Choose 2 Lead Survey and Press Release

Many of you have already contributed your thoughts to the Choose 2 Lead survey I'm running on the blog (see the top of the main blog page). Shirley Clark, one of the founding members of Choose 2 Lead has passed along their recent press release detailing the goals of the survey. I've included a link as well as the body copy below. The survey will only run for two or three more weeks and your experience is vitally important, as survey results are being used as part of a commissioned report on jobs for older workers. If you've been meaning to take the survey, but haven't yet, please click on the link and take the survey. Takes about 3 minutes and the contribution of your information is valuable and needed.

Are tools available to help over-50 job seekers find flexible work?
2007-10-25
By Shirley Clark and Patty Reed

What is being done to help older workers find jobs that meet their needs? Choose 2 Lead is examining the tools available to the over-50 job seekers in a new study sponsored by the Sloan Foundation.

For_Immediate_Release:

Oakton, VA, October 24, 2007 –Workers over aged 50 are staying in the workforce longer than ever, due to desire or economic necessity. In fact, from 2000 to 2006, the proportion of the nation's 65- to 74-year-olds that remained in the labor force increased from nearly one in five to one in four, according to census figures. While looking for a job can be a challenge at any stage in life, it is difficult particularly when you are over aged 50.

“Finding a position that will utilize my talent and experience and allow some flexibility is my goal. While I don’t want a prospective employer to focus on the fact that I am over 50, I do want to be given the autonomy that I have earned at this point in my life,” said Susan during a recent interview. Susan, an executive in the financial services industry wants a full-time job, but needs flexibility in the position she finds, as both of her parents are ill. Just how realistic is her goal?

“There is a concern that employers don’t advertise flexible positions as they often equate “flexible” with “part-time” or “partially engaged”, said Shirley Clark, co-founder of the non-profit Choose 2 Lead. “The fact is that older workers, just like many women with children, want to work full-time. They may just need an element of flexibility or control to effectively tend to their personal lives.”

In fall 2007, Choose 2 Lead Women’s Foundation received a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to assess the information and resources available to older workers to help them find flexible employment.

As part of the study, Choose 2 Lead is conducting a survey of workers over the age of 50 who are currently seeking or have recently sought flexible employment. Wendy Spiegel, founder of Gen Plus, a website catering to the needs of the over-50 set, has posted the survey on her site and responses have been rolling in.You can access the survey by going to www.choose2lead.org and clicking on “Take our Survey Now!” or by visiting the Gen Plus blog at http://genplus.blogspot.com

Choose 2 Lead is a women-owned 501(c)3 corporation that advocates for personal leadership and organizational choices that lead to a more integrated approach to work, life and economic prosperity.

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For more information:Keywords: Older Workers,FlexibilityContact us: P.O. Box 176 Vienna, VA 22183 703.395.6337