The Meaning of Working for Older Workers: A Qualitative Study in the Italian Public Sector.

The main objective of this paper was to investigate how did older workers make meaning of their work and career with special reference to the approaching retirement experience. Participants were workers aged 45 years or more, with a medium-high educational level, employed in a public context – the University of Bari. Four focus groups were conducted with a total of 16 participants that is 4 participants for each focus, from all major work areas of the University of Bari. Subsequently, the information collected were subjected to computer aided content analysis. Results were discussed both with reference to human resource management practices and to further investigations of theoretical constructs such as employability and meaning of working of older workers.