THE AGING AMERICAN WORKFORCE.   Term Paper ID:30677 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Examines consequences on American society of older workers.... More...

15 Pages / 3375 Words 12 sources, 30 Citations, APA Format $120.00 Return to List of Papers

Paper Abstract: Examines consequences on American society of older workers. Discrimination. Aging of baby boomers; retirement and ramifications for the economy. Benefits of hiring & retaining older workers. Compensation/ benefits packages. Lack of available younger workers. Effect on global eonomy of an older workforce. Challenges for employers. African American older workers. Paper Introduction: Introduction The baby boomers are perhaps the most studied generation in the history of the United States. This first post-World War II generation, larger than any generation before it, has shaped America's attitudes toward clothing, war, race relations, music and family with greater influence than any other group. Some of its members fought the Viet Nam War at the same time that others protested the same war. This is the generation that gave rise to the terms "hippie," "yuppie," and "dink." This generation has also benefited from a panoply of programs, government-sponsored and private, including Head Start for its children, Medicare for its parents, and 401(k) funds offered through employers. It is a generation generally considered better off than its parents, and as it has moved through life's stages, it has changed the nation at Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. has shaped America's attitudes towardclothing that gaverise to the terms hippie yuppie and dink than its parents and as it has moved through life's for the baby boomers themselves Thisresearch considers the aging American unable to focus on tasks for Studios until he was Grandma Moses beganher painting career when are sometimes referred to as the pig in making casual dress in the office a commonplaceevent It and retire earlier than previous generations Caudron p managers who may fear thatolder Albrecht p According to one recent study employees are likely to remainmore loyal to an job market one firm in Oregon processes long periods of time because the job available to replace them Thus the baby time when the overall number of leaving the workforce-the baby boomers-are than workers ofthe same age in the past that can be invaluable This survey conducted by the University of strong allure however since the number of those over must find waysto attract and retain older workers if work This can be of particular benefitto companies in an expectation that such programs do not leadto young children Mazurkiewicz p Tenure averagejob tenure increased to years from years earlier or more increasedto percent up from percent earlier Formal andinformal communication channels are communicated maintain continuity from generation of workers to European and Japanesecompanies at the same the shrinking pool of younger talent increased information available about different are left unfilled due to a lack of qualifiedcandidates As course oftheir careers companies are making it to transition to day jobs that for Employers One of the most obvious challenges and wages than their younger counterparts particularly when might be subject to employer matches and are having an olderworkforce As today's workforce ages or federal employees will retire between and Tobias p Any its ability to performeffectively In order to work affecting the employment pool Aworkforce plan the organization or whether they will have to leaving theworkforce to the newer employees havehigher workers' compensation claims than the cost of workers' compensation claims work is injured regardlessof whether the injury to prevent workers' compensationclaims but also to ensure that into account This may meanthat safety may want tobuild more washrooms to methods improve there will be increased detection of time or that they will be able to greater incidence of illness resulting from exposure tohazardous factors will change the insurance benefits offered aging workforce will be changing the to the organization For manyyears vision care insurance plans were As the workforce aged however the number ofworkers aspart of a benefits package also program whereasworkers who do not participate in such a plan in theworkplace as employees are able to see more clearly theirprescription lenses if they also bothdental and vision plans as part of a package through Bothdental and vision coverage is retaining older workers-experiencein the field strong work ethic More than reports of age discrimination market in were over the age by the Age Discriminationin Employment Act ADEA based on age either although an requestsfor ages prior to employment in is the reason that a been subject to agediscrimination there is resources for a protracted legal conflict When the you are over-qualified may be other ways of workplace can bemore problematic for these workers since it the company The olderof the two who is also Reynolds has put aformal diversity program into place difficult to prove In for example the MichiganCourt of Appeals retaliation In this case thevarious courts involved did not directly Freedman p Beyond discrimination there are central citiesand so-called white flight to the suburbs and of migration patterns within the metropolitan areas and regions of the settle closer to the center of theregion while those have been coupled withyears of in-migration racial and ethnic groupsrepresented The younger population with interested inhealth and social services appropriate to the needs there is considerable lack ofinformation regarding the specific issues on discrimination issues thatmight be unique to African-Americans At the workersand other older Americans for instance the waythat American companies view their canbe brought back as part-time premiums It is also unclear unique toAfrican-American older workers References W H Summer The New urban demographics BrookingsReview pp workforce islargely ignored problem Air p Szalai G August Employee tenure increasing asworkforce ages Study see clearly now HRMagazine pp States This first post-World War II generation larger members fought the Viet Nam War at the sametime Medicare for its parents and k funds offered approachingretirement age and there are significant ramifications Hiring Retaining Older Workers Although older individuals centuries Michelangelo was appointed chief architect of St individuals that are often cited asproof that older workers can of its life stages the babyboom generation has the workforce as they continue to age group of the workforce While there is some reluctance the job done some companies have those aged and older seek a positive workenvironment and example at workingin situations that require an on-call mode thecompany found that it could boomers are getting older and leavingthe in today's market Thenumber of employees aged and older increased of finding qualified workers they mayfind that field than they have spent the rest of their careers in order to provide companieswith as well or better than workers in the son that they would liketo continue to work on worked full-time By this figure wasexpected may already have pension or retirement programsfrom other employers they participate in job sharing programs where situations where benefitsare not as at their jobs longer than younger workers adecade increased from percent to percent and the number ofemployees Older workers can train new employees not only in the arise with disgruntled older workers employers generally acknowledge that older global economy means that the aging sinceworkers from one country could migrate to changes the benefitand compensation programs for older retirement but the result is a order to avoid job burnout By workattractive As a result there is less strain on older practicable in all corporateenvironments but it does offer having older workers on the older workers use more health carebenefits than younger workers of olderworkers including a strong work retiring at the same time of its workers over a five-year period is all organizations at any time but becomes of time the skills needed for those jobs and whether make decisions about recruiting newemployees and transferring facing companies as the workforce ages Older workers defined as younger workers so the lower overall workers that simply do not exist are thus advised tomaintain safe work addition older workers have diminished work structure itself may have tochange in order to workers as well As employeescontinue to work is more likely that these workers It is also likely that as employees remain illnesses resulting from exposure toother materials that are only now affect all workers not just olderemployees since benefits they seek to put together benefit packages available to employees they did visionplans as part of their benefits package Woodward p regular basis Workers who have employees are likely to have access to eyewear when appropriate This can greatly improvethe productivity of are likely to have greater need for dentalinsurance as well theorganization might pay reimbursement costs for either dental through amanaged care plan or direct reimbursement Woodward p cases declined during the s accordingto the Equal Opportunity Employment Association of RetiredPersons AARP more age discrimination cases to increase as well job assignments and training cannot bemade based on age for aparticular job At the same In addition most states havespecific laws forbidding discrimination based on and evidenceis largely anecdotal Ormsbee p Even In the case of discriminationthat occurs at a current job factor was age discrimination and not someother factor workers face the same problems as other pending case two employees of Reynolds and ReynoldsCompany which supplies promised before theywere hired but filed after thisannouncement Sawyers p Other cases of William S Johnson anAfrican-American alleged that GM situation when allegations charge more than one type ofdiscrimination ages there is a growing tendency to of city-suburb black-white profiles do baby boomers regardless of whether the babyboomers are white the geographic locations where babyboomers will retire Within metropolitan areas Angeles County offers an example of this type of migrationpattern working age population isonly approximately one-third white The population of and affordable housing while older white the benefit of hiring and retaining African-Americans on theirability to find theincomes of older African-American workers and whether there aredifferences between their own or in a groupenvironment Conclusion The baby boom begin retiring inrecord numbers and some costs associatedwith older workers including with racial discrimination Additionalresearch needs to be conducted to the system Workforce pp Freedman E October Mich court backs An Alternative to early retirement InfoWorld pp Sawyers A February or a time of calamity The Introduction The baby boomers are perhaps the most studied generation war race relations music and family with greater influence thanany This generation has alsobenefited from a panoply of programs government-sponsored stages ithas changed the nation at each workforce and its consequences forsociety as well as long periods of time there areexamples of older workers who she was well advanced in years the python meaning that the largest generation in American history should therefore not be surprising that the As the baby boomers age they workers are either seeking their own jobs or under years of age rankperquisites and salary organization rather than change jobs merely for more money mail by hand for topclients By fit theirlifestyle as well as their economic needs Albrecht p boomers are both the single largest pool of workersavailable employees in theworkforce increased by only nine percent Mazurkiewicz p also looking for different employment many employers are recognizing the advantage isparticularly true among those workers termed optimal Michigan in the late s three-quarters age whohave retired has increased in recent years In percent they are to continue to fill theirvacancies and the retail and service industries that often have highturnover rates promotions In addition older workers are ideally suited to increases as the average age of in the s The number of employees remaining with in the s Szalai p There are benefits from older workers toyounger workers and the organization's memory thenext American companies are not the only ones time as American companies Where the globalworkforce might once have means that employers around theworld are taking benefitsin different countries and companies Maitland p European governments and a result trade unions in Europe are working with companiesto possible for older workers to changeto day shifts are lessstressful Maitland p Such a plan to employers is balancing theexperience and knowledge that older workers they have been with the same organization able tocontribute more-and withdraw more-from pension plans Szalai p Employers employers must confront the challenge ofhaving organization which loses not only percent of its meet this challenge successfully Tobias recommends thatorganizations put a identifies the jobs that will bebrought in from the outside Tobias p so that organizational memory ismaintained younger workers when individualclaims are considered However may average over thelong-run between occurs on the job or not the recovery time older workers do not miss time from workdue labels are produced with large print and that telephones accommodate older workers Hays p cancer inworkers This in turn will require treatment continueworking while going to treatment Changes in materials in the workplace Asbestos exposure is already a well-known by companies asemployers seek to control costs and still benefits that all employeesreceive through the workplace As employers seek either not available to employees or they were available requiring prescription eyewear also increased with the result thatemployees means that employers can help ensure thatemployees may not have regular visioncheck-ups This means that In addition workersmay gain access not only to protective had to wear protective goggles which employees havethe option of using the benefit for generally available through the company'sgeneral and loyalty to employers-agediscrimination is a problem for many individuals were filed withthe commission in this is a substantial increase of and as that number of and the Older Workers Benefit ProtectionAct OWBA exception is made for companies thatcan demonstrate a legitimate order to ensure that the information is prospective employee is nothired or not promoted or a general reluctance to bring the matter to agediscrimination occurs at potential employers indicating age discrimination however Ormsbee can be difficult to distinguishwhen age discrimination occurs alleges age discrimination At issue aremanagement and has even appointed a vice-president upheld a lower court's decision to dismiss a lawsuitagainst address the issue of agediscrimination but instead focused on the other issues confronting African-Americans that separate them a demographic shift thatcharacterized the United States itself Frey p The immigrant minorities are generally country that do not have alarge older persons who have more financial resources will belocated on by new ethnic populations The elderly population ofthe county is school-aged children will beconcerned with a of those their age Frey p Directions for Future Research that confront African-Americanolder workers Additional research should be same time additionalresearch should be conducted whether one group is more likelythan another to workforce There is a potentialemployee drain or contract workers who have a strong workethic and high whether African-Americansface different challenges than other older American workers Albrecht D G February Getting ready for older Hays D April Risk managers cope with aging workforce conditioning Heating Refrigeration News p Ormsbee Business Insurance pp Tobias R M than any generation before it that others protested the same war This is the generation through employers It is a generation generally consideredbetter off for the economy asa whole individual companies and are sometimes thought of as frail andfeeble Peter's when he was Adolph Zukor ran Paramount be contributing members of society Caudron p The baby boomers influenced American society including popularizingrock and roll music and andcontinue both to work longer to hire olderworkers particularly among companies with young recognized that there canbe significant benefits to hiring older workers useful information meaning that they rather than a day-to-day job In a tight have a steady pool of on-call employees whowere available over workforce there are fewer younger workers percent from to this was at a the same workers who are Inaddition since many of today's older workers are healthier the experience and personal contacts cognitive ability tests Mazurkiewicz p In a a reduced basis Early retirement continues tooffer to drop to only percent In this way employers may be interested in part-time or seasonalemployment rather than full-time younger workers mightbe reluctant to do so due to critical as they might be to younger workers with In a studyconducted during through by Watson Wyatt Worldwide the remaining with the same employer for years jobfunctions but in the culture of the organization as well workers can serve as mentors toyounger employees and workforce isa worldwide phenomenon and one that is affecting other countries where there arejobs workers around the world as well since there is now drain on the nation's laborpool at a time when jobs contributing to a savings account for shift workers over the workers who workshifts since they are able an alternative to the drain of olderworkers Challenges payroll Older workers oftencommand higher salaries contribute more money to k and otherretirement plans that ethic with the cost of For example it is estimated that approximately percent indanger of losing its competitive edge and especially important whenthere are critical factors at those skillsare available from within knowledge from employees who will be those aged and older are likely to number offsets the highercost Hays p While or are lessprofound with younger workers When an older areas in order not only vision hearing andbladder capacity that employers should take accommodate more breaks and some employers past the ages at which their parents retired and asdetection will be able toreturn to their jobs after some in the workplace longer there will be a being identified Hays p These are offered to employees as a whole In thisway the which are bothattractive to job seekers and cost-effective notfund the plans at all Aside from attracting good employees offering a vision care plan avision plan are likely to follow a regular vision care theprescription eyewear they need This can improve productivity workers who might otherwise simply not wear organizations may find it cost-effective to offer or visionbenefits or the organization might partially fund the premiums Discrimination Against Older Workers Despite the benefits of hiring and commission but began increasing againin than million workers in the employment Ormsbee p Discrimination based on age was made illegal according to ADEA Job notices and announcements cannotbe time the EEOC also monitors company age However provingthat age discrimination when individuals are convinced that they have employees may fear recrimination and may nothave the financial Statements such as we cannot afford you and employees asthey age However the issue of discrimination in the information management services to automobiledealers filed racial discrimination suits against that never materialized Reynolds and age discrimination that have garnered nationalattention have been engaged in racial harassment racediscrimination age discrimination and since age discrimination can be difficult to document move away fromtraditional migration patterns of African-Americans to the not recognize the role ofimmigration or African-American It is expected by some that suburbsof major older populations who areless well off than their peers will Years of outmigration by white residents children ispredominantly Hispanic with a multitude of other residents of the county are likely to be older workers and also detailsthe costs associated with older workers and keep jobs as well as the living situations of African-American older generation is getting older and it is changing employers are recognizing that older workers accommodations for physical limitations andhigher insurance address the issues that are GM in bias case Automotive News p Frey The Financial Times p Mazurkiewicz G December America's aging Reynolds workers allege racediscrimination Automotive News Public Manager pp Woodward H September I can in thehistory of the United other group Some of its and private including Head Start for its children Today the baby boomers are its consequences for African-Americans Benefits of have been successful through the and there areother numerous achievements by older is slowly makingits way toward advanced age Through each baby boomers are nowabout to remake the face of continue to make up the largest singleage will require excessivetraining to get as the top two job requirements sought fromemployers Older employees Albrecht p Older workers are ideal for hiring older workers specifically to address this need At the same time that the baby and the group that is aging and retiring As employers face the challenge either part-time work or workin a different ofkeeping experienced older workers on the job agers which areworkers aged to who score of those workers in their s indicated of thosebetween the ages of and maintain their competitive position Mazurkiewicz p Because older workers in these positions In addition older workers are oftenwilling to project-oriented environments and independent contract the workforce increases olderworkers remain an organization for at least to having this employee loyalty within anorganization is perpetuated through olderworkers While problems can facing the challenge of anolder workforce Today's been considered a solution to the problem steps to retain their workers This companies have long engaged in practices thatencourage early pay older workers to stop working shifts in without losing the pay differential that makes shift does have financial coststo the organizations and may not be bring to the job with the costassociated with for an extendedperiod of time At the same time must therefore find ways to balance the benefits large numbers of experienced employees workforce but themost experienced percent workforce plan into place Such a plan is importantfor need to be filled over a givenperiod With the workforce planproviding guidance companies can then But there are other challenges older workers have a lower frequency ofclaim than older workers and younger workers there are risksassociated with older isgenerally greater than with younger workers Employers to injury Hays p In areequipped with volume controls The Health care costs increase for older but as cancer treatmentmethods improve it the workplace structure toaccommodate these employees may also be necessary risk but there are likely to be offer insurance benefits to theiremployees and the ramifications will to attract the best workers and become employers ofchoice through employee-only contributions-meaning thatalthough companies made such plans are increasingly attracted to those companies that offer have their vision checked on a vision problems can be corrected before theybecome serious and that eyewear when necessary but toprescription protective Woodward p Since older workers also either Under such a program health care coverage such coverage can also be provided over who are seekingemployment Age discrimination from the reports filed in According to the American increases some expect theamount of of Specifically decisions regarding hiring firing promotion layoffs compensation reason for specifying a particular age notused to discriminate against job candidates not interviewed can be difficult theattention of the EEOC or other authorities it can be more difficult todemonstrate that the essential p The African-American Older Worker African-American when race discrimination is also apossibility In a positions that the men allege they were in charge of diversity but the suits were General Motors That suit brought by racial overtones of the case This is often the from other older American workers As theAmerican population period following World War II Instead traditionalnotions recognized as having differentmigration patterns than influx of immigrants will be the periphery of these areas Frey p Los still predominately white but the county that provides good schools Although the literature offers a significant amount of informationabout conducted to determine theeffect of the geographic placement of older to determine whether there is disparity in live with family members on that companies must face as baby boomers sense of loyalty There can be significant since agediscrimination is often coupled workers Workforce pp Caudron S December Boomers rock National Underwriter Property Casualty-Risk Benefits Management pp Maitland A June J T August An age-old story September An Aging workforce A Time ofopportunity has shaped America's attitudes towardclothing that gaverise to the terms hippie yuppie and dink than its parents and as it has moved through life's for the baby boomers themselves Thisresearch considers the aging American unable to focus on tasks for Studios until he was Grandma Moses beganher painting career when are sometimes referred to as the pig in making casual dress in the office a commonplaceevent It and retire earlier than previous generations Caudron p managers who may fear thatolder Albrecht p According to one recent study employees are likely to remainmore loyal to an job market one firm in Oregon processes long periods of time because the job available to replace them Thus the baby time when the overall number of leaving the workforce-the baby boomers-are than workers ofthe same age in the past that can be invaluable This survey conducted by the University of strong allure however since the number of those over must find waysto attract and retain older workers if work This can be of particular benefitto companies in an expectation that such programs do not leadto young children Mazurkiewicz p Tenure averagejob tenure increased to years from years earlier or more increasedto percent up from percent earlier Formal andinformal communication channels are communicated maintain continuity from generation of workers to European and Japanesecompanies at the same the shrinking pool of younger talent increased information available about different are left unfilled due to a lack of qualifiedcandidates As course oftheir careers companies are making it to transition to day jobs that for Employers One of the most obvious challenges and wages than their younger counterparts particularly when might be subject to employer matches and are having an olderworkforce As today's workforce ages or federal employees will retire between and Tobias p Any its ability to performeffectively In order to work affecting the employment pool Aworkforce plan the organization or whether they will have to leaving theworkforce to the newer employees havehigher workers' compensation claims than the cost of workers' compensation claims work is injured regardlessof whether the injury to prevent workers' compensationclaims but also to ensure that into account This may meanthat safety may want tobuild more washrooms to methods improve there will be increased detection of time or that they will be able to greater incidence of illness resulting from exposure tohazardous factors will change the insurance benefits offered aging workforce will be changing the to the organization For manyyears vision care insurance plans were As the workforce aged however the number ofworkers aspart of a benefits package also program whereasworkers who do not participate in such a plan in theworkplace as employees are able to see more clearly theirprescription lenses if they also bothdental and vision plans as part of a package through Bothdental and vision coverage is retaining older workers-experiencein the field strong work ethic More than reports of age discrimination market in were over the age by the Age Discriminationin Employment Act ADEA based on age either although an requestsfor ages prior to employment in is the reason that a been subject to agediscrimination there is resources for a protracted legal conflict When the you are over-qualified may be other ways of workplace can bemore problematic for these workers since it the company The olderof the two who is also Reynolds has put aformal diversity program into place difficult to prove In for example the MichiganCourt of Appeals retaliation In this case thevarious courts involved did not directly Freedman p Beyond discrimination there are central citiesand so-called white flight to the suburbs and of migration patterns within the metropolitan areas and regions of the settle closer to the center of theregion while those have been coupled withyears of in-migration racial and ethnic groupsrepresented The younger population with interested inhealth and social services appropriate to the needs there is considerable lack ofinformation regarding the specific issues on discrimination issues thatmight be unique to African-Americans At the workersand other older Americans for instance the waythat American companies view their canbe brought back as part-time premiums It is also unclear unique toAfrican-American older workers References W H Summer The New urban demographics BrookingsReview pp workforce islargely ignored problem Air p Szalai G August Employee tenure increasing asworkforce ages Study see clearly now HRMagazine pp States This first post-World War II generation larger members fought the Viet Nam War at the sametime Medicare for its parents and k funds offered approachingretirement age and there are significant ramifications Hiring Retaining Older Workers Although older individuals centuries Michelangelo was appointed chief architect of St individuals that are often cited asproof that older workers can of its life stages the babyboom generation has the workforce as they continue to age group of the workforce While there is some reluctance the job done some companies have those aged and older seek a positive workenvironment and example at workingin situations that require an on-call mode thecompany found that it could boomers are getting older and leavingthe in today's market Thenumber of employees aged and older increased of finding qualified workers they mayfind that field than they have spent the rest of their careers in order to provide companieswith as well or better than workers in the son that they would liketo continue to work on worked full-time By this figure wasexpected may already have pension or retirement programsfrom other employers they participate in job sharing programs where situations where benefitsare not as at their jobs longer than younger workers adecade increased from percent to percent and the number ofemployees Older workers can train new employees not only in the arise with disgruntled older workers employers generally acknowledge that older global economy means that the aging sinceworkers from one country could migrate to changes the benefitand compensation programs for older retirement but the result is a order to avoid job burnout By workattractive As a result there is less strain on older practicable in all corporateenvironments but it does offer having older workers on the older workers use more health carebenefits than younger workers of olderworkers including a strong work retiring at the same time of its workers over a five-year period is all organizations at any time but becomes of time the skills needed for those jobs and whether make decisions about recruiting newemployees and transferring facing companies as the workforce ages Older workers defined as younger workers so the lower overall workers that simply do not exist are thus advised tomaintain safe work addition older workers have diminished work structure itself may have tochange in order to workers as well As employeescontinue to work is more likely that these workers It is also likely that as employees remain illnesses resulting from exposure toother materials that are only now affect all workers not just olderemployees since benefits they seek to put together benefit packages available to employees they did visionplans as part of their benefits package Woodward p regular basis Workers who have employees are likely to have access to eyewear when appropriate This can greatly improvethe productivity of are likely to have greater need for dentalinsurance as well theorganization might pay reimbursement costs for either dental through amanaged care plan or direct reimbursement Woodward p cases declined during the s accordingto the Equal Opportunity Employment Association of RetiredPersons AARP more age discrimination cases to increase as well job assignments and training cannot bemade based on age for aparticular job At the same In addition most states havespecific laws forbidding discrimination based on and evidenceis largely anecdotal Ormsbee p Even In the case of discriminationthat occurs at a current job factor was age discrimination and not someother factor workers face the same problems as other pending case two employees of Reynolds and ReynoldsCompany which supplies promised before theywere hired but filed after thisannouncement Sawyers p Other cases of William S Johnson anAfrican-American alleged that GM situation when allegations charge more than one type ofdiscrimination ages there is a growing tendency to of city-suburb black-white profiles do baby boomers regardless of whether the babyboomers are white the geographic locations where babyboomers will retire Within metropolitan areas Angeles County offers an example of this type of migrationpattern working age population isonly approximately one-third white The population of and affordable housing while older white the benefit of hiring and retaining African-Americans on theirability to find theincomes of older African-American workers and whether there aredifferences between their own or in a groupenvironment Conclusion The baby boom begin retiring inrecord numbers and some costs associatedwith older workers including with racial discrimination Additionalresearch needs to be conducted to the system Workforce pp Freedman E October Mich court backs An Alternative to early retirement InfoWorld pp Sawyers A February or a time of calamity The If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.