Employer Partnerships and Older Workers

1. Employer Partnerships and Older Workers IAJVS Annual International Conference 2006 Ernie DuPont Director Workforce Development CVS/pharmacy

2. CVS/pharmacyBackground • America’s #1 pharmacy chain with over 6100 locations in 44 states and the District of Columbia, a Fortune 100 company • The 4th largest full service pharmacy benefits manager in the U.S. (Pharmacare) • Fill 14% of all U.S. retail prescriptions • 160,000 + colleagues • A corporate leader in workforce development with a team dedicated to building national, state, and local partnerships in order to enhance hiring and training opportunities • Through innovative programs our workforce of 50+ colleagues has grown from 7% to over 17% of our total workforce in the past 10 years • Currently have associates who are working into their 70’s, 80’s and even a few in their 90’s

3. CVS/pharmacyBackground

4. CVS/pharmacyBackground

5. CVS/pharmacy Strategic partnerships tied to Older worker programs • AARP National Employer Team • National Business Partnership with USDOL • National Council On Aging • SER National • Easter Seals • Corporate Voices for Working Families • The Conference Board • IAJVS

6. CVS/pharmacy Why is the older worker a focus at CVS? • Bring experience, good judgment, stability, and mentoring capabilities that benefit younger associates on our team • Bring interpersonal skills that are critical but sometimes missing in more current generations of workers • Are representative of our customers, in fact in many cases they are our customers prior to being part of the CVS team • Improve overall retention and stability among our store teams • Older workers are becoming an increasingly larger percentage of the total workforce and therefore are important to our current and future business success • Retirement as we know it is diminishing, and being replaced by employment transformation, which leads to career transitions occurring later and later in life

7. CVS/pharmacy Example #1 • Snowbird program for retiring pharmacists • Purpose is to retain older workers who wish to continue working but may need added flexibility with their schedule in order to meet changing personal needs • John Johns, Pharmacist of 30 years • Works in Sea Isle City, NJ Spring and Summer • Moves to Cocoa Beach, FL in November • Works 3 days, 30 hours per wk

8. CVS/pharmacy Example #2 Senior Pharmacist Mentoring program • The CVS Senior Pharmacists Legacy Mentoring Project trains experienced pharmacists, either still working or retired, to mentor apprentice CVS pharmacist technicians and outstanding high school students interested in pharmacy. • CVS is committed to attracting young people into pharmacy careers and sees the benefits of contacts with pharmacists who can transfer their insights from years of experience. • The first mentoring projects are being launched in the Chicago, Atlanta and Tampa/St. Petersburg markets.

9. CVS/pharmacy Example #3 • Opened a new Distribution Center in Ennis, Texas in 2004 • Developed partnerships with local Department of Commerce, local One-Stop, SER National, the Women’s Bureau, local educational institutions. • Identified funding potential for hiring and training Hispanic women over the age of 50. • Developed a pre-employment program that addressed language barriers and other basic skill deficiencies. • All normal screening processes including assessments, individual and group interviews were conducted. • 18 women were hired from the program, 16 of whom are still with CVS • Several have taken on additional responsibility

10. CVS/pharmacy Building the Framework for a successful partnership • Begin dialogue at the national level • Explore common goals / potential synergies • Agree on long term commitment and the need for short term successes • Develop an agreement providing broad latitude for local creativity and innovative program development

11. CVS/pharmacy Building the Framework for a successful partnership • Two important questions • What Resources, Skills, and Opportunities do we have to offer, that will motivate an employer to develop a working partnership with us? • What Resources, Skills and Opportunities does a business have to offer our program, that will motivate us to commit to a effective partnership?

12. CVS/pharmacy Building the Framework for a successful partnership What is needed at the local level? • Understand each organizations culture. • Learn the business needs of each organization • Screen/Select strong first round of program participants • Agree early on to work through challenges/barriers – they will occur!

13. Exploring Business Culture • Read the available literature, including annual reports, mission statements, newsletters, Web site, reports, etc. • Examine job postings, training and development programs, compensation packages, career growth, dress code, career charts, and facilities. • Ongoing local exchanges

14. Strategic Partnerships CVS believes that creative partnerships, where all stakeholders are committed to removing process barriers and producing results, are the key factors in driving successful programs.

15. Thank You!