Why Hire Older, More Experienced Employees

One of America’s largest populations, the Baby Boomers, are hitting retirement age. But, not all of them are ready to call it quits yet. Though the recession seems long behind us, there are still some Boomers whose investments haven’t bounced back. There are also those who just don’t relish the idea of not having something to wake up for every day.

Many employers shy away from hiring older employees because they don’t have as much energy as younger ones, or else the employer is worried that the employee will suddenly decide they want to retire. But, employers have a lot to gain from hiring older employees. Here are a few reasons:

Experience

Your older employee will have years of experience not only with the particular skill set you hire him or her for, but they will also have years of experience knowing how to conduct themselves in the workplace. This makes them better team players, and you are less likely to have to talk to them about bad workplace behavior.

Reduced salary

A number of older employees don’t have the financial needs that younger ones do—they’re not buying houses, putting children through college, having babies or paying off their own student loans. This means they don’t negotiate for the higher salaries or bonuses.

Punctuality

Because many older employees are working because they want to, as opposed to out of necessity, they’re less likely to be late.

Good Communicators

Because they have so many years of experience in the workplace, older employees generally have a better idea of how to get their point across and how to work with multiple communication styles.

At Skywalk Group, we love placing the right people in the right jobs! Call us the next time you need to fill a position at your company.