Training, communication key to helping older workers adapt

Singapore

THE government has urged and incentivised employers to hire and retain middle-aged and mature workers during the pandemic, but even before this, some firms in Singapore have already been doing so.

The key to success? Training, technology adoption and communication, according to firms The Business Times (BT) spoke to.

As Cheang Tick Kei, precision engineering and advanced manufacturing cluster director at JTC, puts it: "Aside from providing the right training in job redesign and technology, it is equally important to help mature workers transition into new digital roles."

Three businesses tell BT more about the benefits and misconceptions of employing older workers.

Overturning misconceptions

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Nearly half of Osteopore International's 28 employees are above 50 years old now, but the medtech firm did not set out to recruit older workers initially.

When the startup went commercial in 2015, the management team created flexible working hours to ensure that employees still had time for family, said Lim Jing, Osteopore's chief technology officer.

The firm also looked to hire employees who lived in the area, so that it would be easier for them to commute to work. These factors attracted mature job seekers, who later also recommended the jobs to their friends.

As Osteopore specialises in 3D printing surgical implants, which can be technical, training is provided, such as on computer software and production standards.

But regardless, Mr Lim said the company has not had issues with the older employees' work performance, contrary to the general perception that they may be slower to learn, especially when it comes to using technology.

"What we've experienced is that they were able to pick up the work quickly; they were also receptive to the work demanded of them," he added.

In some aspects, the experience of the older workers may also give them an edge over their younger counterparts. "They have seen a lot, so they don't get frightened or unsettled easily. The way they handle communications is also more mature," said Mr Lim, who is in his 30s.

Evolving the jobs

About 40 per cent of Hai Sia Seafood's employees are at least 40 years old today, with many of them having been with the seafood supplier for more than a decade, and the company wants to do what it can to keep them.

"When it comes to workers who have been with us for a long time, their knowledge is invaluable," said Jasmine Tan, finance and human resources manager at Hai Sia.

"As long as they want to work with us, we'll continue to hire and evolve their jobs so they can continue to stay with us."

Chiefly, the company transformed its processes - such as scaling fish, slicing seafood and vacuum packing - about four years ago, from being purely manual to semi-automated. This year, Hai Sia started automating packing lines as well.

These efforts have made employees' jobs easier and helped them stay on. For example, one 65-year-old employee had been part of the company's logistics team until he had cataract surgery in 2018, which made it unsuitable for him to work in the sun.

He was then redeployed to Hai Sia's processing plant, where he now operates a fish slicing machine and performs quality assessments instead.

Hai Sia has also been able to recruit more older workers since implementing automation, added Ms Tan, 52, who joined the company four years ago from a different industry.

Some of the older workers did fear the change and were worried about their jobs when the company moved towards automation.

Communication is therefore key, Ms Tan said.

"Should there be any major change in the direction or operations of the company, we will explain why we need to change and where we're getting to."

She added: "From my experience, it's a two-way thing. We have to explain to them and hear their views as well."

Easing the labour crunch

After years of difficulty attracting talent, precision engineering manufacturer TranZplus has found some relief in the form of older workers.

"We started looking at recruiting older employees two to three years ago as we've found it hard to attract young people to our industry. Precision engineering is not as sexy as banking, for example," said TranZplus chief executive Nelson Lim.

The company also realised that older employees may be more experienced, matured and committed to the job, he added.

To mid-careerists who are keen, the company is willing to provide training opportunities to help them make the switch.

For instance, a 49-year-old employee had worked as a private-hire driver for six years before joining TranZplus as a salesperson in 2018.

He was later given the opportunity to attend robotic arm operation and maintenance training programmes in Taiwan when TranZplus secured distributorship there.

Now, he is a marketing manager and is in charge of all of TranZplus' robotic arm projects.

It helps that Mr Lim is himself 47, and can relate to the stresses of older workers.

He said: "There are kids, a family and maybe a car to take care of. So, if I can do something for them, why not? They can also do something for me and we both benefit."