Affiliations: RERC on Workplace Accommodations, Georgia Institute of
Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Lynzee Head, M.S., RERC on Workplace
Accommodations, Georgia Institute of Technology, 490 10th Street NW,
Atlanta, GA 30318, USA. Tel.: +1 404 894 4960; Fax: +1 404 894 9320; E-mail:
lynzee.head@cacp.gatech.edu
Abstract: According to a recent Government Accountability Office report, the
number of workers over age 55 is projected to increase significantly over the
next twenty years, with this demographic group projected to comprise as much as
twenty percent of the workforce by 2015 [12]. Accommodating the functional
limitations of a large number of older workers may prove challenging for
employers; however, policies and practices shaped over the course of the next
few decades could allow aging workers to remain a valuable part of the US
economy. Given these considerations, it is useful from a public policy
perspective to determine the degree to which employers are currently addressing
the accommodation needs of older workers. This paper presents the results of a
study that attempted to determine the extent to which a sample of Fortune 500
employers was currently accommodating older workers. The study's methodology
(in particular, its use of semi-structured telephone interviews) is reevaluated
and new options (such as anonymous online employer surveys) are considered for
the valid and reliable collection of data on accommodations for older
workers.
