TM - October 2007 - (Page 53) Application, from page 49 Alissa Stewart is director of the Southwestern Community Action Council’s mature worker program, which helps find jobs for older workers in the Huntington, W.Va., region. Stewart said companies see a range of benefits from bringing mature workers onboard. “They’re definitely getting someone with more experience, but even more so than that would be the dependability and reliability,” she said. “[Mature workers] show up to work on time, they tend to have more skills and they’re responsible, whereas somebody 30 years younger might have the concerns of having a child or being in school.” Holmes said mature workers tend to be loyal and less likely to change jobs for small-time gains, and they have a strong base of accumulated knowledge and emotional maturity. Additionally, as a result of having been in the workforce so long, they have the soft skills that are so important in today’s contemporary workplace. “[Mature workers] know how to behave appropriately and dress appropriately,” she said. “The older generation tends to be very good at that sort of thing.” Accommodating Mature Workers Thus, to accommodate the mature worker, training doesn’t necessarily need to be different. Rather, it just needs to be inclusive. Another practice that will allow companies to hire mature workers is to offer flexible scheduling, the appeal of which crosses generational divides, Holmes said. “If companies want to get the best talent, they’re going to have to offer flexible work schedules, no matter who they’re trying to recruit,” she said. “But flexible work scheduling really does appeal to the older worker. That could include things like parttime work, job sharing, telecommuting or just coming in for project work.” She also said job redesign is of particular benefit when it comes to older workers. “Let’s say I do 15 things every day in my work, and two of them include heavy lifting,” Holmes explained. “You might need to redesign that job when I turn 70. There might be some things that I physically can’t do, but my head and my brain are physically there and able to work.” Stewart said that’s really the only thing preventing a mature worker from taking on a position. “The biggest challenge in placing older people is whether they want to go to work,” Stewart said. “If they want to go to work, we can definitely find them a position.” Although older workers might be well-suited and adaptable to any number of job positions, there are still certain challenges inherent in hiring them. Manpower works with its clients to advise them on different programs and practices that allow them to benefit from the pool of talent mature workers represent. One way is to involve mature workers in training programs. “The important thing is not to exclude older worker from training opportunities,” Holmes said. RetirementJobs.com released a study earlier this year titled “Age Bias in the American Workplace,” which found that employers tend to focus their training and development efforts on younger workers because they think there’s more of a payback in doing so. Holmes sees this as a misstep. “The reality is younger workers tend not to stay in jobs for a long time, so I’m not sure that there is going to be that payback that companies want,” she said. http://www.hrsmart.com http://RetirementJobs.com http://www.hrsmart.com http://www.hrsmart.com/freedemo
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