Why we are proud of our Multigenerational Team.

“You are only as young as you feel” Or so we like to tell ourselves! It’s interesting that as we all get older, age becomes just a number and starts at some point to feel meaningless. However, the way we perceive our own age, doesn’t always translate to how we see, or judge the age of others. We’re all guilty of at some point telling an older relative or friend, “you look great for your age” or, at work, automatically assuming your ‘older colleague’ won’t know how to use the latest technology – all because their chronological age is numerically higher than your own.

Pictured in this article is one of our own team Tommy Russell. Tommy is now in his 78th year and he is an excellent example of why age really is ‘only a number’. Tommy started his working career is 1962. Tommy started as a ‘van boy’ with Johnston Mooney and O’Brien eventually moving to becoming to a relief van driver when a five-day working week was introduced. Tommy then moved to a long career in the insurance industry and most recently, before he joined our ranks, worked with Thompson Plant Machinery as a Sales Rep. Tommy has been with us since 2008 and has been an incredible addition to our team. His experience, his natural ability to connect with people and his reliability have made him the model employee.

While some people don’t relish the thoughts of working beyond retirement age there is a cohort who would welcome the opportunity to continue their working life for as long as they are healthy enough to do so. There are those, like Tommy, that feel their chronological age shouldn’t determine their working life.

Tommy has been picked as one example of our team, which contains a broad spectrum of generations. Our experience is that there are numerous benefits to having a multigenerational team.

The work ethic that is brought by mature members of the team, such as Tommy, is second to none. Punctuality, attention to detail, honesty and taking pride in a job well done are traits which we are held in high regard by Tommy and other members of the team of the same generation.

The use of new technology is often seen as a barrier for older people joining a team. Mature members of our team have had to grapple with more change than other employees and are often more open to adopting new work practises. Their attention to detail will often mean that they will be extremely diligent about learning how to use new devices/ processes.

Our experience is that members of the team who are 55+ will stay longer. According to a recent OECD report the average job tenure in Ireland is falling, which indicates an increase in labour fluidity. Our own data would indicate that employees in the age profile 20-25 would have an average tenure of 2.5 years while those aged 55+ are 10.4 years. Our experience is that on average there are more sick days also with the younger members of our team.

Tommy in his role as a sales canvasser for mymilkman.ie relies on his excellent communications skills. Our experience is that our mature employees have a confidence and an emotional intelligence which has been honed over the years which gives them the ability to be diplomatic and persuasive in all the right measures.

The mymilkman.ie project for us, in particular, benefits hugely from having more mature ambassadors for the brand. In todays busy, stressed filled world customers are happy to talk about the convenience it provides, Tommy is also very comfortable talking to customers about the heritage and nostalgia connected to the milkman service. Customers always come away smiling after their conversations with Tommy.

When asked about what Tommy enjoys about working his answer was “I love meeting people, no two days are the same. It helps me keep active”. Tommy cites the numerous celebrities who have opened the door to him. Amongst those he has signed up he mentions members of the Fair City and Riordans casts! Asked about his secret to good health his answer was “Find something you enjoy doing and keep doing it”.

There is no reason why having a healthy working life can’t be extended for as long as an employee wants it to be. We are glad to facilitate employees who on paper have too many chronological years and we as employers have seen the benefits. We feel extremely privileged to have colleagues like Tommy Russell on our team.