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Employers appreciate older workers

Posted on 17. Sep, 2005 by Bill in Employment News

Employers appreciate older workers

Today’s employers do appreciate mature workers and hire them. Mark Haverland, director of the Iowa Department of Elder Affairs, said skilled people are scarce. “Older workers fit that need. They have good attendance and extensive knowledge.” Haverland offered an overview of older workers in Iowa issues during a “Connect with Experience” community forum on mature worker Issues Thursday morning at Indian Hills Community College.

The forum was the second of six scheduled around Iowa by Gov. Tom Vilsack. The first one was Tuesday in Des Moines. By 2010, one of three workers will be at least age 50, so the governor created a task force to collect information about mature-worker issues. The purpose of the forums is to examine those issues at the regional level, and begin the process of planning for the coming shift in the age of Iowa’s workers. The baby-boomer generation is reaching retirement age and again is causing a shift in society. Haverland said many workers have retired by age 65, with a lesser amount going out at age 62. These two groups are collecting part of their Social Security allotment. Meanwhile, the younger workers’ pool is too small. More older workers are electing to wait longer to retire, or to work part-time. And, many include volunteer work in their retirement plans. “Older workers are arranging work around their lives,” he said. The keynote presenter was Susie Drish, Regional Workforce Investment Act representative. She is also a baby boomer. “Society doesn’t know what to do with [the baby boomers]. Retirement used to be a life goal … but rules and norms are changing,” she said. Drish noted baby boomers “won’t be economic deadweights.” “And, we can’t afford to lose their knowledge. They’ll be doing something, whether it’s full-time, part-time or volunteer,” she said. For example, grocery store managers like older workers because they can handle jobs like the courtesy counter, where a variety of problems and requests occur. Drish asked the human resource people on the panel and in the audience what they look for in an employee. The consensus was “reliable and thorough, with a low absenteeism rate.” She said older workers have all of that and are also flexible and willing to update skills. “And, older workers already have a car and they don’t need daycare. They might be slower, but older workers are more thorough,” she added. Participating panel members were Lisa Ashmore, human resources director, Ottumwa Wal-Mart; Bruce Oviatt, HR director, Bovard Studio, Fairfield; Brian Rose, store director, South Hy-Vee Food Store, Ottumwa; and Paul Stump, manager and chief executive officer, Ottumwa Schools Credit Union. Drish asked the panel what motivates them to hire older workers. Ashmore said dependability and a mature attitude. “Older workers can run rings around the younger ones,” she added. Stump said he wasn’t necessarily looking for older workers. He wants someone who is “qualified” for the position, and that “might be an older worker.” For Rose, key things in hiring are “friendliness and being able to carry on a conversation.” Older people are more empathetic. “The older workers can relate - they’ve been there. Their confidence comes through,” he added. For years, Hy-Vee Stores have been known for hiring teens and working around their activities schedules. Currently, they are also using older workers. Drish asked Rose if he had concerns about older workers’ ability to stock or carry groceries. Rose said he didn’t see a problem. “The job is a lot less physical. Most items are moved with pallet jacks and cases have been downsized,” he said. “One of my main sackers is in his 70s.”

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Tags: Employment News