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In an old theatre in the retail district of downtown Needham, Massachusetts hums a small 49 employee manufacturing company called Vita Needle. Well, "hums" might be a bit of a stretch. "Plods" might be more accurate.
You see their employee's average age is 73 years old. Their oldest employee just turned 100. And pace is not their specialty.
Initially a plant manager who is used to the hustle and bustle of a driven and productive shop floor would be incredulous at these seniors doting over their machines seemingly not in any kind of hurry for anyone. They work part-time, take off when they want and work at whatever speed feels right to them. They forget things sometimes, get a little curmudgeonly when faced with change, and once in awhile, fall asleep on the job.
But if the plant manager would put aside first impressions and wait long enough, he or she would see a thriving and successful company that emphasizes quality over speed and craftsmanship over sheer volume.
I was sent an article on the company by Bob Fines, the CEO of TBEI (Truck Bodies and Equipment International). He thought I would get a kick out of it. He was right. The article written by Katie Johnson, first appeared in the Boston Globe.
"Now many other companies," Johnson writes, "are learning what [company President Frederick] Hartman and Vita Needle have long known: A white-haired workforce can be hardworking, dependable, experienced..."
Too, they know the value of work and have professional pride in what they do. Over the past 20 years, Vita Needle has posted record sales every year except for two. Last year they topped $10 million.
Now, before you take a blow torch to your workforce and replace it with all 60-somethings, I must be clear that what this company does cannot be duplicated in its entirety by everyone. It's a business model that works because of unique circumstances.
"The pace of work at Vita Needle makes it easy to have so many older employees," writes Johnson. "Customers typically place small-to medium-sized orders...and the ebb and flow of work is ideal for part-time positions."
Additionally, most jobs are simple and easily cross-trained, thus they can fill-in for each other without a problem. And there is no heavy or physically taxing machinery to be run.
If this model cannot be followed to the letter, then what's my point? The point is experience has value; especially when that experience is motivated.
Too often bean counters recommend the elimination of the older worker over the younger because the older draws a greater salary. That's running a company with pea-sized vision.
If you dump a larger salary today, that will certainly save you some money today. But the losses down the road can be catastrophic; the lost tribal knowledge, the lost know-how, the lost maturity. And there are all of the lessons already learned by the experienced worker that have to be relearned by the younger worker. Too often business leaders save a penny today only to lose a dollar tomorrow.
On top of all that, when companies unceremoniously dump older workers, the goodwill they squander with the rest of the workforce is significant, and morale takes a serious hit across the board.
Let me be clear...if experience is no longer motivated, I'd like it to please retire. But as long as experience is still motivated, a smart leader will ride it until it decides on its own it's had enough.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is the real lesson of Vita Needle.
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