Bridge employment: Understanding the expectations and experiences of bridge employees

Abstract

Abstract While there is a growing tendency among present day retirees to engage in bridge jobs before their final exit from the labour force, limited academic attention is directed towards understanding the expectations and experiences of bridge employees. To address this gap in the literature, we conducted 26 semi‐structured interviews with bridge employees. After collecting and analysing the data, we found the lens of socio‐emotional selectivity theory helpful in better understanding the experiences and expectations of bridge employees. Bridge employees generally expressed preference for intrinsic rather than extrinsic rewards. In addition, bridge employees tended to favour part‐time work. However, even though bridge employees were satisfied with their work, benefits, and social interactions, some of them faced social disapproval for re‐entering workforce. To our knowledge, this paper is among the first exploratory qualitative studies in the human resource management field to investigate the expectations and experiences of bridge employees.