Written by Tracey de Morsella on 05-01-2007
According to a new study released by Nationwide Financial (NYSE: NFS), 73 percent of African-American males say they were driven into retirement by factors beyond their control, compared to 33 percent of the general population. This number represents retirees who say they had to retire when they did due to illness, disability, company closing, or for another reason beyond their control. From the same study, the percentage for African-American females was 28 percent, compared to 37 percent for females of the general population. The Nationwide Retirement Decisions Study, conducted with Mathew Greenwald & Associates, covered people with household incomes of at least $40,000 a year. The survey also found that most African-Americans expect to retire between the ages of 55 and 65, compared to 57 and 66 for the general population.
Written by Tracey de Morsella on 12-14-2006
As the baby boomer generation moves towards retirement there are insufficient younger workers to take their place, let alone satisfy the requirements of a growing economy for more labour and different skills. Couple that with the regulatory imperative for UK Age Regulations compliance and it seems pretty obvious that tapping into—rather than shying away from—the older worker talent pool is the smarter strategy.Taleo has partnered with The Age and Employment Network (TAEN) on a paper that digs deeper into these issues and provides practical strategies for organisations to recruit older talent into their workforce.
Written by Tracey de Morsella on 12-12-2006
A new national Work Trends survey published by the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development finds that nearly 7 in 10 American workers plan to continue to work full- or part-time for pay following retirement from their main job. Another 14% plan to work as volunteers, while only 13% expect to stop working entirely. This new report, based on a poll of 800 American workers between May and mid-June 2005, also finds that older workers believe they are treated unfairly by employers, and also raises workers’ concerns about the financial soundness of Social Security and Medicare.
Written by Tracey de Morsella on 12-07-2006
Employees are scaling back their expectations and ambitions for life in retirement, as they recognize that they are not saving enough to support the lifestyle they envisioned. This is according to the latest version of the Mercer Workplace SurveyTM, a national study of employee attitudes and behaviors around their company sponsored benefits plans conducted annually by Mercer HR Services. In response, Mercer HR Services is launching the “Stress Less Retirement Program” to help 401(k) plan participants take immediate steps to get back on track to achieving their retirement goals.
Written by Chris de Morsella on 11-28-2006
The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations that became law on October 1st, represents the most important piece of anti-discrimination legislation to be enacted in the UK in many years. This legislation is the result of the government’s obligation to adopt the European Council Directive 2000/78/EC of 27 November 2000 establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation.
Written by Tracey de Morsella on 11-26-2006
Organisations still have a long way to go to eliminate age discrimination at work and become fully compliant with the recent UK legislation, according to the latest findings from the Recruitment Confidence Index (RCI), produced by Cranfield School of Management.
Written by Tracey de Morsella on 11-24-2006
71.9 percent of IT professionals believe ageism is more prevalent in the technology sector than in other industries and over half (50.6 percent) believe their search for work has been hindered because they were too old. Despite that, over one third (37.8 percent) are not aware of the new legislation that now outlaws ageism in the workplace. These are the findings of major new research carried out by online recruitment specialist, The IT Job Board.
Written by Tracey de Morsella on 11-17-2006
Last month The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 in the UK was introduced. The regulations ban age discrimination relating to recruitment, promotion and training; ban unjustified retirement ages of below 65 and remove the current age limit for unfair dismissal and redundancy rights. While these new laws only apply to the UK, their introduction is being watched closely by other European nations.Which country leads the way when it comes to a balanced view on age, and what country is most likely to discriminate against younger workers? According to the results of a recent poll by Monster, Norwegians lead the way in terms of a balanced view, and Germans observed the highest percentage of discrimination against older workers when looking for new recruits.
Written by Jamie Notter on 11-14-2006
Dealing with diversity in the workplace means understanding and relating effectively with people who are different than you. The ability for a diverse group of people to build strength and unity through their diversity is the power that propels organizations into new dimensions of performance. Discussions of workplace diversity in the United States tend to start with the topics of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and disability. Indeed, organizations that want to thrive in the future will need to have employees and managers who are aware of and skilled in dealing with differences along these identity lines.
Written by Tracey de Morsella on 11-07-2006
Last week Monster announced results of a research study examining the factors that motivate a worker to leave a job, or accept or decline a new position. The study, titled “A Changing Landscape: The Effect of Age, Gender and Ethnicity on Career Decisions,” surveyed employed online job seekers across three demographic segments – age, gender and ethnicity – to identify commonalities and key differentiators between these groups in terms of their career decisions.
Written by Tracey de Morsella on 11-02-2006
A new study by Forrester dispels the common belief that older workers and are unable to adapt to new technology lack the skills needed in IT departments. The report debunks several assumptions. Phil Murphy, the primary author of the report argues that baby boomers will not retire en masse because man can not afford to retire as early as they would like. The report explains how dismissing the employability of mature workers is counterproductive for business.
Written by Tracey de Morsella on 10-24-2006
Last month, AARP released its Annual Best Employers for Workers Over 50 list. AARP Best Employers for Workers Over 50 is an annual recognition program that acknowledges companies and organizations whose best practices and policies for addressing aging workforce issues are roadmaps for the workplaces of tomorrow. Now entering its seventh year, the program launched in 2001. In order to recognize the important role that government employers play in the U.S. workforce, AARP has now opened the program to government employers, including those at the local, state, and federal levels.
Written by Tracey de Morsella on 10-20-2006
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced recently that it filed a federal discrimination lawsuit under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) against Denny’s, Inc., which operates more than 500 corporate-owned restaurants in 30 states, on behalf of disabled employees nationwide who were not provided reasonable accommodation and were fired after being denied medical leave needed in connection with their disabilities.In its suit, the EEOC charges that Denny’s refused to provide one of its restaurant managers in Baltimore with legally-required reasonable accommodations for her disability, a leg amputation; prohibited her from working in its restaurants because of her disability, despite her desire to return to work; and fired the employee because of her disability. EEOC further charges that Denny’s violated the rights of a class of workers with disabilities by maintaining a maximum medical leave policy that automatically denied additional medical leave beyond a pre-determined limit — even when additional leave was required by the ADA as a reasonable accommodation for those workers — resulting in their unlawful terminations.
Written by Tracey de Morsella on 10-10-2006
In a closely watched case brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against the international law firm of Sidley Austin Brown & Wood, the U.S. Supreme Court last week issued a written order denying Sidley’s petition for high court review of the EEOC’s ability to pursue monetary damages and other individual victim-specific relief in EEOC’s ongoing age discrimination suit against the firm. (EEOC v. Sidley Austin Brown & Wood, N.D. Illinois No. 05 C 0208.)The decision by the Court to deny Sidley’s request for review means that the question of EEOC’s ability to seek such relief will continue to be governed by the Feb. 17, 2006, decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for Seventh Circuit on the issue. In that decision, the Seventh Circuit confirmed the EEOC’s authority to seek individual relief such as money and reinstatement for partners who were downgraded from partner status by the firm in 1999 and others forced out because of an age-based retirement policy. (EEOC v. Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP, 406 F.Supp.2d 991 (N.D. Ill. 2005), 437 F.3d 695 (7th Cir. 2006), cert denied No. 05-1481 549 U.S. ___ (10/2/2006).)
Written by Tracey de Morsella on 10-01-2006
An aging workforce and an emerging “baby boom” retirement wave are driving more companies toward “strategic workforce planning,” The Conference Board reported last month in a new study. “Strategic workforce planning” involves analyzing and forecasting the talent that companies need to execute their business strategy.
Written by Tracey de Morsella on 09-07-2006
In a recent survey of of 3,100 senior HR and development executives was conducted by Equation Research for the Novations Group revealed that regarding uncertainty about an approaching talent shortagewith respect to retiring baby boomers, organizations are divided. Just as many are taking steps to mitigate the loss of talent as there are others that expect no great talent drain as boomers retire. See the results below.
Written by Tracey de Morsella on 09-05-2006
While the restaurant industry has escaped the wave of American jobs moving overseas, a maturing worker population combined with demographic changes and blistering growth have set the stage for a dramatic shortage of employees. The answer? America’s Baby Boomer population, which is eschewing traditional retirement to stay engaged in the working world.
Written by Tracey de Morsella on 09-04-2006
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is proposing to amend its regulations concerning the Age Discrimination in Employment Act to reflect a Supreme Court decision interpreting the Act as permitting employers to favor older individuals because of age. This amendment will revise and clarify EEOC regulations that currently describe the ADEA as prohibiting such age-based favoritism. Comments must be received on or before October 10, 2006. The Commission will consider any comments received on or before the closing date and thereafter adopt final regulations. For information, view to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission notice.
Written by Tracey de Morsella on 08-13-2006
The Conference Board is launching an expanded maturing workforce research initiative. The effort received support from the Atlantic Philanthropies USA, Inc., in the form of a three-year, $2 million grant to study the inclusion and engagement of late-career workers in corporations and not-for-profit organizations.
