General Appliances: An Aging Workforce Case Study

Abstract

General Appliances (GA) is a 40-year old, Vermont-based company that has been enjoying continued growth in the home appliance manufacturing industry. The company had experienced steady growth since its recovery from the Great Recession in 2008–2009. Since 2010, the company had added more than 10 jobs per year in Vermont, for a total of 560 employees. This made GA one of the largest employers in the state. Of the 560 employees at General Appliances, more than 250 were over the age of 50, and 100 of those were over the age of 60. Of those 100 employees over the age of 60, 80 were assembly line employees, and the assembly line had only 165 employees total. The company will need to come up with a plan that is fair to the older, experienced employees but that also sets GA up for long-term success.

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