Four Virginia organizations make AARP employer list

Four Virginia organizations have been named the AARP’s list of “Best Employers for Workers Over 50.”

Richmond-based Bon Secours Virginia ranked eighth on the list of 50 employers followed by the Arlington-based National Rural Electric Cooperative Association at No. 9.

Fairfax-based George Mason University was 13th, and Richmond-based Virginia Commonwealth University was 17th.

Leading the list was the National Institutes of Health, based in Bethesda, Md.

The list of 2013 winners includes a variety of employers representing nonprofit and for-profit organizations, health care networks, universities, financial services firms, construction companies aerospace firms, and federal and county government agencies.

Best Employers for Workers Over 50 awards, co-sponsored by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), began in 2001.

To compete for the awards, organizations submitted an application that included information about their human resources practices and policies. Employers are not required to have programs dedicated exclusively to older employees. However, employers who can demonstrate that their programs are particularly valued by mature workers can stand out in the evaluation process., AARP says..