The 2009 AARP International Innovative Employer Awards

Housing & Development Board
Winning Year: 2009
Industry: Public Sector
Location: Singapore
Website: hdb.gov.sg
Employees: 4,949. Percentage over 50: 34 percent

The Housing and Development Board’s mature staff benefits from flexible-work arrangements and a re-employment policy allowing workers to continue past the statutory retirement age of 62. HDB’s health and wellness promotion program also offers an “Annual Targeted Health Intervention Program” designed to help mature staff take preventative care in managing their health.

National Healthcare Group
Winning Year: 2009
Industry: Hospitals / Health Care
Location: Singapore
Website: nhg.com.sg
Employees: 9,819. Percentage over 50: 16 percent

NHG’s mature workers attend pre-retirement planning and counseling at least three years before they reach the statutory retirement age of 62. When they reach age 62, older employees generally receive offers of re-employment that include a variety of alternative-work arrangements and benefits. In some NHG institutions, 90 percent of workers continue employment beyond retirement age. NHG specifically targets mature job seekers to fight the acute shortage of health-care workers in Singapore.

Royal Plaza on Scotts
Winning Year: 2009
Industry: Hotels/Lodging
Location: Singapore
Website: royalplaza.com.sg  
Employees: 393. Percentage over 50: 25 percent

Royal Plaza on Scotts’ re-employment policy allows retirees to retrain so they can be hired back to their last-held positions with the same remuneration and benefits package. The company’s diversity efforts include hiring initiatives targeted at older workers who have been out of the labor market for a while. Managers receive training on the supervising and directing a multi-generational workforce. A buddy system that matches up younger workers with older ones allows for a two-way exchange of knowledge.

SICK AG
Winning Years: 2008, 2009
Industry: Industrial Equipment / Commercial Machinery
Location: Waldkirch, Germany
Website: sick.de  
Employees: 1,879. Percentage over 50: 17 percent

Mature workers at SICK AG serve as mentors for younger employees through mixed-age training groups and project teams. Moreover, the company maintains strong ties with retired employees by inviting them to company functions. SICK AG puts significant emphasis on employee health via a project addressing how healthy aging can be achieved in the workplace and through comprehensive flexible-work options.

Sozial-Holding der Stadt Mönchengladbach GmbH
Winning Years: 2009
Industry: Hospitals / Health Care
Location: Mönchengladbach, Germany
Website: sozial-holding.de
Employees: 740. Employees over 50: 35 percent

With 35 percent of its staff falling into the 50+ age group, Sozial-Holding operates under the motto, “We are older, so what?” Sozial-Holding’s annual working-time accounts and individual working-time models are of particular benefit to older workers with caregiving needs. The company also offers a variety of courses specifically aimed at helping its older workers, including holistic mnemonic training and preparation for the transition to retirement.

The Selection Process

AARP invited several international organizations with expertise on age and employment issues to collaborate on designing and promoting the 2009 Awards. The organizations consulting AARP include the following:

• 50&Piú (Italy)
• BAGSO (Germany)
• CARP (Canada)
• Council for Third Age (Singapore)
• DaneAge (Denmark)
• DDN–The Demography Network (Germany)
• The Gerontology Institute at Dortmund University (Germany)
• TAEN–The Age and Employment Network (United Kingdom)