By Julie E 
Photo Credit ( Freepik )
The Benefits of Hiring and Retaining Elderly Employees
- Older employees have experience and skill.
Everyone told us that senior workers provide a degree of experience, expertise, and critical thinking that cannot be taught. It can take ten years or more for people in some industries, such as the cheese makers, jewelers, embroiderers, and cabinet makers interviewed, to acquire the technical skills required for their jobs.
Furthermore, even in sectors like Zarin Fabrics (Lower East Side) and A & H Harris Equipment Rentals (Gowanus), which are small stores that are a part of a larger company, where less technical training skills are needed, it can take years for sales associates to become proficient with the product and become successful. “Young people have a can do attitude — and make mistakes; old people know what questions to ask,” said a nonprofit manager.
“The experience of knowing how to get around the city,” adds Karen Grando, owner of International Asbestos Removal (Flushing). Where can I park? being familiar with the building managers. being able to complete the task correctly. Experience has a lot to offer, in fact. It is comparable to playing the piano. Training is one thing, but it’s not the same as years of playing.
- They work longer hours and take fewer vacation days.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median tenure for workers aged 55–64 across all industries was 10.4 years in 2014, which is more than three times the typical tenure for workers aged 25–34.
Companies with significant employee turnover, such as retail and restaurants, which may experience a 100% annual employee turnover rate, have often said that they would rather hire older employees who have families to support or “a reason they have to come to work” than younger employees who sporadically leave.
Owner John Wolf Sr. of Little Wolf Cabinet Shop (Upper East Side) stated that he had no idea how long a gifted employee he had hired at age 60 would remain employed, but he ended up staying for an additional ten years. John persuaded him to stay one more year past his intended retirement date by offering to train his son, John Jr., all year long.
- Their work ethic is high.
According to business after business, even in physically demanding, fast-paced industries, elder workers are the first to arrive for a shift, stay focused throughout the day, and rarely miss work.
Manager Andreas Matischak of the German eatery and bar Heidelberg Restaurant (Upper East Side) stated that he particularly favors hiring older employees due to their work ethic. He gave the example of Hedy, a 60-year-old hostess who has worked at Heidelberg for 40 years. She is a workaholic. She desires employment. She is a pleasure to have here. I must make her go on a vacation.
Richard Aviles, co-owner of Bridge Cleaners & Tailors in Soho, Downtown Brooklyn, and the Brooklyn Navy Yard, claims that the work ethic of his elderly employees is unparalleled. Older employees, in my experience, take their jobs more seriously. Those who have experienced trauma in the past believe they must show themselves and receive approval from their employer.
Aviles said that although his employees exhibit a strong work ethic every day by showing up early and staying late, he was especially touched when they worked day and night and performed all tasks beyond their job descriptions to get his business back up and running after it was submerged under five feet of water during Hurricane Sandy.
“Even though there was no production going on, everyone showed up,” he added. “I informed them that I would be there at sunrise but that there was no job to be done. Coming up, two people ran out of petrol. They were all scrubbing floors while wearing boots and gloves. As we had this place up and operating, they saw it.
- They keep a company’s networks and expertise.
Chefs Jorge and Alfonse have over 15 years of experience in the restaurant division of the Sage General Store at Bartleby and Sage (Long Island City). They simply know how to navigate the kitchen. Since the same recipes have been used for 17 years, new chefs may find it difficult to fit in. Financially, consistency is quite significant.
Despite employees’ voluntary reduction in hours to a few days per week, the Queens Tribune (Whitestone) has kept its older advertising sales team. Their senior employees have maintained connections with every local company they have developed over the years that they would have otherwise lost.
Lucia, who works at M & S Schmalberg (Garment District), actually grew up in the company, beginning to work there as a little girl with her mother. Owner Adam Brand stated, “She knows the business better than anyone else.” One of the few individuals that truly comprehends [every aspect of the business] is Lucia. She makes things easier. She helps me. She is conscious of what is happening. Without a doubt, she is the most valuable individual here.
They simply know how to navigate the kitchen. Since the same recipes have been used for 17 years, new chefs may find it difficult to fit in. Financially, consistency is quite significant. –Event Catering Coordinator Greta Poretsky
- It is possible to bridge the perceived technological divide.
Older workers may be seen as sluggish or more resistant because they were not raised with computers and the Internet. Companies that “think about the team” and mix employees with different levels of technological proficiency together report greater success than those that had expected all employees to embrace new technology and support them rather than letting some fall behind.
Tyga-Box Systems (Midtown) is a green moving firm that arranges moves and leases out reusable plastic boxes. Nadine Cino filed for and was awarded a grant to teach her warehouse employees, who were hired through a program for people who had previously served time in prison, how to use a new digital tracking system. She stated, “You can’t do that to people who have never used a computer.” Instead, we would have simply given them an iPad. “They are now offering us guidance on how to use technology.”
Leila, 55, the counter woman at Kossar’s Bialys & Bagels (Lower East Side), has been employed there for 16 years and is regarded as the “heart and soul of the store.” She found out that the company’s new owners were moving to a point-of-sale (POS) electronic system at the cash register. Evan Giniger, the new owner of Kossar, recalled, “She said you should just fire me now.” Leila was urged to try by the owners, who also provided training. She is currently using her second new point-of-sale system, and she is outperforming everyone else in the store.
Every instructor at The International Preschools (Manhattan) is required to use iPads, upload pictures, and publish content on the school website on a regular basis. Donna Cohen, the head of the school, combines teachers who are less tech-savvy in the classroom.
- Senior employees demonstrate that intergenerational teams are the most effective.
According to Zwick, Göbel, and Fries (2013), there is proof that mixed-age teams at work are more productive than teams of employees of the same age.
Owner Bill Munks of B & D Heating (Gowanus) keeps one of his most valuable employees, Mario, 79, by using a mixed-age staff. Bill described him as smart, obstinate, and headstrong. “A particular guy that I hire goes with him and looks after him like a father.They make a fantastic duo.
In order to complement and learn from one another, older and younger employees are purposefully teamed at Renewal Care Partners (Midtown), which offers home health care and companion services to senior citizens.