Flexibile Work Schedules Urged on Employers by Older Workers

Despite The conventional wisdom that working moms l lead the push to make employers more flexible, Cindy Krischer Goodman, writing for the Mcclatchy Newspapers, reports that studies are showing it is another demographic altogether--older workers--that is getting companies to create job shares, pairing older workers with young moms, restructure jobs, and adapt pension policies to allow older workers to stay on part time or as consultants.

For example, Goodman reports that Miami's Baptist Health South Florida is responding to a nursing shortage by sending out about invitations to retired nurses to return to their former jobs, even in a scaled-back capacity. Even where there are no shortages, such as for lawyers, law firms are encouraging older lawyers to remain as of counsel--a flexible arrangement that allows them to work on a few cases from home or the office, since, as one firm says, "there is a shortage of people who are experienced and have a depth of knowledge in a specialized area."

Source: The Boston Globe "Old pros are leading the charge for flexible schedules" (July 30, 2006)

Companies Providing Two-Location Jobs for Snowbirds

A number of retailers and healthcare providers are implementing snowbird programs, which lets employees shuttle between two locations on a seasonal basis. Thus, as Marilyn Gardner reports in The Christian Science Monitor, for six months of the year, John Johns works as a CVS pharmacist in Sea Isle City, N.J., but every November, he bids his goodbyes and heads to Cocoa Beach, Fla., where, three days a week, he logs 30 hours a week at CVS pharmacies in the area.

In the early 1990s, less than 7 percent of CVS workers were over age 50. By 2005 that figure had risen to 17 percent. "Some need to work," [Steve Wing, director of government programs for CVS,] says. "Some just need to be surrounded by other people."

The company's snowbirds are not entry-level employees. "We're not just using them to pull in carts," Wing says. They include greeting-card specialists, cosmetic consultants, photo supervisors, and managers.

Not all employees who head south for the winter want to work. "Sometimes they just need three or four months off," Wing says. "They can go to Florida, and then we'll rehire them."

Source: "Snowbirds work where it's warm" Christian Science Monitor (February 8, 2008)

Taking Care of Parents Causes South Florida Employers To Lose Money and Productivity

According to A Good Daughter, Inc., which developed and markets a Corporate Elder Care program, 17% of caregivers quit their jobs to provide care for aging family members, and another 15% reduce their work hours to assist their loved ones. All told, loss of productivity resulting from time off to care for an aging relative is estimated to cost South Florida employers $6100 per employee per year. According to Olga Brunner, President, "Our Corporate Elder Care program was developed to help employees balance job responsibilities and caregiving. Our Professional Care Managers plan and organize care and services for the employees of Broward and Palm Beach elderly population, affording families a peace of mind that their loved ones will find and secure services such as ongoing supervision of certified home care assistants, home maintenance and care, medication supervision, coordination of medical appointments and representation at these appointments, legal counsel, specialized air travel escorts, and many other services."

Source: News Release A Good Daughter, Inc. (June 20, 2005)