Your aarp
Valuing Older Workers
AARP is teaming up with employers to protect age diversity on the job
WHEN APPROACHED about a new AARP initiative to help companies become more welcoming to employees 50 and over, one Manhattan advertising agency wanted in. “We believe talent should not only be valued at every age but be integrated across teams, so everyone benefits from each other’s experience and expertise,” says Jim Lurie, founder and partner of o2kl. “As technology continues to reshape the marketplace, organizations need teams that combine curiosity, adaptability and fresh perspectives.”
Since its launch in March, more than 160 companies have joined the AARP Employer Alliance, which is designed to foster workplaces free of discrimination against older employees and demonstrate how age diversity can make companies stronger.
Roughly two-thirds of workers 50-plus have reported seeing or experiencing age discrimination in the workplace, a number that has not changed since 2024, according to AARP research. And 90 percent of employees enjoy working with people of different ages. “We require participating employers to be committed to building workplaces that welcome and support employees of all ages,” says Heather Tinsley-Fix, a senior adviser of employer engagement at AARP. The newly launched alliance replaces AARP’s Employer Pledge Program, in which more than 3,000 businesses pledged their commitment to age diversity but were not required to take specific steps to make workplaces more equitable. The new program provides employers with support and resources and helps them share best practices on how to get the most from their age-diverse teams. That could include training workers in new skills, providing mentoring programs for employees to better prepare them for changing job requirements or making workplaces more comfortable for older workers.
“Part of our mission is to enable workers 50-plus to remain in the workforce as long as they want or need to,” Tinsley-Fix says. “Cost-of-living increases have driven people out of retirement, and we want to make sure they are welcomed by employers.”
Companies can participate in two different ways. Tier 1 companies learn and network. Employers receive an introduction to the program and gain access to AARP resources, such as newsletters and workshops.
Those who join Tier 2 commit to concrete policies to create multigenerational workforces. Companies pledge to take at least one action each year to build an organization that welcomes older workers. More employers have been interested in this tier, which gets them more involved in taking action to benefit older employees.
For savvy employers, an age-diverse workplace is a competitive edge. “The more diverse the perspectives around the table, the better equipped we are to deliver stronger outcomes for our clients,” Lurie says.
Go to aarp.org/employeralliance to learn more about the initiative.
Claire Leibowitz is an AARP associate editor.