By Rachel Pleasant
Staff Writer

Patrick Dickerson has found the key to an efficient employee team. The owner/operator of Mount Pleasant’s Chick-fil-A hires senior citizens to work alongside his throngs of teenaged or early-20s workers.

Then he simply stands back and watches the difference mixing generations can make in a single shift.

“The biggest thing is the culture that comes with that age group,” Dickerson said, referring to the senior citizens, some of whom are in their mid-70s, who work at the restaurant.

“There are certain days where I might have 25 people on a lunch (shift), and 20 of those people are teenagers or in their 20s and five are senior citizens. Teenagers act up and misbehave, but it’s kind of hard to do that in front of your grandmother or grandfather.”

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, by 2008 40% of workers will be age 45 or older, compared to 33% in 1998. The aging trend, combined with growing numbers of retirees heading to the Lowcountry, is forming an employment pool of experienced, reliable workers.

It is a pool that Dickerson, and major employers such as Home Depot and Walgreens, both of which are recognized by AARP for hiring older workers, is eager to draw from.

“Senior citizens are going to display more character strengths,” Dickerson said. “We all learn from our mistakes, and they have more experience at learning the important lessons in life.”

Dickerson’s handful of senior citizen employees, who typically work between 20 and 30 hours a week, may not be the fastest cashiers or able to lift the heavy boxes. Their weaknesses, however, are made up for by the fact that younger employees work more efficiently in the presence of older adults, he said.

Not only does Dickerson’s entire operation run more smoothly when senior citizens are on the clock, but he is also appreciative of the life experience those employees bring to the job.

“I seek their input. A lot of them have formerly owned businesses or been in leadership before, and mentally, they’re just as sharp as ever. I feel like I’m getting a free consulting service,” Dickerson said.

And senior citizens are generally on time for their shifts, if not early, give notice if they’ll be late or not able to work and tend to stay in their positions longer, he said.

An older worker, for instance, typically stays at the restaurant five or six years, compared to their younger counterparts, who typically leave after three to four years of service.

The benefits older workers bring to the work place come at no added cost for the employer, said Helen Doerpinghaus, a professor at the Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina in Columbia.

Most older people, those over the age of 65, work in low paying, service jobs. Having already worked in another career, senior citizens are no longer looking to climb the corporate ladder and their reasons for working have shifted somewhat, Doerpinghaus said.

“Most elderly people have savings or a pension to live on. They’re trying to supplement the income they already have, or they might just want something to do, to be with people and have mental stimulation,” Doerpinghaus said.

Those who employ older adults need to provide what they would to an employee of any age: Social Security, workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance, Doerpinghaus said.

The issue of medical benefits is eliminated when older workers receive Medicare.

Additionally, senior citizens often work only part time—in many cases to earn the limited amount of money they are allowed to make without having their Social Security benefits reduced—and employers often don’t provide medical benefits to part timers regardless of age.

While the issue of benefits, at least in terms of insurance, is nonexistent for the employers of older people, employers often tout a number of perks to lure older workers.

“Employers want older people to come work for them. That can mean offering flexible scheduling, because maybe you watch the grandkids after school, or some sort of award system, maybe an Employee of the Month, Best Suggestion or Best Team Leader program,” Doerpinghaus said.

“Older workers are the same as other people in that they want appreciation and respect, and older workers have less of a need for money. They’re not hunting the corporate ladder or the big bucks.”

Dickerson has already caught on to the importance for an employee recognition program, and his older employees are regularly named Employee of the Month.

Additionally, he applies an unwritten policy he refers to as the “grandparent policy,” which allows older workers to have as much unpaid time off as they need, when possible.

Dickerson and Doerpinghaus agree that the advantages and relative ease in employing older workers doesn’t come without its hitches.

An older adult will have more health problems, which can affect their work.

But even more complex is the relationship an older adult makes with the job and co-workers—a bond that can be difficult to break when the time comes.

“It kind of becomes their social environment and gives them a purpose for living. The customers and coworkers become their friends and family,” Dickerson said.

Severing the relationship between an older adult and the workplace is best done gradually and carefully, Doerpinghaus said.

“It needs to be done in a kind way. They need to be eased out, and they need to know they are appreciated,” Doerpinghaus said.

“When a worker can no longer perform, express appropriate appreciation and plan for a transition. That might be done by gradually reducing their hours and assisting them with leisure-time planning. Find out if there are other activities they can get involved in.”

Rachel Pleasant is a staff writer for the Business Journal. E-mail her at rpleasant@charlestonbusiness.com.

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