As part of the Mature Workforce Campaign, the Workforce Development Board convened high-level executives and human resource professionals to attend a special summit around the mature workforce on April 24 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison. The event, “Responding to a Maturing Workforce: An Employer Summit” brought together an array of experts from the private sector and the workforce development community to discuss how companies can utilize their maturing workforce.
Keynote speakers presented ideas to key decision makers on how to retain, recruit, reposition older workers as near-term solutions and redefine the way work is structured to alleviate the worker shortage and allow time for long-term succession plans to be developed and implemented. The experts spoke to the issues and solutions related to healthcare benefits, legal matters, physical environment, technological advancements and education/skill development that could be usable by employers to attract and engage a maturing workforce. The morning keynotes included:
- Where to Start: Overview of the Work Environment, Karen Dettinger, Ph.D., Principal and Human Factors Engineer, Dettinger Consulting LLC
- I Thought We Weren’t Supposed to Talk About Age: Legal Implications, moderated by Karen Dettinger with panelists Linda L. Harfst — Partner/Attorney, Cullen Weston Pines & Bach LL and Amy Tutwiler — Director, Bell & Moore & Richter S.C.
- Employer Case Study — Marla Rybowiak, Human Resources Director, The Employer Group, Inc.
- Opportunities for Mature Workers in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) World: A Primer — Frederick S. Bounds ALCM, ARM, Sr. Vice President, Healthcare Division, LMC Insurance
- Why People Work — Katherine Sanders, Ph.D., Sanders Consulting, LLC
- Maximizing the Benefits and Minimizing the Risks of a Maturing Workforce — Steve Arndt, Ph.D., Principal, Human Factors, Exponent, Inc.
Frederick Bounds of LMC Insurance returned for an afternoon session to discuss the regulatory changes in healthcare and its impact on companies and aging workers.
The materials from the Summit are available for download at http://wdbscw.org/mature-workforce/mature-workforce-resources/. For more information on the Mature Workforce Campaign, contact Erin Bechen at ebechen@wdbscw.org or +1 608 249 9001 ext. 225.
