Older Adults: Work‐Related Issues and Implications for Counseling

In a period of business downsizing, older workers are at risk for unemployment. They often have difficulty finding suitable replacement jobs and frequently face emotional and financial distress. Employers, as well as older workers, may have perceptions and concerns that can create barriers to reemployment. Older workers are a valuable asset in the labor market. Their plight affects society as a whole. Counselors should be aware of work related issues of older workers, career theories and supporting research pertaining to this unique population, and suitable interventions with which to help older adults make smooth career and life transitions.     

Sick leave -- Cushion or entitlement? A study of age cohorts' attitudes and practices in two Australian workplaces

Stereotypes of older people suggest that they may experience more sickness and injury therefore may not be as productive as younger employees. The present paper attempts to test these stereotypes and reports research into patterns of sick leave in different age cohorts and attitudes towards the use of sick leave. The research was carried out at two case study sites. Managers were interviewed and focus groups were held with workers. A complex pattern was found, suggesting structural issues such as sick leave entitlements, workplace organisation, and flexible work patterns interacted with managers' and workers' attitudes, age, gender and family responsibilities. Flexible workplace hours, and part payment for unused sick leave and insecurity of employment appeared as important factors in reducing absenteeism. The most striking finding was that older workers past pensionable age took the least sick leave. Older workers were careful to conserve sick leave as a 'cushion' for serious illness. Workplace pressures especially those resulting from the failure of management to replace absent workers resulted in work pressure on peers and thus reluctance of workers to take leave.     

Working Longer May Be Good Public Policy,But It Is Not Necessarily Good for Older People

Older people are facing a changed set of expectations regarding work and retirement. Until quite recently early retirement was being encouraged. Today's older workers, however, are contemplating longer working lives amid policy concerns about the costs of social welfare associated with an aging population. While working longer is, almost universally, being promoted as a social and individual good this article argues that this policy shift is unlikely to change the situation of many older workers who would have needed to continue working anyway. It also argues that the emphasis on prolonged employment undervalues engagement in activities beyond employment. As well, it argues that the emphasis on prolonging employment neglects to account for the attendant risks for many of continuing to work or having to seek work and the potential health- and well-being-enhancing effects of retirement.     

Attitudes About Working Beyond Normal Retirement Age: The Role of Mandatory Retirement

The Dutch government abolished mandatory retirement for national-level civil servants in 2008, but not for employees in other sectors. This study analyzes whether national-level civil servants have different attitudes and plans about working beyond normal retirement age than employees in other sectors. Results show no clear differences between the groups. A national ban on mandatory retirement would presumably not lead to many more older workers continuing to work beyond normal retirement, but would need to be integrated in a much broader policy reform that also addresses employment protection legislation and seniority-based wages.     

Older Workers: The ‘Unavoidable Obligation’ of Extending Our Working Lives?

Older workers are becoming an increasing topic of research interest and policy concern as the populations of Europe, the United States and many other countries age. Some commentators argue that living longer means that there will be an ‘unavoidable obligation’ to work for longer as well. This article considers the reasons for concern about an ageing workforce. It then looks at the different literatures, which seek to research and understand the position of older workers. It provides a snapshot of the work that those over 50 years of age in the UK currently do and poses the question of whether we want to work for longer or whether a culture of early retirement prevails. It concludes by arguing for a more fine grained understanding of the composition of the older worker cohort, differentiated by class, gender and race and for more research on flexible work, gradual retirement and managing health at work.     

Work and Family over the Life Course: Do Older Workers Differ?

This study explored how older workers (age 55+) differed from middle-aged (ages 35–54) and young workers (<35 years) in their experience of the work–family interface. Data came from a subset of a survey conducted by a multi-national corporation in 79 countries (N = 41,813, n = 2,700). Older workers reported significantly less work-to-family and family-to-work conflict and greater work–family fit, life success, and work success than middle-aged and young workers. They reported significantly greater job flexibility and job satisfaction but were significantly less likely to be aware of and use work–family programs than young workers. Older men reported significantly less awareness and use of work-life programs and less family-to-work conflict than older women. Implications of this research are presented.     

Health insurance portability: COBRA expansions and job mobility

This Issue Brief discusses continuation-of-coverage mandates under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA). It provides background information on health insurance portability and job mobility, data on the cost to employers of providing continuation of coverage to former employees, and a summary of empirical research on COBRA's effect on employee benefits and job mobility. COBRA coverage can be considered advantageous for most workers, as it allows continuation of the health insurance policy they had in place at work when they lose or leave a job. Although employees can be required to pay 102 percent of the premium for COBRA coverage, they can usually realize significant savings compared with the cost of purchasing the equivalent insurance policy in the private market. Many employers consider COBRA to be a costly mandate for three reasons. First, premiums collected from COBRA beneficiaries typically do not cover the costs of the health care services rendered. Second, COBRA imposes an additional administrative cost on employers. Third, many employers view the penalties for noncompliance as excessively large. According to a survey conducted by Charles D. Spencer & Associates, of the 10.2 percent of employees and dependents who were eligible for COBRA coverage in 1996, over 28 percent elected it. In addition, average employer claims costs for COBRA beneficiaries amounted to $5,591, compared with $3,332 for active employees in surveyed plans. According to Employee Benefit Research Institute estimates of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), the COBRA population is much older than the general insured population. COBRA beneficiaries also have higher personal income than the general insured population, with this difference being almost entirely due to differences in retirement income. Any attempt to expand COBRA coverage, either through subsidies or by allowing workers to choose from plans with lower premiums, would likely result in increased employer health care costs. As a result, employers may consider various alternatives to reduce, shift, or eliminate the impact of this increased cost. One alternative would be to continue requiring active employees to share in the increased costs through higher employee contributions. A second alternative would be to reduce or eliminate health care benefits for active employees and/or future retirees and their families. A third alternative would be to reduce the size of the work force eligible for health insurance benefits. Finally, employers may pass additional costs on to workers or consumers.     

Einstellungen gegenüber ?lteren Besch?ftigten

The ??Beliefs About Older Workers Questionnaire?? (Hassell und Perrewe, Journal of Organizational Behavior 16(5):457?C468, 1995) was developed to analyze beliefs about older workers and comprises 27 questions. In this article we present a German version of the ??Beliefs About Older Workers Questionnaire??. We design two versions of the questionnaire, one for beliefs about older female and one for beliefs about older male workers. We report results of a study in which the German questionnaires for male and female workers were administered and tested for the first time. We observed neutral to slightly negative beliefs about older workers. The study identified impacts of the gender of subjects and objects on beliefs about older workers. However, these were rather small. Organizations could profit from instruments like the presented questionnaire to identify age stereotypes and the need for accordant measures. Repeated application of the questionnaire or simultaneous application in other organizational units or organizations would enable organizations to evaluate applied measures or to learn from good practice in other organizational units or organizations.     

Client satisfaction with live-in and live-out home care workers in Israel

In an era of globalization where the migration of longterm care workers is common, foreign live-in home care workers can compensate for the unavailability of family members and, perhaps, even substitute for institutional care in the provision of long-term care services to disabled older persons. This study examines differences in home care satisfaction between disabled older persons in Israel with "live-in" home care workers and those with "live-out" workers, and explores some differences in sociodemographic and personal characteristics between these two groups. Face-to-face interviews were held with a random sample of 93 older persons in Beer-Sheva. Older persons with live-in home care workers were more satisfied with their home care service than those with live-out workers. Those with live-in workers were more severely disabled, tended not to have any children living in close proximity, although an adult child was available as an informal caregiver. Communication difficulties between the elderly persons and their home care workers were found not to affect negatively the satisfaction with the service.     

Phased Retirement for Older Workers in Taiwan

Working part-time has become a popular option during transition from a full-time career job to full retirement among older workers all over the world. Five waves of The Survey of Health and Living Status of the Elderly in Taiwan, from 1989 to 2003, are used to study older workers?? part-time work behaviors. The data confirm that more than 20% of full-time older workers with at least 10?years of job tenure do not fully retire from their career jobs. Moreover, there exists a significant proportion of older workers who stay with their career jobs and work part-time. We found that due to pension regulations, public sector employees are less likely to stay with their long-term employers and use phased retirement options.     

Client Satisfaction with Live-In and Live-Out Home Care Workers in Israel

Abstract

In an era of globalization where the migration of long-term care workers is common, foreign live-in home care workers can compensate for the unavailability of family members and, perhaps, even substitute for institutional care in the provision of long-term care services to disabled older persons.

This study examines differences in home care satisfaction between disabled older persons in Israel with “live-in” home care workers and those with “live-out” workers, and explores some differences in socio-demographic and personal characteristics between these two groups. Face-to-face interviews were held with a random sample of 93 older persons in Beer-Sheva.

Older persons with live-in home care workers were more satisfied with their home care service than those with live-out workers. Those with live-in workers were more severely disabled, tended not to have any children living in close proximity, although an adult child was available as an informal caregiver. Communication difficulties between the elderly persons and their home care workers were found not to affect negatively the satisfaction with the service.     

W/age bias in worker displacement: how industrial structure shapes the job loss and earnings decline of older American workers

This paper examines age differences in patterns of worker displacement and employment and earnings changes of displaced workers. Data from the 1998 Displaced Worker Supplement (DWS) of the Current Population Survey (CPS) indicate that older displaced workers possessed higher weekly wages than did younger workers at the time of their displacement. Moreover, older displaced workers suffered greater amounts of earnings loss than did younger displaced workers. Older workers, more often than younger workers, were displaced from jobs in the goods-producing sector. We attribute this age and industry difference in displacement to the higher earnings premium of older workers in the goods producing sector relative to the earnings premium of older workers in the service-producing sector. The age bias against older displaced workers may be viewed as part of social structural changes in the economy that have reduced the wage premium of the more expensive age segment of the workforce within industries that may economically benefit the most.     

Intercounty Variability of Net Migration at Older Ages as a Path‐Dependent Process

This article seeks to identify factors associated with the formation and development of nonmetropolitan destinations for older in‐migration, thereby explaining why some U.S. counties are more likely than others to be nonmetro retirement destinations. We contend that most nonmetro retirement destinations are established and developed over time through a path‐dependent process. When amenities are commodified as recreation and tourism, migration streams tend to be established that ultimately produce sustained in‐migration of older persons to selected destination communities. We use data from a variety of official sources and a spatial statistics methodology to examine intercounty variability in net migration rates at ages 60–74. Our findings are consistent with the aforementioned path‐dependent development framework. Counties with a long history of population growth, previous experience attracting older in‐migrants, attractive natural amenities, and a developed recreation and tourism industry are those most likely to be retirement‐age migration destinations. In contrast, agricultural heartland and relatively large population size are associated with lower rates of older in‐migration. Older in‐migration should be seen as neither a panacea for strapped rural communities nor a “pensions and care issue.” Older migrants can be “gray gold,” but they can also pose challenges, such as possibly increased demand for public services as they age in place.     

Supplemental Retirement Savings Plans in the Public Sector: Participation and Contribution Decisions by School Personnel

Virtually all full-time state and local government employees are covered by a retirement plan, typically a defined benefit plan, in which they are required to participate. In addition, most school employees have the option of choosing to contribute to a voluntary retirement savings plan offered by their school district. Relative to private sector workers, public employees face an expanded choice of retirement savings plans. Federal tax policies allow state and local governments the opportunity to offer both 401(k) plans and 457 plans to their employees. In addition to these plans, public schools and certain other organizations can offer 403(b) plans to their employees. This paper examines the decision to participate in a voluntary savings plan and the level of contributions for those that enroll in at least one of the plans. The analysis begins by describing the savings options available to public school employees and how these plans differ. The findings indicate that the same economic and demographic factors that influence saving decisions by private workers also drive the decisions of school employees. The three savings plans offered to public employees have many similar characteristics; however, several differences in the plans imply that certain workers may prefer one plan type over the others. Probit and Tobit models of participation in any plan and total annual contributions are estimated. Finally, we estimate the determinants of the decision to choose any one or a combination of savings plans.     

Devolution of employment and training policy: the case of older workers

The case for the devolution of employment and training programs has traditionally been based on the supply side argument that state and local governments are in the best position to assess the training needs of their disadvantaged workers. We provide a different perspective by focusing on the demand side of the labor market and the link between aiding older workers and fostering economic growth. We illustrate the importance of this focus by examining the labor market in Massachusetts, where the full employment economy of the late 1990s resulted in serious labor supply bottlenecks. Older workers, whose ranks are growing rapidly, provide the largest known labor reserve for meeting these labor supply deficits in the next decade. Tapping this reserve, however, means improving skills, deferring retirement, bringing older persons back into the labor market, and increasing full-time employment. Massachusetts already has the policy tools needed to train older workers to fill emerging job needs, but these policies will need to be substantially upgraded and reoriented. Too little funding, an emphasis on short-term programs, lack of coordination among programs, weak linkages to the private sector, and the limited flexibility of human resources practices in both the private and public sectors have left both government programs and employers ill-prepared to utilize fully the older worker labor reserve.     

INFORMING RETIREMENT SAVINGS DECISIONS: A FIELD EXPERIMENT ON SUPPLEMENTAL PLANS

Although supplemental saving plans can be an important part of an individual's financial security in retirement, contribution rates remain low, particularly among those with lower salaries and less education. We report findings from an intervention that provided information on key aspects of the employer‐provided supplemental saving plans to older public employees in North Carolina. Among workers participating in a supplemental plan, individuals who received an informational flyer increased their contributions in the months following the intervention relative to the control group. In contrast, individuals who were not enrolled in a retirement saving plan were not moved to begin contributing to a supplemental plan. The results suggest that informational interventions can induce workers who are already engaged in the saving process to reassess their level of retirement preparedness. (JEL C93, D14, D9)     

Support,Demands, and Gender Ideology: Exploring Work–Family Facilitation and Work–Family Conflict Among Older Workers

Only recently have researchers begun to investigate issues surrounding the work experiences of individuals in late midlife. This article contributes to the literature on work–family facilitation and conflict among older workers. I focus specifically on the extent to which gender ideology is associated with facilitation and conflict and whether that relationship differs for women and men. Using a sample of older workers (n = 2,253), I find that gender traditional respondents are more likely to report work–family conflict than are nontraditional respondents, with no corresponding association for work–family facilitation. There are no sex differences in the effect of gender ideology on facilitation or conflict. Results are discussed in the context of the importance of understanding the work–family interface among older employees.     

Economic Well-being and Ageing: The Need for Financial Education for Social Workers

This paper explores the importance of financial education for social workers who are often working with individuals and families who are financially vulnerable and who frequently have little financial knowledge. This may be particularly relevant in light of the recent global recession and the negative impact this has had for many in terms of increased living costs and decreased income. Older people may be particularly vulnerable to the economic fluctuations caused by the recession, yet they may be disadvantaged further by poor understanding of the impact of finances on well-being from social care agencies, and a paucity of information and advice to enable them to develop improved financial literacy. This may be compounded further by increasingly strict eligibility criteria, which restrict access to services, leading to increasing numbers of older people who need to fund their own care. The objective of this paper is to highlight the need for students and practitioners to develop their own financial literacy skills so as to better enable them to support those that they work with. The discussion considers the usefulness of the ‘asset vulnerability framework’ devised by Moser in assessing the economic well-being of older people and its applicability within social work education and practice.     

Aging, disability, and disabled older people in India

India is witnessing a demographic revolution, leading to a considerable increase in the proportion of older people in the population. Similarly, life expectancy of both the mentally and physically disabled has improved considerably. About 5% of Indian older people have problems with physical mobility. Aging has become a gender issue in India not only because more women are surviving into old age; they are also vulnerable and disadvantaged in many ways. In most cases they are the only caregivers available for the old and disabled. Older Indians are considered a high-risk group for multiple morbidity. It is estimated that nearly four million Indians suffer from mental problems. India has around 12 million people designated as "handicapped." However, little information is available about disabled people who grow older. The National Policy on Older Persons, which has been recently formulated, aims at providing an improved quality of life for millions of older Indians. However, the concerns of older disabled and of the disabled who grow old are still treated separately in both policy and practice.