Youngism at work: How age discrimination against younger employees fractures psychological sense of community

Age discrimination against younger employees has become increasingly prevalent, yet its psychological consequences remain underexplored. Grounded in the rejection-identification model and social identity theory, we examine how youngism shapes younger employees’ psychological sense of community (PSOC). Using a daily diary design across 10 working days with 63 Chinese employees (≤ 3 years’ tenure, 546 daily observations), we find that daily age-based discrimination strengthens younger employees’ identification with their peer group, which in turn enhances their in-group PSOC while diminishing their organizational PSOC. We refer to these opposing outcomes as an “identity trade-off”. Furthermore, a growth mindset moderates the relationship between discrimination and age-group identification, such that this relationship is weaker among individuals with stronger growth mindset. By focusing on younger targets of ageism, we elucidate a dual-pathway mechanism through which youngism erodes workplace community and identify a boundary condition that mitigates this process. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.