This research will determine the feasibility of developing and marketing an older worker productivity appraisal training system for personnel and human resource departments in business and industry. This Phase I research is based on the hypothesis that there is age-related bias in the supervisory ratings of older employees which negatively impacts the productivity estimates of older employees. The system will be designed to reduce bias in the supervisory ratings of older workers, thus improving estimates of their productivity and enhancing their promotability. Additionally, the system will aid companies in the avoidance of exposure under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). Phase I research will 1) explore the need for the proposed product, and technical feasibility of developing the proposed product; and 3) lay the ground work for the formal testing of study hypotheses in Phase II. The need for the product and the technical feasibility of product development will be established through a) a review of existing job performance appraisal systems, literature on age, job performance and productivity, and an analysis of lawsuits initiated under the ADEA; and b) formal focus group interviews with personnel officials in industry to determine their perceptions concerning older worker issues and interest in serving as test sites. Outcomes of these project objectives will yield a prototype instrument for test development in Phase II.
