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Completed project

Shades of Grey: Negotiating Age Norms, Class and Gender in the time of Pension Reform

How employers and employees manoeuvre under the new circumstances in The Norwegian pension reform.

Project period April 2020–March 2024
Project nr. 10408
Project leader Anne Skevik Grødem
Grey rocks

Photo: Colourbox

Project Background — The Norwegian pension reform

The Norwegian pension reform has made it far more rewarding for older employees to remain in employment for longer, but, paradoxically, less beneficial for employers to retain them. This is because the pre-reform early retirement scheme AFP made employers partly financially responsible for employees’ early retirement, while the new AFP scheme contains no such mechanisms.

Project Aim — Employers and employees maneuver

This is the starting point for GREYSHADES. We wish to study how employers and employees manoeuvre under these new circumstances. We assume that adaptations vary both by gender and education, and aim to capture such variation in our analyses.

Project Approach

The project is organised in three work packages (WPs).

WP1 — Qualitative study of work organisations and enterprises 

We will interview HR-managers, line managers and senior employees in 4–6 enterprises with different gender and education profiles. The aim is to develop a broad overview of how these issues are perceived in the workplaces and by the seniors themselves.

WP2 — Analyse quantitative data from the NorLAG study

...and ask:

  • How do senior workersperceive their psychosocial work environment?
  • How have senior employees’ retirement plans changed over time?
  • What is the relationship between perceptions of psychosocial work environment and actual exit behaviour from the workforce?

WP3 — Managers’ attitudes

We will look into managers’ attitudes, as expressed in the survey Seniorbarometeret. We will analyse two questions:

  • In what ways have managers’ attitudes to senior workers changed over time?
  • How do managers’ attitudes vary by individual factors and workplace context?

GREYSHADES is a cooperation between the Institute for Social Research and Norwegian Social Research – NOVA at Oslo Metropolitan University, with contributions from the Centre for Senior Policy, the University of Canterbury and the University of Lausanne.

Publications

Kitterød, Ragni Hege & Grødem, Anne Skevik (2024) A more age-friendly working life with older managers? Associations between manager’s age and attitudes towards older employees. Institute for Social Research. Report 2024:2. Full text in Research Archive

Participants

ParticipantDegree PhoneE-mail
Ragni Hege Kitterød Research Professor +47 950 50 375 hege.kitterod@samfunnsforskning.no
Tale Hellevik
Katharina Herlofson
Axel West Pedersen
Sarah Vickerstaff
Nicky LeFeuvre
Ines Alisa Wagner
Hege Sofie Hesselberg

Publications

  • Grødem, Anne Skevik & Hesselberg, Hege Sofie (2026). Making sense of age in organizations: Managerial interpretations of generation, age, tenure and experience (GATE). European Management Journal. doi: 10.1016/j.emj.2026.05.008. Full text in Research Archive
  • Grødem, Anne Skevik & Wagner, Ines Alisa (2026). Gender and power in occupational pensions: Trade union strategies and institutional constraints. Economic and Industrial Democracy: an international journal. doi: 10.1177/0143831X261441177. Full text in Research Archive
  • Hesselberg, Hege Sofie (2026). Late-Career Psychological Contracts: Retrospective and Prospective Exchange. Scandinavian Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology. 11(1). doi: 10.16993/sjwop.418. Full text in Research Archive
  • Eyjólfsdóttir, Harpa Sif; Hellevik, Tale; Herlofson, Katharina; Pedersen, Axel West; Lennartsson, Carin & Veenstra, Marijke (2025). Poor psychosocial work environment: a ticket to retirement? Variations by gender and education. European Journal of Ageing. 22(1). doi: 10.1007/s10433-025-00855-z. Full text in Research Archive
  • Grødem, Anne Skevik & Hesselberg, Hege Sofie (2024). Hører jeg til her – fortsatt? Identitet og sårbarhet som eldre arbeidstaker. Søkelys på arbeidslivet. doi: 10.18261/spa.41.3.2. Full text in Research Archive
  • Hesselberg, Hege Sofie (2024). ‘To be a Player, not a Piece’: LMX-Relationships in Late-career Employment. Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies. doi: 10.18291/njwls.147923. Full text in Research Archive
  • Hesselberg, Hege Sofie (2024). Organisasjonssignalers innvirkning på den psykologiske kontrakten sent i karrieren. Tidsskrift for samfunnsforskning (TfS). 65(3), p. 163–179. doi: 10.18261/tfs.65.3.3. Full text in Research Archive
  • Grødem, Anne Skevik & Kitterød, Hege (2023). For gammel til jobbintervju? Betydningen av lederes holdninger til eldre arbeidstakere for når de mener en søker er for gammel til å innkalles til intervju. Tidsskrift for samfunnsforskning (TfS). 64(4), p. 339–363. doi: 10.18261/tfs.64.4.3. Full text in Research Archive
  • Grødem, Anne Skevik & Kitterød, Hege (2023). Is There a Gender Gap in Support for Distributive Principles in Old Age Pension Schemes? Journal of Aging & Social Policy. doi: 10.1080/08959420.2023.2225374. Full text in Research Archive
  • Grødem, Anne Skevik (2023). Aldring i en innvandrernisje på arbeidsmarkedet. Lederblikk på eldre innvandrere med fysisk krevende jobber. Søkelys på arbeidslivet. doi: 10.18261/spa.40.2.1. Full text in Research Archive
  • Hellevik, Tale; Herlofson, Katharina & Pedersen, Axel West (2023). Hvordan måle tidspunkt for avgang fra yrkeslivet i Norge? Om ulike definisjoner, metoder og resultater. Søkelys på arbeidslivet. 40(1), p. 1–16. doi: 10.18261/spa.40.1.3. Full text in Research Archive
  • Solem, Per Erik; Hauge, Linda; Hellevik, Tale & Herlofson, Katharina (2023). Older Workers and Work Exit Preferences in a Digitalized Working Life. Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies. 14, p. 71–86. doi: 10.18291/njwls.140206. Full text in Research Archive
  • Grødem, Anne Skevik & Kitterød, Hege (2021). Combining Work and Pension in Norway: Gathering Information and Imagining the Future. Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies. 12(1), p. 95–113. doi: 10.18291/njwls.127972. Full text in Research Archive
  • Grødem, Anne Skevik & Kitterød, Hege (2021). Older workers imagining retirement: the collapse of agency, or freedom at last? Ageing & Society. doi: 10.1017/S0144686X20002044. Full text in Research Archive

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  • Grødem, Anne Skevik & Kitterød, Ragni Hege (2024). Bør folk jobbe mindre for å hjelpe gamle foreldre? Befolkningens oppfatninger om kvinner og menn. Institutt for samfunnsforskning. Full text in Research Archive
  • Grødem, Anne Skevik & Kitterød, Ragni Hege (2024). Kjønnede oppfatninger om eldre arbeidstakere? Analyser av befolkningens syn på kvinners og menns arbeidsprestasjoner, fleksibilitet og teknologiske kompetanse. Institutt for samfunnsforskning. Full text in Research Archive
  • Kitterød, Ragni Hege & Grødem, Anne Skevik (2024). Mer aldersvennlig arbeidsliv med eldre ledere? Sammenhenger mellom leders alder og holdninger til eldre arbeidstakere. Institutt for samfunnsforskning. Full text in Research Archive
  • Hellevik, Tale; Herlofson, Katharina & Pedersen, Axel West (2024). Det psykososiale arbeidsmiljøet til eldre arbeidstakere – stabilitet eller endring? OsloMet - storbyuniversitetet. Full text in Research Archive

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  • Grødem, Anne Skevik (2025). Flere står lengre i arbeid. [TV]. NRK1. Full text in Research Archive
  • Grødem, Anne Skevik (2025). – Når du har gitt mykje til ein arbeidsplass, gjer det vondt å bli vifta vekk fordi du er eldre. [Internet]. forskning.no. Full text in Research Archive
  • Hellevik, Tale & Herlofson, Katharina (2025). Dårlig psykososialt arbeidsmiljø øker risikoen for tidlig yrkesavgang. [Internet]. Kunnskapssenter for lengre arbeidsliv. Full text in Research Archive
  • Grødem, Anne Skevik; Hellevik, Tale; Herlofson, Katharina; Hesselberg, Hege Sofie; Kitterød, Ragni Hege & Pedersen, Axel West (2024). Har arbeidslivet rom for eldre arbeidstakere? Full text in Research Archive
  • Hellevik, Tale & Herlofson, Katharina (2024). Changing psychosocial work environment and the association with planned and actual retirement timing. Full text in Research Archive
  • Grødem, Anne Skevik (2024). Blir vi satt mindre pris på når håret begynner å bli grått? [Internet]. forskning.no. Full text in Research Archive
  • Grødem, Anne Skevik (2024). Å bli satt i bås som eldre arbeidstaker: Motstand, sårbarhet og risiko. Full text in Research Archive
  • Grødem, Anne Skevik (2024). Rettferdig pensjon - mange hensyn å ta. sosiologen.no. Full text in Research Archive
  • Grødem, Anne Skevik (2024). Combining Work and Pension in Norway: Practices and motivations. Full text in Research Archive
  • Grødem, Anne Skevik & Wagner, Ines Alisa (2024). Inbuilt inequality in occupational pensions: how can trade unions respond? Full text in Research Archive
  • Grødem, Anne Skevik (2024). Transitions to retirement: trajectories, motivations, and the role of the pension system. Full text in Research Archive
  • Grødem, Anne Skevik (2024). Identitet og sårbarhet som eldre arbeidstaker. Full text in Research Archive
  • Grødem, Anne Skevik (2024). En rettferdig pensjon. Full text in Research Archive
  • Grødem, Anne Skevik & Kitterød, Hege (2024). Eldre ledere - mer aldersvennlig arbeidsliv? Lederes holdninger til eldre arbeidstakere i lys av leders egen alder. Full text in Research Archive
  • Grødem, Anne Skevik (2024). Shades of Grey - eller hele fargepaletten? Hovedfunn og refleksjoner ved prosjektslutt. Full text in Research Archive
  • Hellevik, Tale & Herlofson, Katharina (2024). Hva skal til for å få seniorene til å stå (litt) lenger i jobb? Full text in Research Archive
  • Hellevik, Tale; Herlofson, Katharina & Pedersen, Axel West (2024). Pensjonsreform i medvind? Om endringer i psykososialt arbeidsmiljø og eldres yrkesaktivitet. Full text in Research Archive
  • Hellevik, Tale & Herlofson, Katharina (2024). Pensjonsreform i medvind? Om sammenhenger mellom psykososialt arbeidsmiljø og yrkesavgang. Full text in Research Archive
  • Hellevik, Tale & Herlofson, Katharina (2023). Late careers and work exit variants in Norway. Full text in Research Archive
  • Hellevik, Tale; Herlofson, Katharina & Pedersen, Axel West (2023). Veier ut av arbeidslivet. Full text in Research Archive
  • Grødem, Anne Skevik (2023). AFP-pensjonen går ikke til sliterne i arbeidslivet. [Internet]. Forskning.no. Full text in Research Archive
  • Grødem, Anne Skevik (2023). Fleksibelt pensjonsuttak – informasjonsstrategier og motivasjon hos den enkelte. Full text in Research Archive
  • Grødem, Anne Skevik (2023). Hva ledere snakker om når de ikke vil snakke om alder. Full text in Research Archive
  • Grødem, Anne Skevik (2023). Pensions and Retirement in An Ageing Society: Evidence from Norway. Full text in Research Archive
  • Herlofson, Katharina; Solem, Per Erik & Hellevik, Tale (2023). Digitalisering og yrkesavgangsønsker. Full text in Research Archive
  • Pedersen, Axel West (2023). Avgang fra yrkeslivet – hvilken rolle spiller det psykososiale arbeidsmiljø? Full text in Research Archive
  • Hellevik, Tale & Herlofson, Katharina (2023). Alternative veier ut av arbeidslivet – ikke for alle? Full text in Research Archive
  • Kitterød, Hege & Grødem, Anne Skevik (2023). Lederes syn på eldre arbeidssøkere: Hva kan ikke-svar fortelle oss? Søkelys på arbeidslivet. 40(1), p. 1–12. doi: 10.18261/spa.40.1.4. Full text in Research Archive
  • Hellevik, Tale & Herlofson, Katharina (2023). Late careers and work exit variants in Norway: Retirement as a process. Full text in Research Archive
  • Kitterød, Ragni Hege & Grødem, Anne Skevik (2023). Mer aldersvennlig arbeidsliv med eldre ledere? En mixed-methods studie av lederholdninger og alder. Full text in Research Archive
  • Grødem, Anne Skevik (2022). Det norske folk har tillit til folketrygden. Episode av podcast Pensjonskonto. [Radio]. Spotify. Full text in Research Archive
  • Grødem, Anne Skevik (2022). Det store veddemålet mot staten. Episode 6 i podcasten Pengene. [Internet]. Schibsted: PodMe. Full text in Research Archive
  • Grødem, Anne Skevik (2022). Koronasituasjonen og økt bruk av digitale verktøy. Hvilke konsekvenser har det for eldre arbeidstakere? Full text in Research Archive
  • Hellevik, Tale & Herlofson, Katharina (2022). Older workers’ assessment of job resources in Norway – stability or change? Full text in Research Archive
  • Grødem, Anne Skevik (2022). Økonomene har overtatt pensjonspolitikken. Agenda Magasin. Full text in Research Archive
  • Kitterød, Hege & Grødem, Anne Skevik (2022). For gammel til å innkalles til intervju? Betydningen av lederes holdninger. Full text in Research Archive
  • Herlofson, Katharina; Hellevik, Tale & Pedersen, Axel West (2022). Hvordan måle alder for avgang fra yrkeslivet? Full text in Research Archive
  • Kitterød, Hege & Grødem, Anne Skevik (2022). Lederes holdninger til eldre arbeidstakere. Mer positive over tid? Full text in Research Archive
  • Hellevik, Tale & Herlofson, Katharina (2021). Sjefer mener eldre arbeidstakere er slitne. Det er Bente-Lene (65) helt uenig i. [Journal]. Bergens Tidende - Magasinet. Full text in Research Archive
  • Herlofson, Katharina & Hellevik, Tale (2021). Heving av aldersgrensen i arbeidslivet er en styrking av tilliten til eldre arbeidstakere. Full text in Research Archive
  • Grødem, Anne Skevik (2021). Arbeidslinja for bestemødre? Full text in Research Archive
  • Grødem, Anne Skevik (2021). Vi må snakke om eldrefobien i samfunnet, mener forsker. [Internet]. Forskning.no. Full text in Research Archive

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Research topics: labour market, welfare
Published July 28, 2020 11:32 AM - Last modified June 10, 2026 1:26 PM