It's all down to experience
By Owen Thomson | smh.com.au | 27 February
Mirek Tuma doesn't fit the mould of a conventional senior citizen. At a time in life when many other people are retired and playing lawn bowls, the energetic 82-year-old is still employed and could well be the world's oldest working medical sales representative. "I love my job and I work for a very good company," says Tuma, a senior medical representative for pharmaceutical company Aspen Pharmacare. "I am dealing with the medical profession which keeps me alert. It's probably that that keeps me young."
Employers are increasingly waking up to the value of older workers and doing their best to retain and attract them. Chronic talent shortages and a decline in new workforce recruits mean the trend is set to grow in coming years.
"The Australian Bureau of Statistics tells us that there are currently 170,000 new entrants into the labour market every year, and in the period from 2020 to 2030 it will be 125,000 for the entire decade," says Juliet Bourke, co-author of the book Age Discrimination: Mitigating Risk In The Workplace. "We just don't have new talent coming through the door to support the workplaces that we now have, so we need to look at new segments of talent."
Some signs of change are already evident. A 2005 survey conducted by the Equal Employment Opportunity Network of 32 organisations in Australasia revealed a surge in age diversity initiatives in the previous two years. Forty-four per cent of companies surveyed had addressed the issue, up from 25 per cent two years earlier.
Bourke, who is also a partner at workplace consulting group Aequus Partners, says by the start of 2008 companies including BlueScope Steel, St George, ANZ, IAG and Westpac had altered their approaches to attract and accommodate older workers.
"It is on the agenda for some best-practice companies," she says. "But there are others for whom the issue of age diversity is nowhere."
With the majority of its sales team over 50, Aspen Pharmacare allows older employees to customise their working week to the number of days they wish to work. They have also adjusted their work environment to support older workers.
Employees can take breaks through the day and administrative support is available for those who are not computer literate.
"I work three days a week, but I work a little bit more at night so I can take two months off to go to Europe, to the beautiful city of Prague," explains Czech-born Tuma. "The company is really good to me. That's one of the reasons I'm very happy. I work more or less when I want, how I want and see whom I want. If you like your job, then you'll succeed in any profession."
The company's national sales and marketing manager, Robert Koster, sees the contribution of older team members as vital to service quality. "They all add to the business and they love what they're doing," he says. "One of the things we've found with older workers is that they've worked out their career aspirations and are actually working the job they want to work."
Koster says Tuma's contribution is invaluable. "He's inspirational to the other guys," he says. "[The fact that he's working at 82] means that everybody knows that as long as they're able to do the work, there's no limit to how long they can stay."
Tuma is also good at his job. "He actually brings a lot of business to the company because of his close relationships and passion," Koster says.
Meanwhile, it seems there's no slowing Tuma down. After 44 years in the pharmaceutical industry, a heart bypass and two hip replacements, it's clear he still cherishes working life and the chance to make a contribution. "I've got so many doctors not just as customers, but as friends," Tuma says. "If I travel to the country they all ask me to stay with them. When I got married two years ago, some of the doctors flew to Prague for my wedding. You can't buy the experience I have in the medical profession for anything."
First published by Smh.com.au on February 27 2008
Visit smh.com.au for the latest news updated throughout the day
