Incentive - July 2008 - (Page 34)

“Employees who want to retire can propose job sharing or part-time work. Our management has the latitude by policy to consider those things.” —Brad Smith, Roche near each station, softer flooring was installed and nurses now use motorized or self-propelled beds to move patients. The medical center also created a new part-time position, called nurse ergonomist, which will later evolve into a full-time job called employee safety and ergonomics coordinator. “[Older nurses] have good judgment and life experiences that are so helpful,” says White. “They truly are intellectual capital that we don’t want to lose. [We need] to keep them working as long as they possibly can.” industry,” he says. “Employees who want to retire can propose job sharing or part-time work. Our management has the latitude by policy to consider those things favorably.” So do store managers at CVS Caremark Corp., a nationwide drugstore chain. Any employee who works over 20 hours a week can participate in the company’s Flexibility Rules Needing money is the number-one reason why people work beyond retirement age, according to AARP. Still, there are other work magnets like staying active, being useful and social networking opportunities. Consider how workers between the ages of 45 and 70 responded to two recent AARP surveys about what they want from employers: Approximately 90 percent want a workerfriendly environment, 80 percent want opportunities to learn something new and 75 percent want to pursue something they’ve always wanted to do. More than half also preferred a flexible work schedule, enabling them to set their own hours. While many companies offer adjustable work schedules as part of a formal HR program, Roche empowers its managers to independently make those decisions, says Brad Smith, director of human resources at the worldwide pharmaceutical company, which employs 5,000 workers in its Nutley, N.J., location. “The knowledge of these workers—those with 25 to 30 years in our industry—is so highly desired because it’s such a complex snowbird program, which allows workers to temporarily transfer to different stores throughout the country. There’s no annual limit as to how many times an employee can transfer. Last winter, more than 1,200 employees living in northern cities were transferred to stores in warmer climates, says Stephen Wing, director of workforce initiatives at CVS in Twinsburg, Ohio. A good example is his brother, a 64-yearold CVS pharmacist who lives in Cincinnati. During the winter months, he transferred to a store in Florida. In his absence, a part-time Cincinnati pharmacist picked up his hours, grateful for the opportunity to earn extra cash. When Wing’s brother returned home, he and the other pharma- cist resumed their normal work schedules. “This is his second year doing this,” says Wing, adding that the program was introduced several years ago. “If we didn’t have this program, I don’t think he would work. Now he’s planning on working into his seventies.” But the program offers other perks besides creating a loyal workforce. He says employees come ready to work, which helps the company manage the increased business in warm-climate stores during the winter months. “[Employees] see this as a dream,” Wing says. “They get with their HR director for their area and set up a location. It’s worked out very well.” Older Worker Magnets Perhaps the best way to figure out what older workers want is to ask them. Some organizations have formed an older worker task force. Members make referrals from their own social and professional networks and offer advice on how to attract and retain mature workers, explains Michael Jalbert, president of Management Recruiters International, a global search and recruitment firm. He says this approach also demonstrates the company’s commitment to age neutrality and its appreciation for older employees. More ideas: E s t ab l i s h c o m mu n i t y c o n n e c t i o n s : Baby boomers value opportunities to give back to their community, says Beverly Kaye, 34 | Incentive | July 2008 | incentivemag.com http://incentivemag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Incentive - July 2008

Incentive - July 2008 Contents Editor’s Note: Accentuate the Positive In The News Cover Story: Three Profiles in Good Corporate Citizenship Case Study Incentive Interview Senior Secrets To Thine Own Self be True Incentive Primer Motivation@Work Travel News: Where To Go and What To Do Take the Spa Home Not the Only Game in Town Here and Now Writing and Desktop Gifts Watches and Clocks Gift Cards: Health and Wellness Incentives Good Health Is Not Its Own Incentive Advertiser Index Last Word

Incentive - July 2008

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