Changing views towards older workers
“‘More and more companies recognize the traditional skills that older workers bring to the table,’ said Renee Ward, founder of seniors4hire, a Web placement organization specializing in the plus 50 set. ‘Older workers are intelligent, experienced, flexible, and they have the soft skills needed to blend in well at a new company.’ ”
“But most of all, older workers are reliable. Ward said that many companies tell her they have trouble with young hirees ‘coming in with bad attitudes.’ ”
“Retailers, restaurants, and business-service companies all say that they can’t find enough qualified people. And, as the economy improves, the job squeeze will worsen.”
“[A]s the oldest of the 76 million baby boomers (80 million counting immigrants) near retirement age, employers face a mass exodus of workers from the labor force. The Department of Labor estimates that 26 million Americans will retire from the current 147 million person labor force by 2008 and 4.6 million jobs will go unfilled.”
“‘Retirements will be a trickle the next few years but a tsunami after that,’ said Howard Muson, an economist with the Conference Board and author of a report entitled Valuing Experience: How to Retain and Motivate Mature Workers.”
“This will alter the way companies operate. Employers are just coming to realize, said Muson, ‘that they were allowing, even encouraging, important skills and expertise to walk out the door.’ ”
“Muson said more than 80 percent of senior human resource executives who participated in an online survey had rehired retired workers, often in ad hoc jobs as consultants or private contractors. He cites three main reasons:
· To preserve the retirees’ knowledge. Many a worker has built up valued skills over time. When that worker leaves there may be no one left with that know-how.
· To mentor younger workers. Companies often enlist retirees to pass their expertise on.
· To interact with old customers. Continuity is important to many customers. Many an older salesperson, for example, may understand customers’ needs almost as well as they do.”
The article concludes with some tips for older job seekers.
