More area workers delaying retirement

A bad day at work for Gene Altobella Sr. once meant nearly getting blown to bits from a booby-trapped safe.

The shifts are a little calmer these days for the 72-year-old locksmith. But Altobella remains one of a growing number of older workers who have chosen to not just delay retirement, but eschew it.

Boredom and disenchantment with retirement drove Altobella to take back his Gene's Locksmith operation in Henderson a few years ago.

"I was so bored," the locksmith said, recalling a brief stint in retirement. "I just slept all the time. I didn't even want to go fishing, and I love fishing."

Today, Altobella is content to again be rekeying car locks and changing safe combinations.

Corporate demographics are changing across the country and here in Nevada as an increasing number of aging workers decide to stay in -- or re-enter -- the work force. About 19,000 people 55 and older joined the labor pool from the beginning of the recession in January 2008 to March of this year. That figure swelled the ranks of the state's older labor base to 256,030, Nevada Department of Employment Training and Rehabilitation economist Jered McDonald said.

Shrinking retirement accounts and disappearing pensions have likely figured in the surge of mature workers looking through help-wanted ads, McDonald said. Personal reasons, such as Altobella's, may also motivate them.

Local job seekers of all ages are facing fierce competition for open positions. But companies give more mature employees high marks. They advise other potential employers not to let a little white hair, or a slower gait, deter them from hiring someone.

"There are a lot of benefits, first you get a different work ethic," Freed's Bakery general manager Max Fried said. "They add a lot of value to the company. They see Freed's as a place they have a part of. The younger kids won't have that same way of thinking."

Fried has about a dozen employees in their 50s or older at his two Henderson and Las Vegas locations.

Likewise, Lionel Sawyer & Collins would have a tough time running smoothly without the help of the law firm's more senior staff, managing partner Paul Hejmanowski said.

"A lot of my staff has been here for a very long time," he said. "My senior partner (Sam Lionel) is 91, and most people can't keep up with him."

The longtime behind-the-scenes staff possesses institutional knowledge that makes them difficult to replace, Hejmanowski said. More than a few Lionel Sawyer & Collins support employees have spent decades with the firm.

"I want knowledge and experience in my business," he said.

Dedication to their jobs and a strong work ethic were commonly cited as top qualities valued in older employees. Hejmanowski also pointed to a generational attitude about work that employees near retirement age typically possess.

"The older people in the workplace grew up with parents who lived through the Great Depression. A job was like gold. A job was something you hold onto."

The younger set is now learning that same lesson, thanks mostly to the "Great Recession," the lawyer noted. The more-youthful employees are not as quick to leave a good job today.

Employers in the most recent survey by AARP cited many of the same positive attributes of their senior workers that local employers offered. A good attitude, a lesser likelihood of changing jobs, lower absenteeism and superior customer-service skills were listed among desirable qualities, the U.S. General Accounting Office reported.

Older employees were also praised for punctuality, commitment to quality and eagerness to learn new skills.

Stereotypes of aging workers, however, still figure in some hiring situations, McDonald said. The unemployment rate for job seekers ages 55 and up is the highest of any age group in the nation. Nevada numbers are expected to track with the rest of the country.

The length of time a person spends unemployed progressively increases with their age. Job seekers age 65 and up are out of work for an average of 46.2 weeks. The next-oldest group -- age 55 to 64 -- spend an average of 42.1 weeks unemployed. In contrast, people 20 to 24 years old wait only about 30 weeks for their next job, department statistics show.

"On the surface, it appears the older you are, the longer you are out of work," McDonald said.

Mark Ricciardi, the Las Vegas managing partner of the labor law firm Fisher & Phillips, cautions against viewing older employees, and potential hires, with stereotypes in mind. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 protects individuals older than 40 from discrimination.

"The biggest problem for employers is having a culture at the company that will stereotype older workers as being too slow and not qualified to do the work," he said.

Ricciardi advises his business clients to institute training and offer older personnel flexible schedules if needed. It is not illegal to give special perks to workers who are near retirement age, but such preferential treatment may miff younger workers.

Avoiding improper remarks in the workplace is essential, observers say. Comments like "Gramps" and "dinosaur" can land an employer in trouble, Ricciardi said.

Hiring people with silver hair may offer a financial silver lining -- better profits. Cox Communications has been recognized nationally for its workplace diversity. The company has different racial, ethnic, gender and age groups represented among its employees, in proportion to Southern Nevada's population, spokesman Juergen Barbusca said.

"Regardless if the market is made of older, more mature people, or Spanish-speaking people or African-Americans, having those employees makes customer say, 'Hey, they are like me, too.'"

And many older Las Vegans are planning to keep their day -- and night -- jobs.

Jubilee company manager Ffolliott "Fluff" LeCoque has been with the show since its inception in 1981. Now a Harrah's Entertainment employee at age 86, LeCoque has stayed with the Bally's property through numerous ownership changes.

LeCoque praised her employer, and has no plans to retire.

"It gives me a reason to get up in the morning," she said.

Altobella concurred.

"I'll work till they plant me," Altobella said.

Contact reporter Valerie Miller at
vmiller@lvbusinesspress.com or 702-387-5286.