Database on mature workforce issues established

The Conference Board has launched its new Employer-Practices Locator, a Web database that enables employers, reporters, and researchers to locate examples of specific actions companies have taken to address the challenges presented by the mature workforce. The Locator is part of a multifaceted program by The Conference Board on issues surrounding the aging workforce.

By Plant Engineering Staff January 15, 2008

The Conference Board has launched its new Employer-Practices Locator, a Web database that enables employers, reporters, and researchers to locate examples of specific actions companies have taken to address the challenges presented by the mature workforce. The Locator is part of a multifaceted program by The Conference Board on issues surrounding the aging workforce.

Searchable by key word or company name, the database selects, pulls together and summarizes material from a variety of print and online sources from 1996 to the present. It eliminates the need for searching multiple locations to find promising practices, including case studies developed by The Conference Board. The Employer-Practices Locator delivers a more select list of results than a user would get using a search engine such as Google or Yahoo. It includes a broader range of companies and industries than the perennial examples that are most frequently cited.

“The database answers the question: ‘Who is doing what in the fast-growing world of the mature workforce,’” said Linda Barrington, director of research for The Conference Board. “Any employer working with this important labor sector — or writing about it — will find the Locator a valuable shortcut to a wealth of real-world examples of what can and is being done.”

Updated monthly, the Locator currently includes practices of more than 250 companies. Users can narrow their search using any of 23 keywords, such as phased retirement, multigenerational workplace or recruitment.

The link for registration information is at www.conference-board.org . The locator is free to all users, although access to in-depth case studies by The Conference Board is limited to its members.