Active Ageing as a Challenge for the Work of the Future

The paper is part of a wider research aiming to investigate active ageing policies in Italy and France, two countries similar in respect of labour legislation, but France is considered a pioneer for active ageing policies and firm strategies. In this case, the analysis is realized on two level: the organizational level, that of human resources management and the level of national policies. At the first level, the paper presents a series of case studies describing Age Management measures adopted by companies in recruiting, training, development and promotion of workers' age optimization, implementing lifelong learning programs, health and safety programs or finally flexible forms of employment. Case studies help to understand the main criticalities, but also the advantages when age management measures are introduced and implemented in the workplaces. The two countries are considered interesting because national government in the last years have promoted legal norms and reforms of labour, training, pensions policies to favour an 'age culture' into the firms everyday life. The contrat de generation, the 'staffett generazionale' and the 'solidarity contracts' are cited as a relevant example of how governments try to promote employment of all generations at work. To develop the analysis to the two levels allows to reflect on changes occurred in the sense that governments recognize to work. The final part, more theoretical, reflect exactly on the role assumed by work in the life course, the concept of smart work and 'agile' work are explained and the role of the state in disseminating a specific way to conceive work in society as a whole, is particularly stressed. The analysis of the link between meso (organizational) level and the macro (national) level represents the distinctiveness of the paper.