Too Old? Think again!

Think you are too old to work?

Too old to start something new?

RIP: Your Youth

Or perhaps you are an employer with a bias against hiring older people?

One of my hats is that of Private Investigator and I have a friend, Mark Grover, who owns one of Australia’s premier Private Investigation agencies. They handle cases both here in Australia and overseas for clients ranging from private individuals to multinational corporations and government departments/agencies.

MPOL Group have a Private Investigator on their staff who has turned 80 years of age in December 2008!

I quote:

A unique investigator

A successful investigation firm is, by the nature of the work we conduct, made up of a group of diverse and colourful characters. We’d like to pay tribute to one of our most enduring and successful factual investigators, Brian Forrest who turned 80 on the 1st December!

While Brian may not be able to do the 100m quite as fast as in years gone by, when it comes to attention to detail and understanding mechanical or engineering aspects of an investigation there are still few investigators with Brian’s expertise.

Brian is one of the warmest and most approachable investigators you could ever meet, which is a definite advantage for a factual investigator who is trying to persuade people to provide statements. We are sure it is also one of the reasons that we have had more positive feedback from clients and employers about Brian than any other investigator!

Brian has given many years of excellent service to both MPOL and our clients, we look forward to many more of the same quality and integrity from one of our industry’s finest.

Ref: http://www.mpol.com.au/news/newsletters/2008Dec/article5.php

The staff member, Brian Forrest, is a key asset to the MPOL Group and its clients, and living proof that older people, even well past ‘retirement age’, can have a great deal to offer.

In my view, older people can make excellent members of staff and often have qualities which their younger counterparts lack. To me, it is important to focus on the result delivered. If older people can provide this then that is what matters, not their age. Negative age bias can actually be a hindrance to a business, which will miss out on the benefits older people bring to the table.

These days, poor customer service is on the increase and I have found it to be more common amongst the younger demographic. I have also come across many instances of poor quality customer service staff being supervised, managed and even hired by a similarly minded poor quality young person. Good leadership starts at the top and benefits flow downwards. There are some fantastic young people out there of course, and I know many, however as a percentage of the population I have found that younger people tend to know less about good customer service. And if you don’t know, how can you be?

Business owners and managers should focus on the required results and then take steps to achieve that. Negative connotations and bias about either old or young people should not be part of the equation. Perhaps you have a subconscious bias? Have you asked yourself that?

Older people within the organization’s workforce can help transfer key skills, wisdom and attributes. Is your business benefiting from this? Are you mining the riches that can dwell in the minds of older people – wisdom, experience, insight and so on? Even if you have a business model which does indeed need young, vibrant up to the minute floor staff; such as teen retail fashion for example, older people can be brought in to assist with customer service training or other back end type work.

When studying the MPOL Group article above we can see that they are cleverly leveraging Brian’s key qualities for the benefit of their clients. Brian has a job, keeps his mind active and I would expect that it is all helping to support his health too.

Private Investigation work can be very demanding and usually requires above average skill. So if an 80 year old is good enough to be retained by one of Australia’s premier Private Investigation agencies, perhaps some older people would be good for your business. Have you thought about it?

And if you are an older person who has given up on life and succumbed to the view that there is nothing left for you, then think again! Get involved in something, even if it is on a voluntary basis. You will feel much better and, I’ll be blunt; will likely live longer and be more healthy.

Related posts:

1. How I “found” a dead person in three places!
2. Get a human when you phone (for US readers); and thoughts on customer service.
3. How competitive are you? Are you aware of the new competition paradigm?
4. Is your customer service just hype and slick marketing? Do you want a genuine competitive advantage?
5. Do you need world class (elite) surveillance services?