Age-firmative Action? Employers Find Stregnths of Older Workers

Nov 8, 2013

The CEO of an East Coast food company likes older workers. It’s no wonder: He’s 82 himself.

But there are other reasons too:

— “Fewer absences, fewer mistakes, a greater ability to solve problems and a willingness to put in more hours.”

— “They’re loaded with knowledge. They can teach the young whippersnappers.”

— “There’s no experience like experience.”

So says David Mintz, who is CEO of Tofutti, a food company based in Cranford, N.J. About one-third of the workers at the company are over
50. In the article “As Boomers continue to look for work, employers find age can bring needed experience,” Mintz told the
Associated Press: “I can’t put an ad saying, ‘Older people wanted,’ but there’s no comparison.”

The article mentions Life Reimagined for Work, an initiative started by AARP that WAHVE joined as a charter member.

Initiatives like that – as well as WAHVE itself – are necessary because not every employer or hiring manager has such an open mind
about vintage workers. Noted the article:

“Surveys consistently show older people believe they experience age discrimination on the job market, and although unemployment is lower among older workers, long-term unemployment is far higher.”

— Sharon Emek, Ph.D.
Founder and CEO
Work At Home Vintage Experts (WAHVE)

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