{"id":8266,"date":"2025-09-18T11:05:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T16:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/?p=8266"},"modified":"2025-09-18T11:31:42","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T16:31:42","slug":"building-a-diverse-supply-chain-workforce-series-tapping-the-experience-of-older-workers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/18\/building-a-diverse-supply-chain-workforce-series-tapping-the-experience-of-older-workers\/","title":{"rendered":"Building a Diverse Supply Chain Workforce Series: Tapping the Experience of Older Workers"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
Member Stories<\/strong><\/div>\n
\"christy<\/figure>\n
BY CHRISTY DULA<\/span>, CHIEF EXPERIENCE & DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, MHI<\/div>\n

A<\/span>s labor shortages continue to challenge supply chains across the U.S., many companies are reevaluating long\u2011held hiring practices. With frontline positions in warehousing, distribution and manufacturing increasingly hard to fill, talent acquisition leaders are turning to a demographic long overlooked: mature workers.<\/p>\n

\"peer<\/p>\n

These are individuals typically over the age of 50\u2014many retired or semi\u2011retired\u2014who bring deep experience, a strong work ethic and a stabilizing presence to operations. Tapping this labor pool could be a game\u2011changer for operations facing hiring challenges.<\/p>\n

Experience Over Assumptions<\/h4>\n

“The traits that mature people bring to the workforce are maturity, stability, reliability and knowledge about warehousing and manufacturing practices,” James Bourke, an instructor and lecturer in supply chain management at City Colleges of Chicago, said. “This gives older workers the ability to need little or no training. They can start doing the job right away.”<\/p>\n

Despite their strengths, mature workers have often been excluded from recruitment strategies due to stereotypes about physical limitations or a lack of technological savvy. But those assumptions are being challenged by new data and real\u2011world success stories.<\/p>\n

Cathi Canfield, vice president of operations and talent experience at Employbridge\u2014the largest industrial staffing firm in the U.S.\u2014has witnessed this shift firsthand. Through Employbridge\u2019s annual “Voice of the American Workforce” survey and its on\u2011the\u2011ground placements, she\u2019s observed how older workers are not only willing to work but also thrive, especially when given flexibility.<\/p>\n

“One of the biggest myths we\u2019ve had to bust is that older workers don\u2019t want to work at all,” said Canfield. “What we\u2019ve actually found is that they want choice. They want a say in their schedule. They don\u2019t want to work 50 hours a week with mandatory Saturday overtime, but they\u2019re very willing to do consistent part\u2011time or flex work.”<\/p>\n

Flexibility Is the Key<\/h4>\n

That shift toward part\u2011time and gig\u2011style roles has created unexpected alignment between older and younger workers, Canfield said.<\/p>\n

“We\u2019re seeing retirees come back for a few days a week\u2014Monday and Tuesday shifts, for example,” she explained. “These workers bring calm, consistency and an incredible amount of institutional knowledge. And employers love them for it.”<\/p>\n

One retired manufacturing supervisor Canfield described returned to a warehouse just two days a week to do pick\u2011packing. “He told me, \u2018I was having trouble being at home all day. This gives me structure, and I still get to go fishing.\u2019 The company was thrilled with his reliability and positive attitude,” she reported.<\/p>\n

Further, employers facing erratic attendance on Monday mornings or early shifts have found older workers more than willing to fill those gaps. “They\u2019re up at 4 a.m. anyway,” Canfield joked. “They walk in with a smile and energy that really lifts the environment. It\u2019s a breath of fresh air.”<\/p>\n

Peer Mentorship Without the Title<\/h4>\n

Beyond their reliability, mature workers offer soft skills that are harder to train\u2014especially when it comes to mentorship and team culture.<\/p>\n

“These folks have passed the \u2018something to prove\u2019 stage of their careers,” Canfield said. “They bring a calming effect. They\u2019re willing to teach and coach younger workers, but not in a supervisory way. It\u2019s more peer\u2011to\u2011peer: \u2018Have you tried it this way?\u2019 That makes a big difference.”<\/p>\n

Click here to read the full article.<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

ISTOCK.COM<\/a>\/STURTI<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Member Stories BY CHRISTY DULA, CHIEF EXPERIENCE & DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, MHI As labor shortages continue to challenge supply chains across the U.S., many companies are reevaluating long\u2011held hiring practices. With frontline positions in warehousing, distribution and manufacturing increasingly hard to fill, talent acquisition leaders are turning to a demographic long overlooked: mature workers. These …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":8268,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,5,14],"tags":[2148,932,4069,442,1902,1907,4068,466,4070,61],"class_list":["post-8266","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-article","category-features","category-sustainability","tag-diversity","tag-diversity-and-inclusion","tag-labor-shortage","tag-mhi-solutions","tag-mhi-solutions-magazine","tag-mhisolutionsmag","tag-older-workers","tag-supply-chain","tag-talent-acquisition","tag-talent-gap"],"yoast_head":"\nBuilding a Diverse Supply Chain Workforce Series: Tapping the Experience of Older Workers - MHI Solutions<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mhisolutions-digital.com\/mhiq\/0425_volume_13__issue_4\/MobilePagedArticle.action?app=false&cmsId=4294166\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Building a Diverse Supply Chain Workforce Series: Tapping the Experience of Older Workers - MHI Solutions\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Member Stories BY CHRISTY DULA, CHIEF EXPERIENCE & DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, MHI As labor shortages continue to challenge supply chains across the U.S., many companies are reevaluating long\u2011held hiring practices. With frontline positions in warehousing, distribution and manufacturing increasingly hard to fill, talent acquisition leaders are turning to a demographic long overlooked: mature workers. These ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/18\/building-a-diverse-supply-chain-workforce-series-tapping-the-experience-of-older-workers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"MHI Solutions\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-09-18T16:05:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-18T16:31:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/063.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"595\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Robin Lamerson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Robin Lamerson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/18\/building-a-diverse-supply-chain-workforce-series-tapping-the-experience-of-older-workers\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mhisolutions-digital.com\/mhiq\/0425_volume_13__issue_4\/MobilePagedArticle.action?app=false&cmsId=4294166\",\"name\":\"Building a Diverse Supply Chain Workforce Series: Tapping the Experience of Older Workers - MHI Solutions\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mhisolutions-digital.com\/mhiq\/0425_volume_13__issue_4\/MobilePagedArticle.action?app=false&cmsId=4294166#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mhisolutions-digital.com\/mhiq\/0425_volume_13__issue_4\/MobilePagedArticle.action?app=false&cmsId=4294166#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/063.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-18T16:05:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-18T16:31:42+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/#\/schema\/person\/651ab04bd5786351be0f915720b16f5b\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mhisolutions-digital.com\/mhiq\/0425_volume_13__issue_4\/MobilePagedArticle.action?app=false&cmsId=4294166#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.mhisolutions-digital.com\/mhiq\/0425_volume_13__issue_4\/MobilePagedArticle.action?app=false&cmsId=4294166\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mhisolutions-digital.com\/mhiq\/0425_volume_13__issue_4\/MobilePagedArticle.action?app=false&cmsId=4294166#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/063.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/063.jpg\",\"width\":900,\"height\":595},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mhisolutions-digital.com\/mhiq\/0425_volume_13__issue_4\/MobilePagedArticle.action?app=false&cmsId=4294166#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Building a Diverse Supply Chain Workforce Series: Tapping the Experience of Older Workers\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/\",\"name\":\"MHI Solutions\",\"description\":\"Improving Supply Chain Performance\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/#\/schema\/person\/651ab04bd5786351be0f915720b16f5b\",\"name\":\"Robin Lamerson\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a282fa3daa389a57fb7be768af92152401f459d8e257543a57ce1b0bc913a8cb?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a282fa3daa389a57fb7be768af92152401f459d8e257543a57ce1b0bc913a8cb?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Robin Lamerson\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/index.php\/author\/rlamerson\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Building a Diverse Supply Chain Workforce Series: Tapping the Experience of Older Workers - MHI Solutions","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutions-digital.com\/mhiq\/0425_volume_13__issue_4\/MobilePagedArticle.action?app=false&cmsId=4294166","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Building a Diverse Supply Chain Workforce Series: Tapping the Experience of Older Workers - MHI Solutions","og_description":"Member Stories BY CHRISTY DULA, CHIEF EXPERIENCE & DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, MHI As labor shortages continue to challenge supply chains across the U.S., many companies are reevaluating long\u2011held hiring practices. With frontline positions in warehousing, distribution and manufacturing increasingly hard to fill, talent acquisition leaders are turning to a demographic long overlooked: mature workers. These ...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/18\/building-a-diverse-supply-chain-workforce-series-tapping-the-experience-of-older-workers\/","og_site_name":"MHI Solutions","article_published_time":"2025-09-18T16:05:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-09-18T16:31:42+00:00","og_image":[{"width":900,"height":595,"url":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/063.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Robin Lamerson","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Robin Lamerson","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/18\/building-a-diverse-supply-chain-workforce-series-tapping-the-experience-of-older-workers\/","url":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutions-digital.com\/mhiq\/0425_volume_13__issue_4\/MobilePagedArticle.action?app=false&cmsId=4294166","name":"Building a Diverse Supply Chain Workforce Series: Tapping the Experience of Older Workers - MHI Solutions","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutions-digital.com\/mhiq\/0425_volume_13__issue_4\/MobilePagedArticle.action?app=false&cmsId=4294166#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutions-digital.com\/mhiq\/0425_volume_13__issue_4\/MobilePagedArticle.action?app=false&cmsId=4294166#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/063.jpg","datePublished":"2025-09-18T16:05:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-18T16:31:42+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/#\/schema\/person\/651ab04bd5786351be0f915720b16f5b"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutions-digital.com\/mhiq\/0425_volume_13__issue_4\/MobilePagedArticle.action?app=false&cmsId=4294166#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.mhisolutions-digital.com\/mhiq\/0425_volume_13__issue_4\/MobilePagedArticle.action?app=false&cmsId=4294166"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutions-digital.com\/mhiq\/0425_volume_13__issue_4\/MobilePagedArticle.action?app=false&cmsId=4294166#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/063.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/063.jpg","width":900,"height":595},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutions-digital.com\/mhiq\/0425_volume_13__issue_4\/MobilePagedArticle.action?app=false&cmsId=4294166#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Building a Diverse Supply Chain Workforce Series: Tapping the Experience of Older Workers"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/","name":"MHI Solutions","description":"Improving Supply Chain Performance","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/#\/schema\/person\/651ab04bd5786351be0f915720b16f5b","name":"Robin Lamerson","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a282fa3daa389a57fb7be768af92152401f459d8e257543a57ce1b0bc913a8cb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a282fa3daa389a57fb7be768af92152401f459d8e257543a57ce1b0bc913a8cb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Robin Lamerson"},"url":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/index.php\/author\/rlamerson\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8266","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8266"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8266\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8268"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8266"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8266"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8266"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}