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Age no barrier for manual labour positions
At 63 years old, Barry Snook decided that after 26 years of working in the apple orchards of the West Tamar Valley in Tasmania, he needed a job that was closer to home and which had regular hours. Barry was eligible for assistance from a Job Network Member, and they encouraged him to apply for a range of positions, including one as a yardsman at a local timberyard.
Barry's boss, Paul Holmes, admits that when he originally looked at Barry's resume, he was little apprehensive about giving him an interview. This was because of the physical nature of the position and his previous employee had been a 16 year old. However, Paul decided to give Barry a chance and was so impressed with Barry's interview that he offered him the job.
Barry took this all in his stride and has now been successfully working in the position for seven months. Paul has never regretted giving Barry a go and he is continually impressed with his strong work ethic and enthusiasm. Barry's success has played an important role in changing the perceptions of hiring mature age employees in his workplace.
‘I am definitely a lot more open-minded about mature age workers following my experience with Barry,’ Paul said.
Seeing the light
Lesley Vedelago began practicing optometry from her Browns Plains home in 1980. As she juggled work and family, Lesley’s business grew, moving to Regents Park Medical Centre in 1987 and then to its present location at the Plains Medical Centre. ‘The practice now has two full-time optometrists,’ she said. ‘Support staff include two full-time optical dispensers, a trainee optical dispenser and a Neuro feedback therapist.’
Lesley’s business has continued to grow, with new customers coming from the recommendations of existing patients, as well as those from teachers and health professionals. The practice uses state-of-the-art equipment for testing and diagnosis, and staff members regularly attended continuing education programs so that they can up-skill, refresh their knowledge and also attain new qualifications. ‘It will benefit them in their future employment, but also for our practice. This ensures all staff has the knowledge to perform their job well.’
In the last 12 months, Lesley has employed two mature age staff members, who have replaced younger ones. Half of the practice’s staff is now mature age - an outcome that Lesley is very happy with. ‘Mature age staff not only bring valuable experience to the workplace but also are more flexible with working hours,’ she said. ‘Being a practice that sees a lot of children, mature age staff can be an asset as they have experience in dealing with the littlies.’
Coffee with a smile
Maggie Saad is the owner/manager of Café Metzzo, a Mediterranean-themed licensed café and restaurant at the Logan Hyperdome. Café Metzzo employs approximately 22 staff members, and it takes pride in the level of cheerful and consistent service that sets the café apart – a service that is assisted by management hiring mature age staff members. ‘We find that mature aged staff often have a better work ethic and body of experience,’ Maggie said. ‘This translates into better service for our customers and a better team dynamic.’
Young at heart
Tony Flack is the manager of BoysTown Enterprises and Training, an organisation in Logan that provides programs to disadvantaged young people to help them enter the workforce. He has seen first hand the benefits of employing mature age people. ‘At BoysTown Enterprise and Training, the majority of our staff are mature age,’ he said. ‘We have consistently found that these men and women have a wealth of experience and commitment to contribute to the training and development of disadvantaged people. They undertake highly valued roles as trainers and act as positive role models for our youth clients. For BoysTown, our mature age staff are a real asset. Their life experience and the expertise they can offer are highly regarded.’
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