Employers and Older Employees
In an earlier posting about older employees, I indicated that employers concerned about a shrinking labor pool are trying to keep employees on the job for as long as possible.
Now a recent telephone survey of human resource managers and executives in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Missouri conducted in the spring of 2005 by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) tells us why. The survey was designed to understand employer perceptions of 50-plus workers and identify what, if anything, employers in these states have started to do to attract and retain these workers.
The results of this Midwestern employer survey are largely consistent with findings from AARP's earlier nationwide employer surveys. For example, Midwestern employers, like employers nationally, give older workers high marks in areas such as loyalty and dedication, commitment to doing quality work, dependability in a crisis, and ability to get along well with coworkers. Similarly, both groups rate older workers somewhat lower on issues such as flexibility about doing different tasks and willingness to learn and use technology.