Cornell University: AARP Best Employers 2008

By: AARP.org | Source: AARP.org | September 2008

Winning years: 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005
Industry: Education/Post-Secondary
Location: Ithaca, N.Y.
URL: www.cornell.edu
2008 Rank: 1

Highlights of 2008 Winning Strategies

Cornell University ranks number one among AARP’s Best Employers for Workers Over 50 in 2008. From numerous programs and perks to foster professional development and work-life balance, employees can pick those tailored to their specific needs.

In response to employee and retiree feedback, Cornell University offers a special program called Opportunities for Healthy Aging. Nine free or discounted classes are held each week to target health and fitness issues facing older adults. The Cornell Retirees Association, free for all retirees, keeps them informed about employment opportunities with the university and helps maintain connections between retirees and the university. Forty-three percent of Cornell University employees are age 50+.

Additional Policies and Practices:

Recruiting: Cornell University uses placement agencies for older job-seekers to target mature workers and retirees. In addition, the Cornell Association of Professors Emeriti shares opportunities with retired faculty, and the Cornell Recruitment and Employment Center promotes recruitment of mature workers and retirees.

Workplace Culture/Continued Opportunities: To its full- and part-time employees working at least 20 hours per week, Cornell offers the following learning and development programs: tuition reimbursement, in-house classroom training, online training, and certification classes.

In addition, employees working at least 35 hours per week can take Extramural Studies classes (courses are tuition-free but do not lead to a degree), and employees accepted into Cornell can be part of the Employee Degree Program (courses are tuition-free and lead to a degree). In the past 12 months, 42 percent of Cornell employees participated in at least one of its educational opportunities, with an average of 28 hours spent in training.

Cornell marks long-service anniversaries with announcements, parties, gifts, and awards.

Due to employee requests, the university now offers long-term care insurance to employees.

Employees are able to develop new skills by working on temporary assignments in other departments and on team projects. Cornell offers employees age 50+ unique assignments to enhance their careers, including supervisory training, customer service, leadership development, project management, strategic planning, organization design, team building, training plans, conflict resolution, and change-management classes.

Cornell accommodates employees with special needs by making equipment modifications, moving them from full- to part-time status, modifying job duties, and providing special areas where diabetics can check their blood-sugar levels.

Benefits/Health: Cornell offers generous health care coverage and wellness benefits. Full- and part-time employees working 20 or more hours per week receive individual and family medical coverage, individual and family prescription-drug coverage, individual and family vision and dental insurance, individual and family long-term care insurance, and long-term disability. The university offers short-term disability coverage to all employees (only one hour per week is required for this benefit).

Health benefits for retirees under age 65 and 65+ include individual and spousal medical and drug coverage, individual and spousal vision insurance, individual and spousal long-term care insurance, EAP services, and individual life insurance or other death-benefit coverage. New hires are eligible for all these benefits upon retirement.

Cornell also offers employees flexible-spending and health-savings accounts to help cover out-of-pocket health care costs.

Benefits/Financial: Cornell offers a 403(b) plan with employer match and a money-purchase defined contribution plan to its full- and part-time employees. Employees may invest in lifecycle funds, and those age 50+ can make catch-up contributions.

Employees receive financial-planning information from staff members, from the firm that administers the university’s 403(b) plan and from external experts not associated with the 403(b) plan.

Cornell offers paid time off specifically designated for caregiving, short-term time off without pay, and long-term leaves of absence without pay, to allow for caregiving. The university offers up to six months of unpaid leave.

The following wellness programs are offered to full- and part-time employees: flu shots, health screenings, health-risk appraisals, smoking cessation programs, health club discounts, physical activity and exercise programs, weight loss programs, stress management training, cooking classes, life coaching, and diabetes, cancer, and menopause support groups. Twenty-seven percent of Cornell’s employees have used at least one of its wellness benefits in the past 12 months.

Cornell offers on-site child and grandchild care, and referral services to assist with care for children, grandchildren, and elders, to its full- and part-time employees. In addition, the university offers the following programs to meet family care demands: a child care grant subsidy, dependent-care accounts for child care and eldercare costs, adoption assistance, summer camp programs, and a “bring your child to work” day.

Benefits/Alternative Work Arrangements: Cornell has a number of alternative work arrangements to recruit and retain a broad range of employees, including older workers.

Full- and part-time employees have numerous options: flextime, compressed work schedules, job sharing, telecommuting, and a formal phased-retirement program. The phased-retirement program allows eligible full-time tenured faculty the option of reducing their teaching, research, and administrative duties prior to retirement, not to exceed five years. Other full-time employees are eligible to move to part-time work on a permanent and temporary basis.

Opportunities for Retirees: Cornell places a value on the experience and skills of its retirees. The university currently has 3,810 retirees and an employee directly responsible for retiree relations. Cornell stays connected with its retirees by regular communications, inviting them to organization events and celebrations, providing ongoing access to retirement-planning workshops and information, and formally acknowledging retirees when they retire. It actively recruits retirees for temporary work assignments, consulting or contract work, telecommuting, volunteering, and full- and part-time work.

Age of Workforce: Forty-three percent of Cornell’s employees are 50+. The average tenure of employees age 50+ is 15.5 years.