Posted 09/26/2007 - 01:30:11pm by David Bank
Health care providers and large companies once again dominated AARP's annual list of Best Employers for Workers Over 50. But non-profit organizations are also starting to adopt the kind of flexible scheduling and benefit programs that work in the private sector.
The YMCA of Greater Rochester (N.Y.), for example, ranked 13th on this year's AARP list. The Rochester Y, also a winner of a BreakThrough award from Civic Ventures and the MetLife Foundation, offers job sharing, part-time positions and flexible schedules to recruit older adults to better match its membership base. The older employees have proven to be more reliable and more likely to complete assignments, and the turnover rate for those 50 and older is just 2 percent, compared to 20 percent overall.
Centers for New Horizons, a child and community development organization in the Bronzeville neighborhood on the south side of Chicago, also made the list. In addition to educating 20,000 young children, the Centers has helped generate $500 million in capital investment in the community and spun off a dozen nonprofits to expand opportunities for local residents, according to the organization's website.
The final spot on the list went to the Girl Scouts of Nassau County (N.J.).
SC Johnson, the Racine, Wisc., consumer goods company, topped the list. The company provides an on-site medical center, various wellness, fitness and recreation programs and an on-site education program that offers lifelong learning and college credits; and paid sabbaticals to experienced employees.
Alternative work arrangements at not-for-profit Mercy Health System of Janesville, WI, let nurses "float" between different facilities or departments), and allow employees to maintain benefits while on leave.
"Focusing on the employee's personal needs pays dividends," said Bill Novelli, AARP's chief executive. "It is important that more employers - both large and small - recognize what tremendous assets 50 and over employees represent because of their experience and motivation."
Here's the full list:
1. SC Johnson (Racine, WI)
2. Mercy Health System (Janesville, WI)
3. First Horizon National Corporation (Memphis, TN)
4. Scripps Health (San Diego, CA)
5. Stanley Consultants (Muscatine, IA)
6. Lee Memorial Health System (Fort Myers, FL)
7. Leesburg Regional Medical Center & The Villages Regional Hospital (Leesburg, FL)
8. George Mason University (Fairfax, VA)
9. Principal Financial Group (Des Moines, IA)
10. Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston, MA)
11. MidMichigan Health (Midland, MI)
12. Bon Secours Richmond Health System (Richmond, VA)
13. The YMCA of Greater Rochester (Rochester, NY)
14. Brevard Public Schools (Viera, FL)
15. Atlantic Health (Morristown, NJ)
16. ACUITY (Sheboygan, WI)
17. Volkswagen of America, Inc. (Auburn Hills, MI)
18. Saint Vincent Health System (Erie, PA)
19. Trinitas Hospital (Elizabeth, NJ)
20. Securian (St. Paul, MN)
21. Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne, IL)
22. Pinnacle Health System (Harrisburg, PA)
23. The Aerospace Corporation (El Segundo, CA)
24. Cornell University (Ithaca, NY)
25. Pinnacol Assurance (Denver, CO)
26. Jennings Center for Older Adults (Garfield Heights, OH)
27. John Deere (Moline, IL)
28. Bon Secours St. Francis Health System (Greenville, SC)
29. Centegra Health System (Crystal Lake, IL)
30. Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, VA)
31. Durham Regional Hospital (Durham, NC)
32. Rush-Copley Medical Center (Aurora, IL)
33. Monongalia General Hospital (Morgantown, WV)
34. Saint Barnabas Health Care Organization (West Orange, NJ)
35. Express Personnel Services (Oklahoma City, OK)
36. Ochsner Health System (New Orleans, LA)
37. Intuitive Research and Technology Corporation (Huntsville, AL)
38. Hospice of Marion County & Affiliated Companies (Ocala, FL)
39. West Virginia University Hospitals (Morgantown, WV)
40. University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, TX)
41. Scottsdale Healthcare (Scottsdale, AZ)
42. Vanguard (Valley Forge, PA)
43. Fairfield Medical Center (Lancaster, OH)
44. Michelin North America (Greenville, SC)
45. St. John Health (Warren, MI)
46. Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (Chicago, IL)
47. Noblis, Inc. (formerly Mitretek Systems) (Falls Church, VA)
48. Frankford Candy & Chocolate Co. (Philadelphia, PA)
49. Centers for New Horizons (Chicago, IL)
50. Girl Scouts of Nassau County (Garden City, NY)
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Knowledge@Wharton
The newsletter for the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania ahs a nice roundup of the trend toward greater flexibility in work arrangements to attract older workers, keying off AARP's "50 Best" list.
The article concludes: "The trend should benefit both employers and employees. As Lynn Selhat, an editor at Wharton's Center for Human Resources, points out, the growing push by some companies to meet the needs of an increasingly older workforce 'is not at all just about a lack of younger workers. It's about what the older workers bring to the companies.'
Some companies are working hard 'not only to retain, but also recruit, older workers,' says Selhat. "Companies are bringing on those who are 50 plus. When they talk about older workers, they talk about dedication, understanding customers, loyalty. Experience is important. And older workers tend to have experience."
Need work
I am over 50 more like 57, and have been trying to find employment after being displaced from my job. I returned to school and am in the process of completing an IFSM degress with a minor in Business Management. I have worked for large corporations, namely IBM, for over 17 years, small businesses and the Federal Government. I have a variety of skills which are transferable, yet to no avail. I am unable to find work that is meaningful. Only in retail, standing on my feet for 8 hours is not a good thing.
I have searched high and low and cannot find work. I am thinking seriously with the help of my spouse about starting a non-profit group of my own.
If you know of an organization that is looking for good talented employees, please let me know. I now reside in the Boynton Beach Florida area. Our group of people just seems to be discarded instead of being utilized.