Sharon Koehler

Artistic Stone Design

As I write this I am 60 years old, and by the time you read it, I will be 61. 

All my life I always thought that I would take early retirement at 62 and be done working. I always thought that after a lifetime of working I would be ready. When I was growing up, that was the way things were done. Moms mostly stayed home. Dads worked for the same company for 20, 30, 40 years and then retired at 62 or 65 with Social Security, Medicare and a pension. Life was simple then. Life was good. 

I got my first babysitting job when I was 12 and my first “regular” paycheck job at 15. I’ve been working for over 40 years! But I’m not ready to stop. It’s not a financial thing or an economy thing. It’s a me thing. I am not ready to stop. I am not ready to slow down. I’m healthy. I contribute to a team. I see the value in what I do and so do other people. I can see no reason to stop. At least not right now. 

Yes, I wear glasses because maybe my eyesight isn’t like it was at 20, and sometimes my back aches or my knees pop. The 50- yard dash is no longer in my future and I do make more than one trip to haul groceries from the car but that’s OK. Spryness has been replaced by wisdom, and quickness has been replaced by “slow and steady wins the race.” I did not take one single sick day in 2015. I showed up for work every day, did what I was supposed to and sometimes more. I was reliable, dependable, invested and involved. 

But I’m lucky. I work for a great company. I have purpose. I have a reason and I have enough giddy up to go a few more rounds. But mostly I have a boss that is wise enough to see that over 50 isn’t a bad thing. I applied for my current job when I was 56 years old. I’ve had it for over four years and can see no reason to stop (unless of course my boss knows something that I don’t.) The funny thing is, as I look around, I don’t think I’m the exception. I think I’m the rule.

The problem is that there are other “Baby Boomers” out there that are not so lucky. Yes, it used to be that people retired at 65 (or 62) and that was that. But times have changed. People are living longer, healthier lives. They are more active and can or sometimes must contribute longer than 62 or 65. (I met a 70-year-old cashier in a store today, who was proud to tell me how old she was.)

Unfortunately, the sticking point in society seems to be that if you are over 50 you won’t be around in the work force much longer. If you are over 50, you are coasting into retirement, or if you are over 50, health problems may plague you. Companies don’t want to invest time and resources into someone that won’t be around long. 

I have a friend who is my age. She is smart and dependable. She has worked for the same company for over 15 years. When she first started working there, she was promoted regularly. Then, once she hit her mid-50s that all stopped. She has stood by and watched as younger, less qualified people have gone up the ladder. She’s been looking for another job for over three years with no luck. No one ever tells her it’s her age because that would be illegal. However, she is certain that’s the problem because that is the only thing that’s changed. 

I know a couple of other people in their mid to upper 50s that are having the same problems. One guy lost his job because the company he worked for folded. It took him three years to find another job. I know someone else who went back to school to get a higher degree and she has been looking for almost a year now. It just seems like that if you were born before the mid ’60s, people don’t want to hire you. 

Baby Boomers, as a whole, are a productive, experienced bunch that have good work ethics, and in spite of the gray hairs on our heads, we are capable of learning and growing. 

Who doesn’t want that on their team? We have lived through the Cuban Missile Crisis, Woodstock, the Vietnam War, the moon walk, the JFK and MLK assassinations, the rise of computers and technology, plus the end of a century. (Remember the Y2K scare?)We know our stuff, and the only thing stopping us from showing you what we can do is YOU!

We don’t want to be put out to pasture. We don’t want to be seen and not heard. We are capable of so much more than checking receipts or saying hello and goodbye. We are overlooked and underrated resources. We can be role models for younger staff. We can lead teams for projects. We can run companies.  All we are asking is that you give us a chance. The next time a “Boomer” applies for a job at your company, talk to them. See what they have to offer. It might be the best decision you could ever make. 

Sharon Koehler is a 10- year veteran of the stone industry and currently head of marketing for Artistic Stone Design in Richmond, Va. She has been a regular contributor to various trade magazines for several years. Please send your thoughts on this or any other article to sharon@artisticstonerichmond.com.