A Company Committed to Hiring Older Workers
In the May 2008 edition of HR Magazine, the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) monthly publication, Robert J. Grossman speaks to the many benefits of employing “older” workers. The opening caption states “Older employees — more than one-quarter of the workforce — bring experience to their jobs. Research proves they are as productive as youth. And by understanding aging, employers can make them even more productive.”
Indeed, “older” or mature workers, defined as persons age 50 and older, are typically very dependable and reliable, provide exceptional customer service experiences and connect to the general population in ways that younger workers just don’t seem to do. At The Paradies Shops, our store managers have long since realized the additional value older workers offer. Today, more than 30% of our total active workforce is comprised of workers 50 and older.
Consider this. Older workers have had so many more life experiences to reference when making decisions impacting customer service than a younger worker. They’ve just lived longer, shopped more and had more opportunities to be on the good end, and bad end of a sales associate. Those of us who have been the recipient of poor customer service are more likely to try to exceed customer expectations and that’s what it’s all about at Paradies – exceeding expectations.
Older workers know it’s an instinct and a way of life to be courteous to strangers, to offer assistance when people look troubled and to be genuine and sincere to others. For example, an older female associate might see a young female traveler negotiating an infant, diaper bag, umbrella stroller, purse and a cell phone and remember the day she was traveling with a small child when no one seemed to care or help. As a result, she will be more likely reach out to our female customer and offer her assistance. It’s those types of experiences The Paradies Shops customers commend our associates for delivering. It’s part of our culture.
But it’s more than the great institutional courtesy and customer service older workers offer. Older workers take pride in the Company they represent. They wear a uniform proudly; respect Company property, tools and equipment. They respect scheduled start times and end times and know from many, many years of work experience – maybe even as a former manager – that every minute on the clock counts. They know when you’re one minute late, you’re late and you’ve upset the entire schedule for the day.
In the “older worker” category, The Paradies Shops employs 941 hourly associates and 95 management associates. The oldest, Jerry “Coach” Johnson, a spry 90 year old legendary basketball coach from Memphis, Tennessee works 3 to 4 days a week and maintains a minimum of 20 hours per week to keep his status as part-time and enjoy the benefits Paradies offers to its part-timers including paid sick days and health insurance that most retailers typically extended to only full-time workers. Coach is a natural. He clocks in at least 5 minutes early for every shift, works a full day, keeps his uniform in order and never lets a customer leave without flashing his best smile and saying “Have a nice day.” We need a couple hundred more just like him.
Yes, “older workers” might be considered dinosaurs by some employers, and we thank them for doing so. Send them to us. We’re happy to have them help us achieve our mission “to maintain first class standards which exceed the expectations of the customers and business partners we serve.” The door’s open, we’re hiring.
(This post was written by Jill Nidiffer, Human Resources Director for The Paradies Shops. Her email address is jill.nidiffer@theparadiesshops.com for questions and comments regarding this article The Paradies Shops Named “Best Airport Retailer” for the past 13 consecutive years by Airport Revenue News, and “Retailer with the Highest Regard for Customer Service” for 12 years, was established in 1960. A family-owned business, The Paradies Shops operates more than 450 stores in over 70 airports across the United States and Canada.)