AARP International Innovative Employer Award
Source: AARP Press Center | 2008-09-25
In recognition of growing international attention to the implications of an aging workforce, AARP today announced the ten winners of its new AARP International Innovative Employer Award program. The new award, designed to promote best practices from employers around the world, recognized winners from Denmark, Germany, Singapore and the United Kingdom.
“The new AARP International Innovative Employer Award will focus global attention on how employers are utilizing the skills and talents of older workers and establishing policies and practices that meet both companies’ and employees’ needs,” said AARP CEO Bill Novelli. “We are looking forward to honoring our ten inaugural winners in Chicago and expect that many more international companies and organizations will apply for consideration in 2009.”
AARP The Magazine will feature the AARP International Innovative Employer Award winners in its November-December issue, in homes September 25, 2008, along with an extensive feature story on re-careering and discovering new passions at age 50+. The complete article and list can also be found online at www.aarpthemagazine.org.
AARP selected the following ten companies and organizations for having the most positive workplace policies for their mature workers:
* Agewell - Sandwell Primary Care Trust, West Bromwich, United Kingdom Public Hospital/Healthcare, 1269 employees; 24% 50+
* Alexandra Hospital, Singapore Public Hospital/Healthcare, 1606 employees; 14% 50+
* BT Group plc, London, United Kingdom Communications, 108,505 employees; 29% 50+
* Centrica plc, Windsor, United Kingdom Utilities, 29,069 employees; 13% 50+
* Deutsche Bahn AG, Berlin, Germany Transportation Services, 192,887 employees; 35% 50+
* Horsens Kommune, Horsens, Denmark Municipal Government, 5662 employees (969 teachers); 36% 50+ (48% 50+ among teachers)
* Domestic & General Group Plc, Nottingham, United Kingdom Insurance, 712 employees; 9% 50+
* Loewe AG, Kronach, Germany Electronics Industry, 926 employees; 32% 50+
* SICK AG, Waldkirch, Germany Industrial Equipment and Commercial Machinery, 1879 employees; 17% 50+
* Singapore Health Services Pte Ltd, Singapore Public Hospital/Healthcare, 14,800 employees; 18% 50+
AARP considered a number of factors to select the 2008 winners from the pool of international companies that applied, including: recruiting practices; workplace culture; lifelong learning, education, and job training opportunities; opportunities for continued success and career development; alternative work options, such as flexible scheduling, telecommuting, job sharing, and flexible retirement; employee benefits that support the health and financial security of employees.
AARP teamed with a network of international collaborating organizations with expertise on age and employment issues to launch the new international award program.
“We wish to thank the international organizations that collaborated with us to encourage top-notch companies to submit applications for the Innovative Employer Awards,” continued Novelli. “We look forward to working with them to expand the program in 2009.”
The following organizations joined AARP to promote the award, advise on aging workforce issues in their countries and networks, and raise awareness about strategies for retaining and attracting mature workers: BAGSO and The German Gerontology Institute at Dortmund University (Germany); Council for Third Age, The National Trade Union Congress, and the Singapore National Employers Federation (Singapore); NIKKEI (Japan); TAEN – The Age and Employment Network (UK); Business Council for the United Nations; and the United Nations Association of the USA.
The AARP International Innovative Employer Award winners, and the winners of the separate 2008 AARP Best Employers for Workers Over 50 Award, will be honored at a dinner on October 7 in Chicago, Illinois. (See separate press release on the U.S. awards.) A CEO roundtable will also be held that day, focusing on AARP’s new workforce assessment tool and the importance for employers of evaluating their workforce to determine future employee needs.
For more information about the AARP International Innovative Employer Awards, please visit: www.aarpinternational.org/2008employerawards
About AARP
AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to either political campaigns or candidates. We produce AARP The Magazine, the definitive voice for 50+ Americans and the world's largest-circulation magazine with over 33 million readers; AARP Bulletin, the go-to news source for AARP's 40 million members and Americans 50+; AARP Segunda Juventud, the only bilingual U.S. publication dedicated exclusively to the 50+ Hispanic community; and our website, AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
