More than half of Americans have found themselves less financially secure than they thought they'd be at this point in their lives. For that reason, more expect to put off retirement and work later in life.
The AARP may not have been thinking along those lines when it created its Best Employers for Workers Over 50 awards in 2001. But given retirement trends today, AARP looks practically precient in deciding to spotlight these employers.
The winners of the awards — co-sponsored by the Society for Human Resource Management – are selected based on programs that help them "retain, retrain, engage and recruit" older workers. The list of this year's winners includes employers from a variety of sectors, including nonprofit, health care, universities, financial services, construction, aerospace and federal and county government.
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And now, without further ado, here are the top five winners of 2013:
1. National Institutes of Health
NIH participates in an annual 50-plus job fair and sends letters to recent NIH retirees to notify them of current job openings. In addition, NIH uses organizations such as Peace Corps Returned Volunteers, community agencies for veterans, professional membership organizations, and local college/university alumni associations for recruiting.
2. Scripps Health
Scripps uses senior placement agencies to target mature workers and retirees. The organization also posts positions on career websites such as RetirementCommunity.com and RetirementJobs.com. Scripps hires former experienced employees through its Scripps Alumni Program.
3. Atlantic Health System
Atlantic Health System retirees in its 1,000-Hour Club can return to work either on a part-time or per diem basis three months after retirement. The retiree can work up to 999 hours annually and continue to collect retirement benefits. Retirees can attend hospital-based and community health fairs where they receive free health screenings on cholesterol, cardiac risk factor ratio, body mass index, blood pressure, prostate cancer, hearing loss, skin cancer and glucose levels.
4. The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
MD Anderson provides numerous health care savings benefits to its employees and retirees. Medical premiums are paid at 100 percent for full-time employees, flexible spending accounts (FSAs) are offered and employees are given a $15/month WorkLife Choice Award for participating in the FSA. Retirees receive free medical and prescription premiums, and are eligible to purchase additional life insurance, dental, vision and long-term care insurance at group rates.
5. Mercy Health System
Mercy's "Work to Retire" program allows employees age 50-plus with five years of service the opportunity to work reduced, pool or work-at-home schedules, and employees age 55-plus with 15 years of service can work seasonally while maintaining full-year, part-time benefits. The Mercy Retiree Association offers numerous free benefits such as health screenings, lunch-and-learn programs, financial planning seminars and retirement planning education, elder care counseling, and special retiree discounts on Mercy services and retail products.
Note: For the full list of winners and for more information on the 2013 Best Employers, go to www.aarp.org/bestemployers.
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