Are Employers Warming to Workers Post-Downturn?

21.06.2011
Results of suggest to its researchers that the positions of employers are evolving to meet the needs of workers coming out of the recession.

According to responses by C-level managers polled in April about workplace issues, 94% of employers view it as important to retain older employees for a longer time than companies once expected, the report showed. The survey also noted that higher percentages of employers favoring certain worker-friendly policies -- with 50% of employers now offering flexible or customized work schedules; 33% educating employees on retirement-income and healthcare topics; 32% presenting continuing education and development opportunities; 22% allowing remote-workplace possibilities, and 21% offering extended benefits to older employees.

The study, based on responses from 650 executives and HR and benefit plan leaders, examined ways in which employers help address the financial needs of perhaps the most demographically diverse workforce in history.

"HR leaders are playing more strategic roles within organizations seeking to harness the experience and intellectual capital of older employees in order to remain competitive, while adapting both physical and operational aspects of their businesses to accommodate them," according to Andy Sieg, head of Retirement Services for Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

From the workers' side, he said, longer life expectancies "and baby boomers' desire or need to keep working are leading to an aging population of American employees that will require more age-friendly workplaces and benefit plans designed to meet the unique needs of multiple generations."