LOCAL FIRM THRILLED WITH OLDER STAFF

Published Monday November 26th, 2007 - Moncton Times&Transcript

Mark Stubbs, manager of Moncton's Home Depot, is seeing it more and more -- retirees who decide to re-enter the workforce, whether full-time, regular part-time or on a more occasional basis.
"We love their expertise," says Mark. "In a typical department, we'll have someone 55-plus working with a 21-year-old. It makes for a great dynamic."
To take advantage of the wealth of knowledge and experience of older workers, Home Depot Canada formed a hiring partnership in 2005 with Canada's Association for the Fifty-Plus.
Locally, the store draws many workers who have retired from careers such as at CN and the military, says Mark.
"Some have taken early retirement and found that life's not as full as they would like," he says. "We provide flexible shifts. They usually want part-time. Their availability is dependent on what stage of their life they're in."
Of the 120 employees currently working at the Moncton Home Depot, 19 are over the age of 55, five are over 60 and two are 65-plus.Much of the buzz about the company being open to hiring older employees has been generated by word of mouth, says Tina Smith, the store's manager of human resources.
"When people come in, they see that there are many people on their third career," says Tina. "In the retail industry, they're choosing us. We're not choosing them. That's wonderful. And it's building customer confidence. Do you want to buy a $500 power saw from a 19-year-old or from a 55-year-old who's used it?"
The "seasoned" workers take their jobs seriously and generally make for excellent employees, she says.
"I very rarely have to have a talk with someone who is 58 about showing up to work time," she says. "Usually they're here too early."
Tina, who is also a director on the Moncton executive of the Human Resources Association of New Brunswick, says a key issue that needs to be addressed provincially when it comes to the older workforce is matching the right person with the right job.
"You have to link the workforce with a reliable product or service that generates that customer confidence," says Tina. "If you're going to put someone who is 60 in a fast-paced coffee bar, you may be doing yourself a disservice, also them and your customers.