University Times

The AARP has named the University to its 2009 Best Employers for Workers Over 50 list.

The competition examines recruiting practices, educational opportunities, workplace accommodations, alternative work options, employee health and pension benefits as well as retiree benefits. Because practices that are good for older workers often are good for employees in general, workplace policies need not be exclusively for older employees to be included in the evaluation.

Out of more than 200 employers submitting information, Pitt ranked No. 35 in its first participation in the competition. Among the benefits that put the University on the list were its tuition reimbursement program and opportunities for continuing education, health and pension benefits, availability of alternative-work arrangements and opportunities for retirees.

Pitt Benefits Director John Kozar said, “All the benefits programs and human resources programs in general are geared to attract and retain talented faculty and staff. I’d like to think our programs do.”  He estimated that about 39 percent of Pitt’s benefits-eligible (excluding such categories as temporary and student workers) faculty and staff are age 50-plus.

Ronald W. Frisch, associate vice chancellor for Human Resources, said acknowledging Pitt’s over-50 staff and faculty for their leadership, mentoring and scholarly achievements is a top priority for the University. “It is a privilege to be associated with an organization such as Pitt that has long been committed to its senior workforce,” Frisch said. “Along with the leadership of the University of Pittsburgh, I am very proud of the University family and this special recognition.”

Amy Korb of Human Re-sources said Pitt was invited by AARP to submit information for consideration.

“With more than one-third of Pitt’s workforce over the age of 50, and because we value the experience that our mature workforce brings to the University, we felt that this recognition would be very meaningful,” she said. In addition to the recognition, the University will receive a report on how Pitt compares with other employers on the list, information that will be useful in benchmarking how Pitt’s benefits compare, she said.

Korb said it is unclear at this time whether Pitt will submit for the next AARP best employers list, which will be compiled in 2011.

Higher education was well represented with nine institutions making the list, including Cornell University, which took the No. 1 spot for the second consecutive year.

Deborah Russell, AARP director of workforce issues, said several factors predispose higher education to do well in the AARP survey. “Being an educational institution, the idea of lifelong learning isn’t foreign,” she said. “There is value put on ongoing education and training,” a benefit that she said ranks high in importance to older workers.

In addition, “Many colleges and universities still offer traditional pension plans that many companies are doing away with,” Russell said.

Longevity also is viewed favorably in higher education circles, she said. “The idea of a long-term employee — particularly the professors — tends to be something they valued,” she said. “The longer you’re there, the more valued you are in your expertise in your area.”

University Senate President Michael Pinsky agreed. “In academia, age is not considered to be a detriment but a sign of experience,” a fundamental quality of the University environment, he said.

Pinsky, who identified himself as among the over-50 group, said, “The University is doing a great job with us.”

Staff Association Council President Gwen Watkins agreed, citing Pitt’s retirement benefits as well as the “accelerated option” in which the University makes an increased matching contribution toward eligible vested older employees’ retirement savings.

Other faculty and staff leaders likewise expressed little surprise that Pitt made the list, given the University’s generally favorable reputation for its benefits offerings to employees and retirees.

Senate benefits and welfare committee chair Pat Weiss commented, “I’m glad to see our programs getting due recognition from a nationally known organization such as AARP. The accelerated option for employees in 403(b) plans, mentioned in the AARP summary, is a good example of the University’s commitments to its older employees. And the Benefits office takes very good care of retirees, with special benefits fairs on Pitt campuses plus a substantial time commitment to benefits counseling by veteran Benefits staffer Nancy Gilkes.

“We’re used to comparing our school to other universities. It’s great to see how well it does in the bigger universe of employers in general,” Weiss said.

Steve Zupcic, co-chair of the SAC benefits committee, agreed. “Certainly things like our retirement plan are almost without compare,” adding that the University’s policy on vacation time and accumulation of sick days are advantageous to longtime workers.  “We really pay people back for their loyalty,” said Zupcic, who has been employed at Pitt for almost four decades.

However, AARP’s mention of alternative-work arrangements such as flex time and compressed work schedules drew some raised eyebrows here in light of administrators’ rejection of a recent SAC proposal seeking the promotion of flex time and creation of campus-wide policies on such alternative-work arrangements. (See Sept. 25, 2008, University Times.) Such policies remain at the discretion of supervisors.

Russell clarified that the policies highlighted in the Top 50 listings need not necessarily be across-the-board, noting that some jobs are not amenable to flex time. Rather, it’s the mindset of openness toward alternative arrangements that’s considered. “What’s important is whether the manager is making decisions simply at the manager’s discretion, or whether the business needs are supported in that environment,” she said.

The best employers list and other details on the program are available at www.aarp.org/money/work/best_employers/.

—Kimberly K. Barlow