AARP and SHRM are seeking great employers like Atlantic Health System, profiled by CNNMoney.
A new co-sponsor for the Best Employers for Workers Over 50 Award has some pull in executive suites when it comes to charting employment policies, and AARP is hoping for a record number of applications for the awards program (due November 12).
AARP is pleased that the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the world’s largest association devoted to human resource management, is a contest co-sponsor.
“SHRM and its members have a unique perspective on employer policies around the country, a perspective that will help better pinpoint forward-looking practices,” says AARP CEO Barry Rand.
“Every organization needs to view its older workers as highly valuable assets and develop strategies to keep this enormous wealth of talent,” adds SHRM President and CEO Hank Jackson.
The alliance with SHRM is a natural fit, and AARP plans to do more to share best practices with other organizations who want to learn from the winners.
Since AARP created the Best Employers program in 2001, organizations such as Scripps Health of Southern California, Cornell University, L.L Bean and Atlantic Health System (highlighted in this CNNMoney segment) have been among those selected over the years.
What are some hallmarks of the best? Employers with strong work-life programs, work environment flexibility, and a culture that values contributions of experienced workers will have an edge. Employers with at least 50 employees headquartered in the United States are invited to apply by November 12.
Earlier this year, AARP and SHRM released the results of a national survey of 1,000 workers age 50 and over. Key findings – from those with jobs and those seeking work – include:
- Nearly eight in 10 said that financial reasons (including health insurance) were the primary motivation for working or looking for work now.
- 77 percent of employed fifty-and-over workers said they plan to remain in their current job until they stop working completely.
- Of the unemployed workers surveyed, 52 percent said they would prefer to find a job in the same field.
Adds SHRM’s Hank Jackson,”It’s absolutely critical for organizations to embrace new ways to retain older workers, especially in the face of the coming wave of Boomer retirements.”
We couldn’t agree more.
If you work for a great employer, now is the time to make sure that their HR department lets AARP know to expect their application. Winners will be announced next year in conjunction with SHRM’s annual meeting.
Are you 50+ and looking for a job or a career change? Find information and tools at www.aarp.org/work – including job-hunting resources and past winners of AARP’s Best Employers for Workers Over 50 Awards. Also learn about our WorkReimagined program, which features job listings from employers who have signed a pledge level the playing field for experienced workers.
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