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AARP Names 35 Companies as Best for Older Workers in
2004
Aug. 31, 2004 - The Charles Stark Draper
Laboratory, Inc., headquartered in Cambridge, tops the 2004 AARP Best
Employers for Workers Over 50 list of 35 employers, released this
morning.
Now in its fourth year, AARP Best Employers
recognizes those businesses that are ahead of the curve in recruiting
and retaining mature workers. The list includes employers from 18
states. In addition to Draper Laboratory, Boston-based DentaQuest
Ventures, Inc. also makes the grade. (A complete list of the 2004 AARP
Best Employers for Workers Over 50 is available online at:
http://www.aarp.org/ma).
"This year's AARP Best Employers not only recognize
the value and potential of mature workers -- they treat them right,"
said AARP Massachusetts State Director Deborah Banda. "These employers
understand workforce demographics are about to shift dramatically, and
they have created roadmaps to the workplaces of the future."
As the 12th oldest state in the nation,
Massachusetts is at the leading edge of the coming age wave in the U.S.
workforce. By 2012, almost one in five workers will be at least 55. At
the same time, the pool of younger workers will be shrinking. "Employers
that face this demographic imperative today gain a competitive edge
tomorrow," Banda added.
Employment sectors likely to be hardest hit by the
aging of the workforce will be those that encourage long service, have
had relatively little hiring in recent years, and major downsizing in
the 1980s and 1990s. Industry examples include healthcare, defense and
aerospace, utilities, education and government.
The top ranked AARP Best Employer nationally,
Draper Laboratory is a leader in engineering research and development,
working on a broad array of programs -- such as strategic systems, space
systems, tactical systems and biomedical engineering - for government
and commercial sponsors. With more than 40 percent of its workforce age
50 or older, Draper also leads its industry in embracing the labor
shift, excelling in numerous categories evaluated by AARP including
recruitment practices, flexible work schedules and benefits for current
and retired employees.
Draper received additional commendation from AARP
for their practice of retaining employees through their careers,
recruiting retirees back to work, and providing recognition programs
that highlight the company's commitment to mature workers, such as the
Quarter-Century Club, which pays tribute to all employees with 25 and
more years of service.
"We are honored to receive this recognition from
AARP," said Joseph M. Wolfe, Jr., vice president for administration &
finance and treasurer for Draper Laboratory. "Our policies reflect our
belief that workers of all ages offer important contributions to our
organizational strength."
AARP also named Boston-based DentaQuest Ventures,
Inc., a dental benefits administrator, to its 2004 Best Employers list,
citing the company for its success in addressing the changing workforce,
in part through the promotion of diversity initiatives that provide
programs focusing on the management of mature workers.
Simultaneous to AARP's Best Employers announcement,
the organization released a new report, "Staying Ahead of the Curve:
Employer Best Practices for Mature Workers." Authored by Mercer Human
Resource Consulting, the report spotlights business best practices for
mature workers. Of primary significance, the report identifies for the
first time, four categories of business practices and policies that have
varying levels of value to mature workers: fundamentals, core programs,
programs of significant value and extras.
To describe the categories, AARP uses the analogy
of buying a house:
Fundamentals: When buying a house, fundamentals
include good wiring, plumbing and foundation. When choosing a long-term
job, fundamentals include the long-term viability of the job, fair pay,
and good benefits.
Core Programs: Core considerations in selecting a
home include design and style, size, location and layout. For mature
workers, core programs include opportunities for advancement in a job,
and movement between jobs.
Programs of Significant Value: Like good built-in
closets or appliances included in a home purchase, programs that add
significant value for mature workers include customized retirement
planning, exceptional retirement benefits, and caregiving options.
Extras: Like the dicor of a house, extras are not
deal breakers, and include optional long-term care insurance, retiree
relations programs, and support for volunteer activities.
"These business practices and policies are more
than add-ons, more than an onsite concierge or dry cleaning pickup,"
said Deborah Russell, national expert on economic security and work
issues for AARP. "The best practices for mature workers go beyond
programs that are simply good for all employees to those that are
particularly important for 50-plus workers. We urge employers to look at
this new information as a framework for developing the policies and
practices they need to adopt to attract mature workers."
To help employers prepare for the coming age wave,
today AARP also unveils a new online Employer Resource Center to provide
information and guidance on attracting and retaining a mature workforce.
The center is available at
http://www.aarp.org/employerresourcecenter.
In addition, AARP will hold business leaders'
forums across the country to increase awareness of business best
practices for an aging workforce, launching with an event in Boston on
September 15 at the Fairmont Copley Plaza. Senior executives from Draper
Laboratory and DentaQuest will participate in the forum; they will be
joined by Anna Rappaport, principal of Mercer Human Resource Consulting.
AARP invited employers to apply for the Best
Employers designation by describing their innovative practices toward 50
and over workers in an extensive questionnaire. A consulting firm
provided a preliminary rating of the applicants. Then, a panel of six
outside judges - including Joan Cirillo, executive director of Operation
A.B.L.E. of Greater Boston - evaluated the applications and their
opinions, combined with the consultant's evaluations, led to final
ratings. Applications are now available for the 2005 AARP Best Employers
list at
http://www.aarp.org/bestemployers.
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