When the AARP announced its seventh annual "Best Employers for Workers over 50" awards on September 25, the corporations at the top of the list didn't get there by offering the traditional fringe benefit trio of health, life and disability insurance.
Instead, the AARP recognized companies such as SC Johnson, the Principal Financial Group, Michelin North America and Mercy Health System for providing "forward-looking" benefits packages to workers over 50 that include alternative work schedules, lifelong learning and career training opportunities, and a program that allows today's graying workforce to care for their own aging families. AARP's announcement included a statement from AARP CEO William D. Novelli which helped highlight the obvious: Focusing on an aging employee's personal needs makes "good business sense" and pays dividends to companies that value the knowledge and experience of older workers.
"As the gap between the demand for, and the supply of, seasoned knowledgeable workers widens, employers in all industries will need to pay close attention to recruiting and retaining older, experienced employees," noted a recent national survey on the aging workforce by MetLife Mature Market Institute, the company's information and policy resource center. "This is particularly true in sectors such as healthcare, government, education, manufacturing, energy and aerospace, which are expected to be especially hard hit by the loss of veteran workers when millions of baby boomers begin to leave the workforce for good."
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