of employee use of SOC strategies,
this research contributes to SOC literature and aging research. Previous research has mainly
examined use of SOC at the individual level (Moghimi et al., 2016). This research moves this
concept to the collective level, which can be a fruitful area for future research.
Third, by examining the relationship between age, HIWPs, and work ability, we answer
the call for integrating HRM and aging literatures (Ng & Feldman, 2008). Previous research
suggested that HRM practices can help individual employees maintain their work ability
(Ilmarinen & Tuomi, 2004). Taking a company-level perspective further deepens our
understanding of company-level relationships between HIWPs and work ability of employees
in the same company. This is consistent with the principles of HIWPs, which state that formal management practices can help sustain and promote collective human capital
resources in the company, including employee work ability (Ilmarinen, 2006, 2009;
Ilmarinen & Tuomi, 2004).