Express Employment Professionals: 2009 AARP Best Employers for Workers Over 50

By: AARP.org | Source: AARP.org | September 2009

Winning Years: 2009, 2008, 2007
Industry: Business Services
Location: Oklahoma City, Okla.
URL: www.expresspros.com

Highlights of 2009 Winning Strategies
Express Employment Professionals recognizes the challenges employees face interacting with others from different age groups. As a result, the company has a training program to address intergenerational issues, called "Talking About Our Generations." At Express, almost three in 10 workers are age 50+.

Recruiting: To recruit and target mature workers, Express Employment Professionals uses placement agencies for mature job seekers and calls on local AARP offices.

Workplace Culture/Continued Opportunities: Express offers its employees a number of development opportunities, such as tuition reimbursement, in-house classroom training, online training, and certification classes. One hundred percent of employees took part in at least one of the company's development opportunities; so during the past year, the average employee spent 60 hours in training.

Express celebrates the long-service benchmarks of its employees with announcements, parties, awards, and travel vouchers.

In order for employees to gain valuable experience and cultivate new skills, Express enables its staff members to take part in team projects and temporary assignments at headquarters and at franchise locations.

Express works with its employees to make sure that their office environments are accommodating. Examples of accommodations Express has made include installing ramps and elevators, redesigning work spaces, and using technology to assist hearing- and vision-impaired workers.

Benefits/Health:  Full-time employees are eligible for individual and family medical, prescription-drug, dental, vision, and short- and long-term disability coverage. Employees are also eligible for health savings accounts (HSA) to help offset the rising cost of health care.

Benefits/Financial:  Full-time employees working at least 30 hours per week are eligible for an employer-matched, defined-contribution 401(k) plan. Employees who are age 50+ can make catch-up contributions to their retirement plans.

In order to accommodate employees with caregiving responsibilities, Express offers unpaid, short-term leave for child- and eldercare. Wellness benefits for full- and part-time employees include flu shots, health screenings, discounts at local health clubs, health-risk appraisals, and physical-activity programs. Eighty percent of employees took advantage of at least one wellness benefit during the last 12 months.

Benefits/Alternative-Work Arrangements: Express offers its employees working at least 32 hours per week the following alternative-work arrangements: flextime, compressed-work schedules, job sharing, and telecommuting. Full-time employees can move to part-time work on a temporary or permanent basis.

Opportunities for Retirees: Express Employment Professionals has 15 retirees with whom it keeps in touch by inviting them to organizational events and by recognizing them on the anniversaries of their retirement. Retirees are eligible for full- and part-time positions, contract work, telecommuting, and temporary assignments. 

Age of Workforce: Twenty-nine percent of Express employees are age 50+, with an average tenure of 11 years.