Page 16 - BusinessWest July 6, 2020

United Personnel. Hiring managers recognize that workers in their 50s still have 10 to 15 years of good work ahead of them.
“Employers are interested in people who bring a good work ethic, have skills, and are reliable,” Canavan said. “We have no issue placing older workers because our clients want employees who have those characteristics.”
Cruise advises older workers to think about who in their personal and professional networks are in a position to help them, or at least provide some guidance to finding work. “It’s essential for people to stay connected and to not leave any person untapped who might be helpful, even
“Technology keeps changing, and it’s possible that we all may need to develop new skills in the way we work because of the pandemic.”
your dentist or your barber.”
Maintaining technology skills are another key
for older workers. If a person was using technol- ogy before being laid off, Cruise said their skills are most likely in good shape. On the other hand, those who did not use technology in their job and now only use it socially may want to consider training to boost their skills and expand their job prospects.
“Technology keeps changing, and it’s pos- sible that we all may need to develop new skills in the way we work because of the pandemic,” he added.
Because these skills can be easily updated, Canavan said a person’s “tech savvy” should not be a deal breaker when they are looking for work. “The hiring philosophy I share with my clients is: hire smart, hire the right person for the job. You can teach someone how to use Slack, but finding someone with initiative and the right mindset is harder to teach.”
When to Return?
For now, many careers are up in the air, at least until the state’s reopening progresses further. And in many cases, some are choosing not to return to work immediately.
At the beginning of the pandemic, the DOL encouraged some flexibility with unemployment claims to make it easier to comply with social-dis- tancing guidelines. As a result, the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA) put in place emergency regulations that allowed those who could return to work to keep receiv- ing unemployment benefits for personal health reasons or concern about the health of others in their home, even if they had not been diagnosed with COVID-19.
That emergency regulation expired on June 14. As shuttered businesses begin to reopen, workers who are offered their jobs by their prior employer are expected to accept them. Refusal — unless that refusal is deemed reasonable — would mean losing their unemployment benefits and termina- tion by their employer. The DUA said determining what’s reasonable involves a fact-specific inquiry into the person’s health situation and whether they work with or near other employees or the public.
In addition to fear, finances are another dis- incentive to return to work. Those who lost jobs at the beginning of the pandemic could apply for
traditional unemployment benefits, which cover roughly 50% of a person’s average earnings. Then in March, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which added $600 a week in addition to state unemploy- ment benefits.
Business owners who depend on seasonal workers during the spring and summer months have told BusinessWest they are having trouble filling open positions because of the generous payments from the CARES Act. They say it creates a situation where people can make more money unemployed than if they took the seasonal jobs that are available. Unless it’s reauthorized by Con- gress, however, the CARES Act is scheduled to expire at the end of July.
A company’s ability to reopen — and quickly get back up to speed — may depend in part on how they acted before COVID-19 hit. Meredith
regarding hygiene at work, frequency of washing your hands, and even how to get water out of the water cooler.”
Added Value
The impact of COVID-19 on older workers’ employment is something Cruise predicts will become clearer over the next six months. He is concerned that not just older workers, but young- er ones — in the 18-to-24 group — may be more likely to permanently lose their jobs due to the pandemic than other groups.
With three and even four generations in some workplaces, Canavan stressed the opportunity to take a collaborative approach and learn from each other. “The members of my team are of different ages, and they all contribute different strengths based on their life and work experi- ence,” she said.
Meredith Wise says companies should regard older workers as valuable assets that can help them ramp up.
Wise, president of the Employers Assoc. of the NorthEast, said some of her organization’s mem- ber companies are easily getting people to come back to work because of a well-established cul- ture that keeps people engaged.
“The leaders have stayed in touch with people, they respect their employees, and they’re trying to do everything they can to create a safe envi- ronment for them,” she said, adding that, when employees are engaged, they want to be back at work because there is a mutual trust.
It’s a different story when a company has not communicated well and has allowed distrust to take root.
“For example, if a company has done a shoddy job of keeping up their facilities before COVID hit, why should employees trust them with proper cleaning and sanitizing now?”
Canavan echoed the importance of paying attention to worker safety. After visiting several manufacturing clients, she was impressed with the transformation they’ve done to comply with pandemic-related guidelines.
“They’ve completely retooled their facilities to ensure social distancing, and when that’s not possible, they’re putting up physical barriers,” she said. “Many have extensive policies in place
Might companies use COVID-19 as an excuse to shed older workers? Wise said a few might, but many companies will not because they need the institutional knowledge that older individu- als bring to the job. She said very few companies have effective succession planning or make a concerted effort to transfer knowledge, so they
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people, they respect their employees, and they’re trying to do everything they can to
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The leaders have stayed in touch with
create a safe environment for them.
need experienced workers to get them back up to speed.
“Whether it’s an operator who knows the ins and outs of a machine or a salesperson who knows what certain customers like, companies need these people to come back to the work- place.” u
16 JULY 6, 2020
COVID-19
BusinessWest