We’ve all been reading about older adults “aging in place” and staying in their homes through their retirement since this is a life-style choice that many older adults prefer. What’s usually involved in having retirees remain in their homes are things like physical modifications to the living space--adding grab bars or mechanical lifts--or care-giving options like home health and meal delivery options.

Likewise, as we continue to face the issues of an aging workforce, many employers are needing to retain valuable older workers beyond “normal” retirement age since they often possess necessary work skills, wisdom, and maturity.

Aging in Place at Work So what are the issues of offering “aging in place” options in the workforce? Consider these strategies. Carefully analyze the essential job functions and assess the capabilities and limitations of your older employees. Make modifications to the physical work space where necessary. For example, Vita Needle Manufacturing in Needham, Massachusetts, has re- engineered its quality-focused plant so that much of the equipment is pull-down rather than lift-up. This allows its employees with an average age of 76 to easily perform their jobs. (For more information on Vita Needle, see http://www.workforce.com/archive/article/22/11/ 49.p hp.) Make modifications to the work schedule. Many older adults find that a traditional full-time work schedule no longer meets their needs, but they would enjoy part-time or other flexible work arrangements. Consider part-time assignments, job sharing, or flex workweek options to help meet these needs. Also, some organizations are structuring phased-retirement options. Cross-train your employees so that no employee has to do repetitive tasks, which cause a greater likelihood of work-related injuries such as joint deterioration and chronic pain. Provide mentoring options so that older employees can share their knowledge, experience, and wisdom with younger employees. In addition, provide two- way mentoring so that older adults can learn technical skills from younger workers, as well as pass along information to their younger counterparts. Consider reassignment within the organization to promotional, lateral, or even demotional roles. In order to accomplish this, organizations will need to remove the stigma usually associated with demotion and provide opportunities for growth in place. Increasingly, retaining older workers beyond traditional retirement will be a goal for employers. By exploring various “aging in place” options at work, employers may be better able to harness the opportunity in a graying workplace.

Five No/Low Cost Options for Recruiting Talent Need to beef up your recruitment efforts without depleting your budget? Consider these five tips for more cost-effective recruitment. During new employee orientation, ask your new employees for the names and contact information of friends and former co-workers they would recommend for employment. Don’t wait for them to make referrals; ask them to give you the information on the spot, and make the calls yourself to schedule interviews. Attend a professional meeting. If you need sales professionals, attend the local meeting of the Sales and Marketing Executives. If you need HR professionals, attend the local meeting of the Society for Human Resource Management. Have plenty of business cards to hand out to interested parties. Make phone calls to prospects. Third-party recruiters call prospective candidates and ask the question, “Do you know of anyone who might be interested in this opportunity?” Skip the high fees and make the call yourself, and be sure to also ask, “Who else should I talk with?” Beef up your employee referral program if you already have one in place, or add a new program. Use a limited time campaign. For example, for all those who make a referral who is hired in the next three months, the employees’ names go in a hat for a prize drawing. Select a prize that your employees will value. Use talent scout cards. Print special business- size cards with a recruitment message and provide these to all management employees. Make every manager accountable for recruitment by making a certain number of contacts each month.

RadioShack Flak by Arlene Vernon National Public Radio and ABC TV recently reported RadioShack is closing 400-700 stores nation-wide because of poor 2005 financial results and its CEO is being investigated for falsifying his resume. Since those reports, the CEO has resigned, but only after RadioShack was forced to investigate to discover the truth. In 1994 the future CEO added two college degrees to his resume. Now, what harm could that really bring -- obviously he proved himself strong enough in 11 years to get promoted to CEO in May of 2005. I can't imagine the 2005 fourth quarter's 62% decline in RadioShack's net income could be blamed on two imaginary degrees after 7 months as CEO. But why isn't this situation more shocking to us? Most likely it's because we are becoming more and more jaded by and accepting of people who act without integrity. While this story isn't a major scandal, it is increasingly common in our workplaces and most of us don't care for this trend. The real question is: What are we doing in our organizations to make sure we are not victims of this same deception? Out of general curiosity as to what percentage of stores RadioShack may close (6-10%), I briefly visited its web site. Here's how RadioShack described itself: " Fort Worth, Texas-based RadioShack Corporation (NYSE: RSH) is the nation's most trusted consumer electronics specialty retailer . . . ." Since my sense of humor is a little warped, I found the irony humorous. The company was so trusting, it didn't check its CEO's credentials. But then, do you? Some of you don't do any background or reference checks when you hire new employees. The person looks good on paper and presents well during interviews, and you assume no one is going to tell you anything negative in a reference, so why check? Some of you are legally required to check credentials, licenses, and backgrounds, especially in the health and child services industries. But what about the rest of us? Do you call previous employers or just the references provided? Do you check colleges for degrees? Do you check actual length of service, discuss the depth of the jobs they performed? "No-- I don't have enough time." That's the answer I expect. But perhaps it's time to rethink the liability, integrity, and ethics in your organization. Who do you want working in your organization, and is it worth an extra 30 minutes to discover if they are truly who and what they say they are? Are you a trusting organization or a trusted organization? I've seen statistics stating that up to 60% of resumes are falsified at various levels. That means that you are likely affected by this phenomenon. For some job applicants, it's more important to get the job than to be honest while getting it. Beware, and consider establishing new methods to get the real scoop on the employees you're entrusting your organization to. Arlene Vernon, PHR, partners with small businesses as their Human Resource Xpert to create their HR systems and solve their HR problems. HRx, Inc., Eden Prairie, MN 55344, 952-996-0975, www.HRxcellence.com.

GET THE BEST: How To Recruit The People You Want Get The Best is the recruiting and sourcing idea book, chock full of tips, ideas, and how-to's for finding the best employees for your organization. It provides ideas for using marketing principles in recruitment and specific guidelines to target the right labor market segments creatively, using non-traditional recruitment activities such as telemarketing and direct mail. Get The Best shows how to attract top talent and how to: Target labor market segments, including older workers, people with disabilities, women, and minorities. Creatively use non-traditional recruitment activities such as telemarketing, direct mail, and radio and television. Develop effective newspaper advertising. Improve staffing effectiveness by tracking recruitment data. “Get The Best is essential for every business owner and manager concerned about attracting and hiring the right people—the best people—the first time. If your competitors use this book before you do, they’ll capture the market for the most qualified applicants. The best defense is a good offense!” --Roger Herman, CMC, CSP, CEO The Herman Group Author, Keeping Good People Order from Cathy’s website at http://cathyfyock.com.

Cathy’s March - April Calendar Mar 2 Generational Issues: Why Can’t We All Get Along? MSD, Louisville, KY Mar 7 Job Transition Ministry, Christ Church United Methodist, Louisville, KY Mar 21 Job Transition Ministry, Christ Church United Methodist, Louisville, KY Mar 24, 25, 26 Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Poulenc’s Gloria, Louisville Orchestra, Louisville, KY April 3 – 5 HR Generalist Certificate Program, SHRM, Dallas, TX April 6 Diversity Recruitment and Retention, Texas A&M University System, College Station, TX April 13 HR Book Club, The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling by Stephen Denning, Louisville, KY April 26 KY SHRM Council Meeting April 27 AARP Employment Resource Center Volunteer Leader Training, Louisville, KY Dates for the SHRM HR Generalist Certificate Program ‘06 April 3 – 5 Dallas June 24 – 27 Washington, DC (SHRM annual conference) July 10 – 12 Atlanta Oct 9 – 11 New York City October 30 – Nov 1 Chicago Nov 13 – 15 Washington, DC Nov 29 – Dec 1 Orlando Hold the Date! May 16 LSHRM sponsors Dave Ulrich for a luncheon and workshop, “The HR Value Proposition,” Louisville, KY. Call Cathy for more information at 1- 800-277-0384!

About Cathy Fyock Are you looking for a high-content speaker for your next conference or meeting? Call or email Cathy to find out how she can work with you to meet your specific goals and objectives. Cathy Fyock, CSP, SPHR, is an employment strategist—helping organizations develop strategies to recruit and retain top talent in an aging and changing marketplace. For over 15 years she has combined her knowledge of work-force issues and her talents as a speaker to provide innovative and inspirational learning events. She has helped organizations attract top talent, reduce turnover, and improve productivity in a volatile labor market.

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