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Companies Try to Retain Older Workers
LA Times ^ | 9-3-07 | Jonoathon Peterson

Posted on 09/03/2007 11:07:38 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic

Every time John Remore steps up to his workstation to form a piece of sheet metal, he brings an intangible asset to the job: 42 years of experience, dating to lessons from his father.

(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: business; genx; job; jobs; seniors; skill; workplace
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To: Cogadh na Sith

Dude, I am 44, and I have to beat them off with a stick.

Can’t stand the company, don’t want to work for them. Even though I grew up in a company facility.

But they LOVE putting yonger folks (younger than me) in their executive program, and software systems engineers are their hottest need.


101 posted on 09/03/2007 12:38:17 PM PDT by patton (Congress would lose money running a brothel.)
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To: Cogadh na Sith

hell, it’s like that at our family thanksgiving dinner.
someone has to die before you get “promoted”
from the basement card table to the upstairs dinner table.

keep the faith...


102 posted on 09/03/2007 12:39:20 PM PDT by stylin19a (Go Bears !)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

.>>Dean of Engineering of a local University and his wife — both educated with higher degrees — were uncomfortable with the word “profit”

will it be a dirty word when they want to sell their house and retire? maybe they should sell it for what they bought it then they won’t have to dirty their hands with any profit. maybe they could give the house away and go live in a cave.

i wonder if they have a 401k?


103 posted on 09/03/2007 12:41:08 PM PDT by Taffini (Mr. Pippin and Mr. Waffles do not approve)
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To: afraidfortherepublic
Electronics assembly and test, polymer molding, light machining, automatic machine operation. All basic manufacturing stuff.

Your difficulty is finding a good young person is probably a function of a lack of supply. Not very many young folks are aiming to head into that field, so no doubt you're left with those who can't find anything else.

I'm sure I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. Also, this comment isn't meant to insult your profession; I don't know why more young folks don't aspire to that sort of work.

104 posted on 09/03/2007 12:41:44 PM PDT by NittanyLion
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To: stylin19a
someone has to die before you get “promoted” from the basement card table to the upstairs dinner table.

Just wondering...how many seats are at the upstairs table? If it's a four-seater, you may not want to get there too quickly. ;-)

105 posted on 09/03/2007 12:43:14 PM PDT by NittanyLion
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To: WarEagle

I’m afraid that that is the standard for the IT profession. That is why I never encourage young folks to major in IT, and I privately roll my eyes when they tell me how much money they are going to make there just out of school. They may make big bucks, but they will be extraneous dead wood when the next clss comes along.


106 posted on 09/03/2007 12:45:03 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: Cogadh na Sith

If your needing to support your family includes your wishing and being grateful as your parents generation dies off,,you have a very big personal problem. And a mighty small heart.


107 posted on 09/03/2007 12:46:12 PM PDT by cajungirl (no)
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To: cajungirl

I agree. One of the best mechanical engineers I know is over 75 years old and could still outwork the younger crowd.


108 posted on 09/03/2007 12:48:20 PM PDT by RC2
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To: NittanyLion

I’m afraid it is because the bulk of our profession has chosen to outsource those jobs to Asia. Now we are an outsource company too — we do small to mid sized jobs for OEMs. But, when their product hits big — they all send the work overseas. Consequently, we stay small. But, I can’t supply the workers either. We are constantly scraping the bottom of the barrel, hoping to find a gem who can match our older workers and become the next generation of leads.


109 posted on 09/03/2007 12:48:32 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: cajungirl
If your needing to support your family includes your wishing and being grateful as your parents generation dies off,,you have a very big personal problem. And a mighty small heart.

What else can you do as "Companies Try to Retain Older Workers"?

As the top levels companies and government gets packed with oldsters who won't retire, the only advancement occurs when they die.

I didn't invent this demographic and economic catastrophe....

110 posted on 09/03/2007 12:50:22 PM PDT by Cogadh na Sith (Gen X: I'll be the 'Junior Guy' until I'm 70.)
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To: RC2
One of the best mechanical engineers I know is over 75 years old and could still outwork the younger crowd.

The younger crowd being anyone under 75?

So what happens when he croaks and didn't pass on any skills or knowledge?

111 posted on 09/03/2007 12:51:34 PM PDT by Cogadh na Sith (Gen X: I'll be the 'Junior Guy' until I'm 70.)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

Try to find a good circuit board designer that can design without a computer. Almost impossible. I was a design manager and even when I hired senior designers, I would retrain them to our way of doing things. 20 years ago, I had designers making 60K a year. By the time we got done with them they could get a job any place in the country.


112 posted on 09/03/2007 12:52:34 PM PDT by RC2
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To: Cogadh na Sith

He did pass on his skills. He trained me for seven years. He pushed me to the limit in design and I advanced faster than others in the same profession. He put me in my first management position and I trained the best designers in the country. Most older people I have worked with have a much better work ethic.


113 posted on 09/03/2007 12:55:25 PM PDT by RC2
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To: Taffini
>..will it be a dirty word when they want to sell their house and retire?

Not at all. They put their house up for sale at an astronomical price and fled the state to build again in MO, where land is cheaper.Their house was NOT marketable at the price they asked (IMO) but, they lucked out, got their price and got away with the scam.

My husband served on this man's Industrial Relations Committee at the University and the Dean was always poor mouthing and getting people to kick in for his trips and for supporting various educational programs and awards. When we looked at his whole departmental package (when the committee hired his replacement) we wondered why we ever gave him anything. My husband was always funneling money to him on the side. He also promptly forgot we (and everybody else) after he retired. Didn't know us any more.

114 posted on 09/03/2007 12:56:15 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: RC2
He did pass on his skills. He trained me for seven years. He pushed me to the limit in design and I advanced faster than others in the same profession.

So you are in your mid-late 50's? Are you passing those skills and knowledge on?

115 posted on 09/03/2007 12:57:11 PM PDT by Cogadh na Sith (Gen X: I'll be the 'Junior Guy' until I'm 70.)
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To: AppyPappy
are the least willing to embrace new technology. This is true even if they have a computer at home. It's almost like they see no reason to learn

lol

Meet my boss--ten years younger than this baby boomer. I have been trying to convince her to connect her instant messaging so I can use it to contact her without knocking on her closed door.

She still hasn't done it yet.

Technology resistance may come with rank as well as age.

:-)


116 posted on 09/03/2007 12:58:01 PM PDT by cgbg (There are two Americas--those who have the blackmail files and those who don't.)
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To: Cogadh na Sith

I am in my late 60’s now. Have my own company and doing fairly well. I work with younger people and teach them as much as I possibly can.


117 posted on 09/03/2007 12:58:45 PM PDT by RC2
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To: RC2
I am in my late 60’s now. Have my own company and doing fairly well. I work with younger people and teach them as much as I possibly can.

That's good. How much younger are the guys you train?

118 posted on 09/03/2007 1:00:24 PM PDT by Cogadh na Sith (Gen X: I'll be the 'Junior Guy' until I'm 70.)
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To: rbg81
always has been a young peoples’ gig...
but I’m in a tandem/COBOL/.com/.net shop...nobody teaches COBOL....and damn few know anything about tandem..

dinosaurs rule.

119 posted on 09/03/2007 1:00:53 PM PDT by stylin19a (Go Bears !)
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To: afraidfortherepublic
Some one needs to explain that to my company they hire people who can't read a tape measure or operate a drill properly it's amazing what is lost on kids coming right out of school or kids who have parents who have no trade skills or have never worked a trade skill job ...

I've seen kids try and drill through aluminum plates with the drill in reverse and no clue why it won't work !

120 posted on 09/03/2007 1:03:10 PM PDT by ATOMIC_PUNK (In everyday life there is more than meets the eye to reach the depths of truth we must DRAGTHEWATERS)
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