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Sears Catalog Workers Call It Quits in Droves
By Richard Nantel | August 1, 2007
My last couple of blog posts have been about the ramifications of changing workforce demographics. Because of our aging population, governments will be encouraging people to keep working as long as possible to
Some of those people will need to work. They will not yet have achieved financial independence. Many others, though, will be working because they want to, not because they need to. These financially secure older workers will want to stay in the workforce to remain active, keep intellectually stimulated, maintain social contacts, ward off boredom, support a cause, etc.
My mother was such a worker. When my sisters and I left home, my mother, in her 50s, got a job in the catalog department of a local Sears outlet. She didn’t need to work. (In fact, my father, a traditional bread-winner-of-the-family-type-guy, wished she would just stay home.)
The Sears job was great for my mother. She made close friends with the other workers, all women approximately her own age, and enjoyed the work. She chatted up the customers, all of whom liked her immensely.
Then, a momentous change occurred.
Sears set up a computer in the catalog department. Rather than filing returns using the paper-based forms they were accustomed to, the team was asked to enter returns into this new device. Sears provided training to my mother and her colleagues. But, for many, the change was very very difficult.
For many of the workers, my mother included, work changed dramatically. The computer stressed her out. She feared breaking it. She was terrified of wiping out data. What’s with this mouse thing? She soon dreaded going to work. It just wasn’t fun anymore.
One by one, many of the Sears gals called it quits. They didn’t need the money. They didn’t need the stress. They hadn’t signed up for this when they took the job.
From my perspective, it’s really too bad these women didn’t stick with it a bit longer. Had they worked through the fear of learning something new, they would likely all be cool bloggers with Facebook accounts today. Instead, their introduction to that Sears computer left many with a lifelong fear of computer technology.
The point of all this is that financially secure older workers will need to be treated differently from younger workers. Employers will need to be aware of why these people are choosing to work instead of hanging out with their retired friends. Work will need to meet their social needs. Change will need to be managed very carefully.
One of the key priorities I see for the future is that organizations will need to formally monitor the level of job satisfaction of employees. Had Sears done this, the company would perhaps not have had to deal with a severe
Topics: Aging, Learning, Talent Management |
