Profiles in Diversity Journal
2008 International Innovation in Diversity Awards
Borders Group, Inc.
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Age 50+ Job Seeker Workshops
Borders Group established a diversity initiative more than six years ago to support the business imperative of diversity in the workplace. Through the work of an internal Diversity Task Force and related subcommittees and advisory councils, the initiative focuses on four strategic cornerstones of diversity: reflecting the communities Borders Group serves; anticipating and surpassing the expectations of diverse customers; formalizing a supplier diversity program; and building internal and external awareness of Borders Group’s commitment to diversity. As an extension of our commitment to diversity—and more specifically, our belief that older workers are a valuable part of America’s workforce—Borders Group teamed with RetirementJobs.com and AARP to launch a series of free Age 50+ Job Seeker Workshops in four Boston-area Borders stores. The 90-minute workshops were targeted at job seekers, age 50-plus, and were intended to enable them to plan and complete a successful job search. A total of 175 job seekers attended the sessions. The workshops were led by Bob Skladany, VP Research & Services for RetirementJobs.com, and Ed Redfern of the AARP Workforce Issues Team. The sessions, though small in scale, were a great example of the positive things that result when different companies, which share at least one goal, come together at the local level to provide trusted and valuable information to a specific population segment. Expenses for these sessions were kept at a minimum: the sessions were conducted at Borders stores; attendees were provided with simple handouts; and marketing was limited to traditional in-store promotions and local media outreach via a press release. Planning for these sessions was coordinated at the corporate office level, but store staff was integrally involved in ensuring the sessions were executed properly.
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Pro f i les i n Dive rsit y Journal
J u ly / A u g u s t 2 0 0 8
Participant feedback, personal observations and subsequent participant follow up confirms that the Age 50+ Job Seeker Workshops had a significant and positive influence on the mindset and job searching capabilities of those attending. Borders is currently looking at conducting more of these sessions in major markets around the country. The personal reactions have been consistently favorable and strongly confirm the value and effectiveness of the workshop venue, material and presentation. Representative written comments include: • “This was an excellent high-level presentation with just so much detail.” • “This is a very important issue at this time when there are so many of us beyond 50. Thank you all for this information.” • “Excellent presentation – good mix of detail and humor. I learned a lot.”