Lufthansa acclaimed as innovative employer
AARP Innovative Employer Award 2010 praises concepts for mature employees
For its innovative handling of the effects of demographic change and furtherance of older employees, Lufthansa has won the AARP International Innovative Employer Award 2010. In conferring the prize, the judges pay particular attention to effective health protection, purposeful career development and sustained promotion of diversity in a company’s workforce. Lufthansa also scored with its training and lifelong learning concept, which also fully integrates 50+ employees. The judges also singled out Lufthansa’s policy of offering a wide range of flexible work arrangements, not least to the benefit of older members of the staff.
For some years now, Lufthansa has pursued systematic demography and diversity management. “Lufthansa Family Time” is just one example of its approach in dealing with the effects of an ageing society. This takes into consideration the fact that relatives of staff members also grow older and has enabled employees in Germany, since 2001, to take a year off to look after relatives in need of care. Afterwards, they can return without any complications to their old job. Employees can still make use of “Lufthansa Family Time” even if they already have utilized the caregiving time off allowed by German law since 2008.
The AARP International Innovative Employer Award was conferred for the third time in 2010. The AARP is one of the biggest US organisations with a membership of around 40 million. It represents the interests of people over 50. The average age of employees at the Lufthansa Group is currently 40.3 years. About 20 per cent of the staff are over 50.