Hospital recognized among nation's best employers

                Mon General Hospital has once again been recognized among the nation’s best employers for older workers, achieving high marks in the 2013 AARP and Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Best Employers for Workers Over 50 list for 2013.

                Mon General was ranked 15^th in the nation among perennial top employers, after earning AARP Best Employer honors in the last biannual presentation of the national awards in 2011. Mon General also received the honor in 2007.

                 “This is a very prestigious recognition and places Mon General among some of the best companies and workplaces in the nation for older workers,” said Mon Health System President and CEO Darryl Duncan. “The AARP Best Employers application process is quite extensive and employers are assessed thoroughly to ensure that their practices meet the needs of mature workers.”

                Some of the key areas that the AARP considers when evaluating employers are recruiting practices, opportunities for training, education and career development, workplace accommodations and alternative work options. In naming Mon General a top employer for older workers, the AARP highlighted both the hospital’s “In Service Retirement Program” and its “Wellness Initiative.”

                The In Service Retirement Program gives employees the benefit of being able to continue working in their current position and start receiving pension benefits at the age of 60. In the past five years, 125 Mon General employees have utilized this program.

                Through the Wellness Initiative, Mon General employees receive a discount on their medical insurance premiums by participating in the program. To qualify for the premium discounts, the employee must complete a health risk assessment, have a biometric screening, sign a tobacco-free declaration and designate a primary care provider.

                In addition to the In Service Retirement Program and Wellness Initiative, some of the other strategies that placed Mon General in the winner’s circle included the hospital’s 403(b) retirement plan, recruitment practices, employee recognition programs, weekend incentive program and transitional work program.

                Older people make up just eight percent of the world’s population today, but they are expected to represent 22 percent of the population in 2050 and many of them intend to keep working. “At Mon General, 35 percent of our population is age 50 or older,” said Melissa Shreves, Director of Human Resources. “We as employers must be ever cognizant of these statistics and work diligently to create a workplace that invites and retains this population.

                “Mon General has proven again in 2013 that this organization continues to focus on the growth and development of its Human Resources and the formal Human Resources programs to hire and retain those Human Resources,” Shreves said.

                The list of 50 winners includes employers from a variety of industry sectors, including for-profit and nonprofit, health care, universities, financial services, construction, aerospace, and federal and county government. West Virginia, with three honored employers, performed well in this year’s Best Employer awards, ranking behind only Pennsylvania (6 honorees) and Florida, Virginia and District of Columbia (4 honorees each) in the number of businesses earning national recognition.

                “West Virginia is extremely fortunate to have employers that understand and value the important contributions of older workers,” said Gaylene Miller, AARP West Virginia state director. She noted that Mon General has set a high standard for other employers to follow in developing exemplary policies toward workers 50+.

                The 50 winners were honored at a dinner event this past June in Chicago, hosted by the AARP and SHRM.

                Any U.S.-based employer with at least 50 employees is eligible to apply for the Best Employers award. Candidates are vetted to ensure that practices meet the needs of mature workers. Key areas of consideration include: recruiting practices; opportunities for training, education and career development; workplace accommodations; alternative work options, such as flexible scheduling; job sharing and phased retirement; employee health and retirement benefits; and retiree work opportunities.