Embracing Experience: A Guide to Engaging Older Workers and Volunteers

1. Employers’ Guide to 55+ Workers & Volunteers Building Partnerships Achieving Results Age is an Asset. Experience a Benefit. A program of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services.

2. 55 Plus Employment Network http://wyomingworkforce.org/scsep/ 877-WorkWyo (877-967-5996) Department of Workforce Services General Information: www.wyomingworkforce.org Job Postings: www.wyomingatwork.com 877-WorkWyo (877-967-5996) ServeWyoming www.servewyoming.org www.volunteerwyoming.org 866-737-8304 Importance of 55+ Workers and Volunteers…………….3 Attracting & Retaining 55+ Workers & Volunteers……4 Connecting Workforce & Volunteerism……..…………….5 Facts about 55+ Workers…………………………..……………6 Generations in the Workplace………………………………...7 Guide to Age Discrimination.........................................8 Mentoring in the Workplace.........................................9 Understanding Disabilities..........................................10 Alternative Work Arrangements..................................11 Checklist for Employers...............................................12 Resources................................................................13-14 Contact Information & Table of Contents Table of Contents Contact Information This guide is available for reproduction without permission at http://wyomingworkforce.org/scsep/ Employers’ Guide to 55+ Workers & Volunteers

3. Importance of 55+ Workers and Volunteers Why 55+ Workers and Volunteers "We might face a serious labor supply stagnation or maybe a decline in 5 years or 10 years. We're trying to educate the public and the employers that the trend is coming, ... to change their mentality to make it more acceptable to hire older-age workers.“ - Wenlin Liu, Economist, Department of Administration and Information Recently published U.S. Census Bureau Projections indicate that by 2030 Wyoming will have more people 65 years and older than under 18 years, with more than one in every four residents over the age of 65. Wenlin Liu, an economist for the Department of Administration and Information Economic Analysis Division cites three main reasons for Wyoming's rapidly aging population: A huge influx of baby boomers who moved to the state during rapid energy development in the late 1970s and early 1980s; migration of Wyoming’s young workforce in rural areas to larger metropolitan areas, part of a nationwide trend; and a smaller ratio of migrants, who are generally younger. This booklet provides insight into how to more productively work with and attract not only older workers, but workers and volunteers of all ages. Employers’ Guide to 55+ Workers & Volunteers 3

4. Attracting and Retaining Quality 55+ Workers & Volunteers “Older workers are a valuable resource for Wyoming’s workforce and economic development. In anticipation of the retirement of the Baby Boomers, it’s essential for businesses to make their employment practices appealing to this population of workers. By doing so, businesses will have greater ease in recruiting and retaining experienced workers.” - Joan K. Evans, Director, Department of Workforce Services It all Starts at the Top In order for your business to attract and retain quality older workers, management must make clear the company’s commitment to valuing older workers through respect and praise. Show the commitment through starting an age diversity training program for managers, supervisors and employees in every area of the company. As part of this training, promote health, wellness and prevention to maintain the health of all workers. Be sure that the cross-generational teams are formed as part of this training to allow workers from all ages to learn from and appreciate each other. Think “out-of-the-box”, and start offering flexible scheduling, such as telecommuting or job sharing. Or, bring back retirees as a consultant to your organization. It all starts at the top. Analyze your business's needs and implement strategies to help correct deficiencies. 4 Employers’ Guide to 55+ Workers & Volunteers

5. Connecting Workforce and Volunteerism Offer Opportunities for Giving Back “Research tells us that Baby Boomers, as a whole, will not withdraw completely from the work place in ‘traditional retirement.’ Instead, they will seek a balance of work, leisure, civic engagement and other interests. As a state, we must explore innovative ways to initiate policy changes which will capture the talents and experience of seniors and engage them in employment and meaningful volunteer activities.” - Rachel Chadderdon, Executive Director, ServeWyoming Volunteers provide unique human capital resources that can address important societal, economic and workforce issues in our communities. Baby boomers, in particular, bring the advantages of experience, education and motivation to make a difference. In addition to meeting community needs, volunteering offers important benefits for older adults. Older Americans who receive or deliver service are more connected with the community, remain more active, and have a more optimistic outlook. They also will generally respond more favorably to flexible opportunities, such as those that allow for full-time, part-time, or episodic work. Older adults want choice.  They are not looking for busy work, but rather meaning and purpose.  They are looking for interesting and challenging opportunities to make an impact on their communities.  As the population ages, the contributions of older adults deserves more recognition.   Older Americans want to stay busy and productive. It is important to expand flexible engagement opportunities for older adults so they have more choices for both paid and unpaid work, formal and informal volunteering, or family care giving. Employers’ Guide to 55+ Workers & Volunteers 5

6. Reliable work habits Loyalty to the job and the firm Experience Stability Less turnover Less concern about advancement Equal or better productivity rates Willingness to work on a part-time, and/or, temporary, and/or seasonal basis Quality work Being customer service oriented More reliable in crisis management. Facts about 55+ Workers Wyoming is one of the fastest aging states in the nation, and many of our youth leave the state for more urban areas. To ensure the workforce demand is met, barriers to the employment of older workers must be addressed. These include offering alternative work schedules, accommodations, flexible benefits packages, benefits to employees using alternative work schedules, and providing training to managers and supervisors on age stereotypes, to name a few. Modifying workplace policies will help employers recruit and retain older workers who are a significant portion of Wyoming’s population.” - Dave Scriven, Chairman, Wyoming Workforce Development Council Benefits for Employers Older workers bring many benefits for employers, including: Older workers also have accident and attendance records far better than their younger counterparts. Workers age 65 and older take fewer days off for illness than other workers. Last, studies have shown that learning ability, intelligence, memory and motivation do not necessarily decline with age. 6 Employers’ Guide to 55+ Workers & Volunteers

7. Generations in the Workplace Four Generations in the Workplace • There are currently four generations in the workplace – The Silent, Baby Boom, Generation X, and Millennial Generations. The following are recommendations on how to work more productively with each generation. • For The Silent Generation • Acknowledge their experience publicly • Provide proactive technology support services • For The Baby Boom Generation • Redesign their jobs to provide flexibility • Spotlight personal fulfillment, meaningful work and intangibles • For the Generation X • Resist micromanaging them • Provide flexible work environments • For the Millennial Generation • Personalize their work • Make their work interactive Employers’ Guide to 55+ Workers & Volunteers 7

8. Guide to Age Discrimination Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 “Our state’s older workers are an essential element of our workforce. Their experience, dedication and motivation make them a valuable resource to employers.” - Joan K. Evans, Director, Department of Workforce Services The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) protects individuals who are 40 years of age or older from employment discrimination based on age. The ADEA’s protections apply to both employees and job applicants. Under the ADEA, it is unlawful to discriminate against a person because of his/her age with respect to any term, condition or privilege of employment – including, but not limited to hiring, firing, promotion, layoff, compensation, benefits, job assignments and training. It is also unlawful to retaliate against an individual for opposing employment practices that discriminate based on age or for filing an age discrimination charge, testifying, or participating in any way in an investigation, proceeding, or litigation under the ADEA. The ADEA applies to employers with 20 or more employees, including federal, state, and local governments, employment agencies and labor organizations. 8 Employers’ Guide to 55+ Workers & Volunteers

9. Mentoring in the Workplace What is a Mentor? • A workplace mentor is a supervisor or adult co-worker who provides people with support, counsel, friendship, reinforcement and constructive examples in the business world. These mentors are good listeners who care and want to help others bring out their strengths. • Responsible workplace mentoring requires: • A planned and comprehensive new employee orientation within hours of a new employee’s first day at work. • Written job descriptions. Using your job description is essential for evaluating performance and providing training, as well as counseling. • Work evaluation and on going assessment. • Regular consistent contact between the mentor and worker. • Time for relevant discussion and information dissemination. Employers’ Guide to 55+ Workers & Volunteers 9

10. Understanding Disabilities Workplace Accommodations • Many workers over the age of 50 have chronic conditions that can make work more difficult. However, continuing to work is important to many workers with health conditions or disabilities. They want their work to remain a big part of their lives. Job accommodations can help them stay on the job. Examples include: • Providing a location with few distractions, such as an office or a staff break room to ensure the employee’s attention is not divided. • Whenever possible, providing both oral and written instructions. For example, at the beginning of the shift, the employee could be given a written task list, then the supervisor could discuss the task list with the employee. • If the employee is required to read and sign company documents such as an employee handbook, allowing the employee to take the material home. • Checking for understanding by asking questions, such as, “If you finish the four things on your task list, which might you do next?” You can reinforce your expectations using this method. Encourage the employee to ask questions or get clarification if he or she is confused about any phase of the job. 10 Employers’ Guide to 55+ Workers & Volunteers

11. Alternative Work Arrangements Flexible Scheduling • Flexible scheduling options are available to both full- and part-time employees, and it allows them to set some of their own hours based on the workers’ and businesses’ needs. • Flextime: Workers, in conjunction with their supervisors, choose their work schedule start and end times. There is usually a requirement that employees be at work during a core period. The core period is usually between the hours of 10am and 2pm, or based on demands of the customers. • Compressed work schedules: Workers work longer on some days in order to have more days off. For example, working four ten hour days allows the employee to have one extra day off. • Compensation time: Workers get time off with pay after having worked extra hours. • Part-time work: Workers work 20 hours per week or less. • Job-sharing: Two part-time workers share job duties. Employers’ Guide to 55+ Workers & Volunteers 11

12. Checklist for Employers In our job advertisements, we seek employees with: Good judgment  Reliable work habits  We are familiar with organizations that: Help older workers find jobs  Provide training for older workers  We conduct age audits concerning the following: Recruitment  Hiring  Training  Evaluation  Promotion  We educate our managers and supervisors on: Age discrimination laws  Age neutral performance appraisal systems  Age neutral accessibility to training  Benefits of hiring older workers  We educate the following about age stereotypes: Managers  Supervisors  Lead staff  Workers  Volunteers  We educate the following about accommodations: Managers  Supervisors  Lead Staff  We provide the following flexible training: A mentoring program  On-the-job coaching  Peer training  Individualized training  We provide the following training: Technical training  Computer training  We provide the following equipment to assist employees: Amplified telephone equipment  Computer screens for visual enhancement  Ergonomic keyboards  Flexible workstations  Other, as needed  We offer the following work schedule alternatives: Part-time work  Temporary work  Seasonal work  Consulting  Job Sharing  Flex-time  Compressed schedules  Compensation time  We offer benefits to our part-time employees  We offer a flexible benefits package 12 Employers’ Guide to 55+ Workers & Volunteers

13. Resources Need Some Assistance • There are programs available to help both older workers and businesses who employ older workers. • The 55 Plus Employment Network is an employment training program for low-income unemployed workers aged 55 years or older. Non-profit organizations with 501(c)(3) status or city/county/state governments may serve as community service training sites for the participants. It is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor under Title V of the Older Americans Act. • The Department of Workforce Services Employment and Business Services are funded by the U.S. Department of Labor under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998. • ServeWyoming’s Volunteer Connection is a single resource and central clearinghouse designed to increase the number and effectiveness of volunteers in Wyoming. Our goal with Volunteer Wyoming is to enable communities to recruit skilled volunteers to areas that lack professional assistance, engage volunteers to assist with labor-intensive projects and connect people to both paid and unpaid work. Employers’ Guide to 55+ Workers & Volunteers 13

14. Resources • www.senior.com – This site offers chat rooms, forums, newsletters and community postings on topics such as health, travel, learning, relationships, Medicare, finance and more. It is comprehensive on a lifestyle level, but it does not offer a lot of specific older worker employment information. • www.theseniorsource.org – A site for older workers in Dallas, TX that has plenty of information on nationwide senior issues. • www.vital-aging-network.org – The Vital Aging Network is sponsored by the University Of Minnesota College of Continuing Education. It provides resources for just about any issue "vital agers" may encounter. • http://wdh.state.wy.us - The Wyoming Department of Health promotes, protects, and enhances the health and safety of all Wyoming citizens through various programs. • http://wyomingworkforce.org/nextcycleworks - Next Cycle Works helps Wyoming businesses and workers over the age of 50 meet their job needs by offering best practices, success stories, research, resources, facts, figures and community efforts. 14 Employers’ Guide to 55+ Workers & Volunteers