YMCA of Greater Rochester

Winning Years:  2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005
Industry:   Private – Nonprofit
Location: Rochester, N.Y.
Website: rochesterymca.org

Highlights of 2009 Winning Strategies

The YMCA of Greater Rochester is in its fifth straight year of making AARP's list of Best Employers for Workers Over 50. Retirees have the opportunity to participate in a formal phased-retirement program while continuing to receive their pension benefits. Rehired retirees are also able to keep collecting payments from their retirement-savings plans. Retirees age 65+ receive all the same health benefits as their currently working counterparts and many of the same wellness benefits. The company also engages employees through its Mentoring Across Generations program.

Recruiting: The YMCA of Greater Rochester uses placement agencies for older job seekers to target mature workers and retirees in recruitment efforts, and the Y also turns to its own retirees when jobs are available. In addition, this YMCA chapter works with a number of community employment groups and state agencies, including the Rochester Area Employee Network, to recruit and retain disabled workers who are age 50+.

Workplace Culture/Continued Opportunities:  Full- and part-time employees of the YMCA of Greater Rochester who work at least one hour per week are able to participate in in-house classroom training, online training, and certification classes. Employees who work at least 25 hours per week are eligible for tuition reimbursement. During the past 12 months, 75 percent of all employees participated in at least one of the Y's training opportunities, at an average of 40 hours per employee. Managers actively promote job-training opportunities via e-mail, company intranet, communiqués or memos, staff-meeting announcements, and bulletin-board postings.

The YMCA of Greater Rochester recognizes long-service employees by making announcements and giving parties and awards. As part of professional development, the YMCA offers employees the opportunity to participate in the Mentoring Across Generations program (also known as "Generation YMCA"), in which employees from the Silent Generation and the Boomer Generation are paired with employees from Generation X and Generation Y to exchange information and skills. Employees also have opportunities to gain new experience or skills by participating in temporary assignments, team projects, or a formal job-rotation program.

The YMCA of Greater Rochester has accommodated all workers, including those age 50+, with such assistance as TTY equipment, ergonomic assessments of workspaces, and handicapped accessible facilities. 

Benefits/Health: Employees of the YMCA of Greater Rochester who work full- or part-time for at least 20 hours per week can receive individual and family medical, prescription-drug, vision, dental, long-term-care, and short- and long-term-disability coverage. To help cover out-of-pocket health-care costs, the organization offers employees a health savings account , an employee-funded health-savings account, and a health flexible-spending account (FSA). 
… Back to Article