Workers' Compensation: Why older workers are still wanted in the office

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Why older workers are still wanted in the office

Today's post was shared by CRR Boston College and comes from finance.yahoo.com

The number of older employees is proliferating in the workplace. In 2000, about 1 in 8 American workers were older than age 55, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. By 2010, that number had jumped to about 1 in 5. And the bureau projects that this age group will comprise a full quarter of the labor force in 2020.
So what's going on here? It's not all driven by boomers wanting to stay on the job for this reason or that. Some of it's coming from higher demand. Research shows that, as the nature of work changes, some employers are developing programs to retain or recruit workers old enough to retire. And they're showing their appreciation where it counts: Wages for older workers are heading north, according to the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College.
And those enduring myths about older folks -- they aren't productive, they haven't kept up with industry changes, they're just marking time -- are falling by the wayside.

Myths and realities of older workers

At a recent conference on the aging workforce, the National Council on Rehabilitation Education, or NCRE, identified seven long-standing myths about aging workers. They are: technologically inept, slow learners, low-level performers, lacking creativity, not very motivated, less flexible and adaptable, and fear change.
"We're finding these are not necessarily true," says Susanne M. Bruyere, director of the Employment and Disability...

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