Age and Work: Advances in Theory, Methods, and Practice provides a comprehensive and interdisciplinary synthesis of research that positions age as a dynamic, theoretically rich and socially embedded phenomenon. The prologue by Ritu Sadana and Ignacio Madero-Cabib from the World Health Organization situates the book within the United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing, citing the WHO definition of ‘healthy ageing as a process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables well-being in older age’ (p. xxvii).

The book is structured into four main sections addressing the intersection of ageing and work through theoretical, methodological and practical lenses. Section I, ‘Introduction and Overview’, addresses the global demographic shift. In Chapter 1, ‘Research on Age(ing) at Work Has “Come of Age”’, Rudolph and Zacher argue that the subfield of ageing and work has matured to the extent that it now requires a definitive text to address current challenges and suggest future advancements. They challenge long-standing concepts, noting that the common association between age and work performance is weak. This leads the authors to conclude that age should not be used as a predictor in selection of employees. Such thinking is further bolstered by Jürgen Deller and Ulrich Walwei in Chapter 2, ‘Workforce Age Trends and Projections’, which provides a detailed overview of workforce age trends.

Section II, ‘Advances in Theory on Age and Work’, begins with Chapter 3, ‘Alternative Age Constructs and Their Implications at Work’, where David Weiss and Mona Weiss suggest that chronological age alone appears insufficient in understanding work-related processes. The authors then explore subjective age, functional age and age identity, extrapolating how these concepts might affect the understanding of ageing in practical and scientific settings. In Chapter 4, ‘Intersectional Effects of Age, Gender, and Social Class on Successful Aging at Work’, Justin Marcus examines how age interacts with gender and social class, providing a more inclusive representation of the labour market. He elaborates on the concept of intersectional invisibility, particularly regarding younger minority women or individuals with multiple marginalized identities who are often overlooked in leadership pipelines. This is contrasted with the status shifts experienced by men of lower social classes, where older men are often perceived as wise and warm compared to younger counterparts. Chapter 5, ‘Integration of Paradoxical Age-Related Actions at Work’, by Kathrin Rosing and Hannes Zacher, introduces a model which explains how employees of different ages simultaneously engage in seemingly contradictory behaviours. The authors argue that ageing at work involves managing paradoxical demands rather than linear gains or losses for functioning, meaning and effectiveness during the working lifecourse. In Chapter 6, ‘Generational Differences and Generational Identity at Work’, Sarah H. Salvi, Daniel M. Ravid and David P. Costanza highlight that many widely cited effects on generational differences are conceptually weak and methodologically flawed. The authors propose focusing on generational identity as a socially constructed, context-dependent process that shapes attitudes and behaviours. The theoretical section concludes with Chapter 7, ‘Integrating Lifespan Development Theories: Implications for the Study of Age(ing) and Work’, by Rachel S. Rauvola and Cort W. Rudolph, which suggests that wellbeing improves when individuals pursue goals that align with their circumstances and abilities, a framing that resonates with contemporary debates in ageing studies regarding heterogeneity.

Section III, ‘Advances in Methods to Study Age and Work’, notes the importance of treating research design as an essential component of theoretical progress. The section starts with Chapter 8, ‘Perceived and Actual Behaviors in Research on Age and Work’, in which Fabiola H. Gerpott and Nale Lehmann-Willenbrock argue that discrepancies between perceived and actual behaviours in age-and-work research are often shaped by perceptions of stereotypes rather than observations. These notions are then extended beyond the individual layer by Florian Kuntze and Kilian Hampel in Chapter 9, ‘Age at the Team and Organizational Level’. The authors highlight multi-level theories and evidence on how age composition and shared age-related perceptions shape performance, innovation and wellbeing at team and organizational levels. In Chapter 10, ‘Longitudinal and Diary Methods to Study Age and Work’, Mo Wang and Yanran Fang challenge traditional and widely utilized research practices of questionnaire-based approaches, advocating for longitudinal and diary methods to capture individual change over time. In Chapter 11, ‘Conducting Experiments and Intervention Studies to Understand Age and Work’, Sabine Hommelhof and Susanne Scheibe review experimental designs suited to studying age-related processes and discuss potential challenges, demonstrating how interventions can reduce ageism, support healthy ageing and improve work outcomes. In Chapter 12, ‘Qualitative Methods for Studying Age and Work’, Annika Wilhelmy, Guido Hertel and Tine Köhler argue that qualitative methods are essential for capturing the complexity and lived experience of age and ageing at work, providing guidance on how qualitative inquiry can advance theory development and inclusivity in age-and-work research. Chapter 13, ‘Using Archival Data to Research Age and Work’, by Gwenith G. Fisher, Janet L. Barnes-Farrell, Julia L. Beckel and Kenneth S. Shultz, discusses the potential of archival data resources such as the Health and Retirement Study. The authors provide detailed insights into the technical hurdles involved in linking archival datasets, such as cross-walking occupational codes across different systems. They demonstrate that linking diverse datasets, such as connecting employee health records with job complexity data, can yield comprehensive insights into the long-term impact of work on cognitive functioning.

Section IV, ‘Advances in Practice Regarding Age and Work’, translates evidence into organizational and policy-relevant insights. Chapter 14, ‘Age and Job Crafting: How and Why Do Employees of Different Ages Craft Their Job [sic]?’, by Dorien T. A. M. Kooij and Ruth Kanfer, explores job crafting as a self-initiated change to improve person–job fit, noting that older workers often engage in accommodative crafting to regulate resource loss. Chapter 15, ‘Age and Knowledge Exchange: Ability, Motivation, and Opportunities’, by Laura Dietz, Anne Burmeister and Ulrike Fasbender, uses the ability–motivation–opportunity framework to highlight that older employees are often motivated by generativity goals to share expertise, whereas younger employees focus on developmental goals of receiving knowledge. Chapter 16, ‘Age and Managing the Work–Nonwork Interface’, by Gregory R. Thrasher, Boris B. Baltes and Caitlin A. Demsky, examines how age shapes experiences of the work–non-work interface across the working lifecourse. The authors integrate lifespan and boundary management perspectives to show that preferences, demands and resources for managing work and non-work roles change with age. In Chapter 17, ‘Healthy Aging, Absenteeism, and Presenteeism’, Donald M. Truxillo, Grant M. Brady, David M. Cadiz and Jenn Rineer highlight how health, job design and organizational climates interact with age to influence attendance behaviours. The authors reflect on age-based assumptions, risks of working while ill and organizational strategies to support health, sustainability and productivity across the working lifespan. To address these dynamics, the book’s concluding Chapter 18, ‘Organizational Meta-strategies for Younger and Older Workers’, by Daniela M. Andrei and Sharon K. Parker, proposes the include, individualize and integrate (‘3i’) framework which moves beyond age-segregated human resource practices, promoting inclusive strategies that benefit people across the lifecourse.

By moving beyond traditional psychological frameworks, the book engages with public health initiatives and sociology. A limitation of the work, however, is its heavy concentration on Western, industrialized settings. While the editors note this gap and call for broader geographical coverage, readers interested in global ageing or informal labour markets in non-OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) contexts may find the empirical focus somewhat narrow. Additionally, while the text acknowledges the importance of power relations, its strong anchoring in organizational psychology occasionally limits a deeper dialogue with critical gerontology regarding structural ageism.

Compared to other similar works by the same authors, such as the earlier Work across the Lifespan, this volume provides a much deeper focus on methodological advancements and practical frameworks (e.g. the 3i model). For students, the book could serve as a suitable introduction to the complexities of the modern workforce. Researchers, in turn, could benefit from the robust framework for future inquiry, particularly regarding the need for longitudinal designs. For practitioners, the book offers actionable strategies that extend beyond typical academic conclusions. Overall, this book represents an authoritative and timely contribution that sets a high standard for scholarship on ageing and employment, providing both the conceptual tools and the empirical pathways necessary to understand how ageing is governed within contemporary worlds of work.