A couple of interesting age-related studies out this week.

The first one deals with women working well past the traditional retirement age of 65. In fact, the fastest growing workforce segment has been women working into their late sixties and early seventies.

'The number of working women over age 65 rose 147 per cent from 1977 to 2007; those over 75 rose 172 per cent, according to the department's Bureau of Labor Statistics. Over the next five years, the number of older women in the workforce will grow at a rate faster than younger women and almost double that of older men, the bureau said.

Some growth can be attributed to economic travails, but many women say they are making up for lost time after raising children or being shut out of male-dominated jobs in their younger working days. Others can't imagine turning their backs on hard-won career gains.'

Check out the full article here.

The other study is about age discrimination. I think we all feel that the older you get, the harder it is to find a job. A recent study by Citi though states that job growth is actually in the over 50 category.

'It seems that employers really do value the experience and stability of older employees. Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that 93pc of the jobs increase in the last 10 years has been among the over-50s - a rise of 1.5m people. In contrast, employment for those under 50 has only increased by 0.6pc – or 120,000 jobs – in the last decade.

With the exception of a few jobs where age can be a legitimate reason to exclude older candidates (i.e. commercial pilots) there is no reason why you can’t keep working for as long as you wish. Don’t assume that employers will discriminate, some do but there’s now clear evidence to show that many don’t.'

Check out the full article here.

Here are a couple of interesting (and fun) studies:

The first study was done by St. Tropez (skincare company) and found that women look their oldest at 3:30pm on Wednesdays. Wednesdays rank as the most stressful days for women and it is also the day we are most likely to work through lunch. So ladies, check yourselves out later today and see if it is true.

Check out the full article here.

The second study has to deal with the lost productivity on the day after Super Bowl in the US. The post Super Bowl haze costs an estimated $820 million in lost productivity. 4.4 million workers will be late and 1.5 million will call in sick leading some to argue that the Monday after Super Bowl should be a national holiday. The petitions are already circulating.

Check out the full article here.

For Canadians, hockey is very important so our news media talked endlessly about the lockout and the consequences. Now that hockey is back, I thought this article was interesting. From a labor negotiation perspective, there are some lessons we can learn from this lockout. Here are the top 5 according to Fasken Martineau:

'Lesson 1: If the employer is demanding monetary rollbacks, expect a long work stoppage. Any experienced labour negotiator knows that one of the toughest things to achieve is a major rollback of salaries or benefits.So, if management needs to achieve rollbacks, they need to expect that a long work stoppage is highly likely.

Lesson 2: Sometimes work stoppages are necessary. They may be necessary when the parties are simply so far apart in their bottom line positions that economic pressure needs to build in order to drive them towards the right outcome in the circumstances. Sometimes it's necessary to test the other party's resolve.

Lesson 3: It's hard to make a deal when you're not talking. One thing that was remarkable about this negotiation was the lengthy periods of time that elapsed between across-the-table bargaining sessions.

Lesson 4: Mediators can help - if the parties have confidence in them. Another remarkable thing about this long dispute, at least from what we read in the media, is how little use the parties seem to have made of mediation (although mediation was used in to close the deal).

Lesson 5: Eventually there will be a deal - but at what cost? While Lessons 1 and 2 tell us that sometimes costly work stoppages are inevitable, nonetheless the name of the game is to achieve the best available deal with the least damage possible to your side.'

Check out the full article here:

As I have discussed in previous blogs, businesses are facing labor challenges due to the lack of skilled workers and our aging population. A recent study by Desjardins Insurance demonstrates that workers are considering different retirement options as well. And regardless of financial situations, a gradual retirement may be a better option for some.

'Three-quarters of the 2,037 respondents said they planned to transition into retirement over time, rather than stopping work suddenly.

This is particularly true for people aged 18 to 39 (76 per cent) and 40 to 64 (66 per cent), while more than one-half of those aged 65 and up said they planned to retire gradually.

"The traditional notion of retirement — of packing up your office at the end of your last day and completely changing your life — is ending," said Angela Iermieri, financial planner at Desjardins Group. "Smart organizations will support this change in their workplaces to help address the huge pressures that will be created as baby boomers make this shift."

Facilitating gradual retirement will have benefits for everyone in the coming decade, she said.

"Supporting the most experienced, knowledgeable staff to remain in the workforce in a transitional way allows employers to take advantage of their strengths, while they mentor younger workers who bring new skills and energy. Demographic patterns will soon create a critical shortage of experienced workers that transitional retirement can help address." '

Check out the full article here.

It is that time of year-flu season. Our office has been affected as I am sure everyone else's has as. Most organizations have sick time alloted to employees but not everyone that is sick stays home. This year's flu season is looking like the worst in the last 10 years so it is important that those affected stay home and try to minimize the impact.

'The Centers for Disease control estimates that on average, seasonal flu outbreaks cost American employers $10.4 billion in direct costs of hospitalizations and outpatient visits. This does not account for lost productivity costs and absenteeism.

So far this year, out of 41 states reporting flu cases, 29 say the outbreak is at “severe” levels, according to a release from Challenger, Gray & Christmas. The NY Daily News reported the number of cases throughout New York has reached more than 15,000, compared to just 4,400 reported cases throughout the entirety of last year’s flu season. The city of Boston has also declared a public health emergency, with 18 people reportedly dead from the flu, according to Massachusetts public health officials.'

Read more here.