University of Pittsburgh

Winning Years: 2011, 2009
Industry: Education: Post-Secondary
Location: Pittsburgh
Website: www.pitt.edu

University of Pittsburgh's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute offers classes and programs for those ages 55 and over. The institute is a true learning community and offers intellectually challenging classes to its members in a variety of subject areas. The majority of courses are taught by retired staff and faculty.

See also: How the 2011 Best Employers winners were selected.

Additional Policies and Practices:

Recruiting: All Temps, an internal temporary placement agency at University of Pittsburgh, gives mature workers and retirees the opportunity to re-enter the workforce.
 
Workplace Culture / Continued Opportunities: Full- and part-time employees are offered learning and development programs including tuition reimbursement, in-house classroom training, online training and certification classes.

Long-service anniversaries are celebrated with announcements, parties and awards.

Employees have opportunities to gain new experiences by working on team projects and on temporary assignments in other departments.

Accommodations are made for employees with unique needs including: providing an employee with an opportunity to work a daylight shift because of a medical condition; providing a new work location to an employee with a mental condition; making adjustments to lecture areas and changing classroom locations for employees with mobility issues. Phone amplifiers are provided for employees with hearing difficulties and screen amplification and a 'read to you' screen, where a voice reads back to the user what is on the computer screen, is available for those with visual difficulties.
 
Benefits/Health: Full- and part-time employees receive individual and family medical and prescription drug coverage, individual and family vision and dental insurance, individual and family long-term care insurance, as well as short- and long-term disability.

Health benefits for retirees include individual and spouse medical and drug coverage, individual and spouse dental and vision coverage, individual and spouse long term care insurance, as well as individual life insurance or other death benefit coverage.

All of the above benefits are available to new hires upon retirement.

Flexible spending accounts (FSAs) are available to assist in covering out-of-pocket health care costs.

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