Statement from The Conference Board

NEW YORK, Jan. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- The Conference Board, which studies the skills and contributions of mature employees in the workplace, hails 57-year-old US Airways Capt. Chesley B. Sullenberger III for his role in saving the lives of the 155 passengers and crew on flight 1549.

“This should really shake up many preconceived notions of mature workers and workers who are close to retirement age,” said Linda Barrington, Research Director at The Conference Board. Barrington, who leads the organization’s Mature Workforce Initiative, a three-year investigation of the managerial, legal and perceptual challenges facing older workers, says Sullenberger’s quick assessment of his options for safely landing his aircraft highlight the Initiative’s findings about the cognitive function of older workers. “Your brain continues to compile and process, and integrate in a way that can lead to this kind of successful outcome.”

“Just three years ago, Capt. Sullenberger would have been three years away from retirement,” Barrington added, citing the December 2007 FAA decision to raise the retirement age for commercial pilots. She noted that Sullenberger, who has flown everything from F-4 fighters to gliders in nearly 40 years as a pilot, has been able to share his skills by training and evaluating younger pilots and pilots switching aircraft. “Companies that are looking to make changes to their retirement process and create a productive multigenerational workforce should pay close attention to the lessons Capt. Sullenberger can teach.”

For over 90 years, The Conference Board has created and disseminated knowledge about management and the marketplace to help businesses strengthen their performance and better serve society. The Conference Board Mature Workforce Initiative examines many of the questions raised by the looming wave of Baby Boomer retirements, from the health and mental acuity of older workers, to the legal issues surrounding retirement and pensions and the transfer of knowledge to a new generation of employees. For more information on mature employees in the workplace, see http://www.conference-board.org/knowledge/matureworkforce.cfm