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Workplace Accommodations: Practices of the 2007 AARP Best Employers for Workers Over 50

As workers age, they may experience physical changes that affect their ability to do certain tasks. One important way to retain these workers' skills and talents is to make workplace accommodations. A key characteristic of the 2007 AARP Best Employers for Workers Over 50 is their commitment to changing the work environment or job responsibilities so that employees can continue as valuable contributors in the workplace.

Workplace accommodations run the gamut from system-wide changes to individual adaptations.* They include structural changes, replacing equipment, and modifying hours or changing jobs due to new physical limitations. For example, Lee Memorial Health System (LMHS) in Fort Myers, Florida has implemented a Transitional Work Program to accommodate employees who may be temporarily or permanently disabled or otherwise unable to perform the essential duties of their jobs.

At LMHS, if the employee's original job cannot be modified, a Transitional Work Coordinator looks for ways to place the worker in another position that matches the skills required with the restrictions of the worker. The new manager is then encouraged to protect the reassigned employee from any work that conflicts with his or her physical limitations. Since 2001, Lee Memorial Health System has accommodated hundreds of employees in a variety of ways, and 50+ workers have been major users of the program.

Some accommodations are made by modifying the workplace design or equipment. Here are some examples of what AARP Best Employers for Workers Over 50 provide in this area:

• Large screen monitors, amplifiers, and headsets.
• Ergonomics programs, including education about ergonomics, body mechanics, risk factors, and stretching, plus access to an on-site therapist.
• Adjusting the height of work stations to accommodate wheelchairs, modifying parking lot curbing, improving parking lot lighting, and installing ramps and elevators.

Many AARP Best Employers tailor accommodations to meet the needs of individual employees. For example, Argonne National Laboratory in Argonne, Illinois helped a 64-year old employee with respiratory disease and a lower extremity condition that requires the use of a cane. Argonne provided the employee with different stools and a step ladder with a support handle, and also relocated equipment within the lab to ensure that pathways were clear. The Aerospace Corporation in El Segundo, California constructed a separate bathroom for an employee with irritable bowel syndrome, with the affected employee given the only key.

Other individual accommodations include:

• Providing a "buddy" to accompany an employee on crutches to meetings, and giving the employee a parking space near the entrance.
• Offering flex hours to accommodate a progressive disability.
• Relocating an employee with claustrophobia and offering the option to telework from home.
• Providing equipment to an employee with health problems to do medical transcribing from home.
• Accommodating a nurse who experienced increased hearing loss, by transferring her to a smaller unit and providing special equipment.
• Purchasing a specialized wheelchair for an employee for the express purpose of exiting the workplace during an emergency when the elevators are not working.

Employers who willingly make workplace accommodations are finding they are better able to meet the needs of a diverse and aging workforce. In the process, they can boost retention and productivity as well as improve employee health and safety. The AARP Best Employers for Workers Over 50 are at the forefront of this effort.

* Note that under the Americans with Disabilities Act, employers are not required to make an individual accommodation unless a request has been made by an employee who has a particular need and the accommodation does not represent an "undue hardship" for the employer.

AARP Resources

AARP Best Employers for Workers Over 50

Read highlights of the honorees winning strategies. Learn how to apply for this award and about its benefits and learn how honorees are selected.

Job Accommodations Can Allow You to Keep Working

This article explains a variety of job accommodations that allow 50+ workers to remain on the job.

Other Resources

Job Accommodation Network

Information about job accommodations, the Americans with Disability Act (ADA), and the employability of people with health conditions and disabilities.