Cornell University tops AARP's 2009 Best Employers for Workers Over 50 Ranking.
Getting older doesn’t mean you have to work for a company that doesn’t value your experience, your health or your wealth. The recession is challenging workers at every stage of a career, yet there are companies that make the overall well-being of their employees a priority over others.
With that in mind, the non-profit retiree organization AARP has released its annual 2009 Best Employers for Workers Over 50. Cornell University topped the lists for the second year in a row.
Why Cornell?
Telecommuting, work-compressed weeks and a very good healthcare and drug benefit program, as well as free classes and a large plus-50 employee base around 36 percent, says a recent Marketwatch article about the AARP list.
Right behind Cornell is First Horizon National Corp., a Memphis, Tenn.-based financial services firm that boasts a special program designed for those transitioning to retirement, and another for working mothers and a tuition reimbursement program. From the Marketwatch article:
“After you’re with our company for one year you can apply for a ‘prime-time schedule,’” said Vicki Dye, a culture and work-life manager at First Horizon National, in Memphis, Tenn. “This works for a working mother phasing back into the work force as well as for older workers who want to phase into retirement,” she said, noting that workers who qualify can drop to as little as 20 hours a week and still maintain full-time benefits.
“Our work-force flexibility is one of our greatest and most utilized benefits for all employees of any age,” Dye said.
And older worker sometimes appreciate benefits aimed at younger workers: One 52-year-old employee took advantage of First Horizon’s up-to-$3,000-per-year tuition reimbursement to get her college degree. The company also employs a “retiree employee relations manager” to help workers of all ages plan for retirement. About 27% of the firm’s employees are 50 or older.
First Horizon also offer a job-share program, and a “flexible dollars” program — essentially, workers are given money they can use to pay for out-of-pocket health-care or other benefit costs, or to contribute to their retirement plan. The company spends an average of about $2,500 per worker each year through the program.
Other organizations and employers on the list include technology giant Intel, pharmaceutical maker GlaxoSmithKline, Avis Budget Car Rental and a whole host of non-profits, universities, financial firms and healthcare providers. To see the full list, click here.
(Image by Cornell University Media Relations)
Additional career advice:
- Tips For Beating the “Age-Discrimination Filter”
- 12 Strategies for Job Market Re-Entry
- Retired Salesman Returns to the Job-Search Fray
- Volunteering Opportunities Pay Off
- Job ‘Hunter’ Bags a New E-Learning Job
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