In 2015 a Hollywood Drama Comedy, The Intern, starring Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway was released. In the movie seventy-year-old Ben Whittaker (Robert De Niro) realises that retirement isn’t the retirement from life. As a result, he decides to work as an intern at an online fashion store managed by an extremely sceptical boss. What unfolds thereafter is anyone’s guess. But this urge of getting engaged in something post retirement, is shared by many who cross the threshold. Then, there is also that population who can do with some extra earnings. So they look towards options of getting a full / part time job.

Picture Courtesy : Hollywood movie The Intern

So, now that we have the background, it’s not difficult to understand that there exists a demand for jobs in the 60+ community. A few years back, such jobs were few and far between. All that is changing now with Start Ups on the lookout for 60+ population to hire them on their payroll. PURNAA whole heartedly supports this change. Below are 2 startups who are not only actively hiring 60+ population as interns / part time / full time employees but also helping this population in skill development.

Hatti Kaapi 

                  Picture Courtesy : Hatti Kaapi

Hatti Kaapi is a Bengaluru based coffee chain which employs more than 320 people at its 63+ coffee outlets spread across Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mangalore, Hyderabad and New Delhi. Senior citizens and differently-abled constitutes twenty percent of its workforce. Mr. S Neelakanta Rao, at age 87 is the oldest of the lot. By promoting the concept of “working retirees” at its outlets, Hatti Kaapi is helping seniors who simply can’t bring themselves to hang up their boots.

“Hiring senior citizens and the differently abled makes business sense too. We find them sincere and loyal. Also  there is a lot of positive energy when they are around,” says U S Mahendar, one of the two founders of the coffee brand.

Truebil

Picture Courtesy : Truebil

A virtual marketplace for pre-owned cars, is hiring retired senior citizens as interns to work on short-term stints. The current process involves hiring of about eight 60+ as interns with work experience in mid-to-senior management levels.

The objective is two-pronged. Firstly, to provide a second innings to retired citizens and help them understand how latest technology works in a New-Age organisation.  Secondly, to mentor the 200-odd employees at Truebil, where the average age is around 28 years. Shubh Bansal, co-founder and marketing head of Truebil, believes this would help employees learn how the organisations used to operate in the pre-internet era.

Now, startups like Hatti Kaapi and Truebil are only the tip of the iceberg. With advancements in medical science, people today are healthier and living longer even after retirement. There is a distinct shift in the attitude that mind does not age and age is just a number. This is a huge plus when it comes to companies willing to dole out job offers. Besides this, start ups  also look to leverage overall experience of 60+ population. This is not only in the specific job that they are assigned. It also includes using the experience of 60+ and training / mentoring their own younger employees.

There are many areas today where there is good demand for 60+ population. Corporate banks including NBFCs look for retired bank managers or officials of PSU banks. This is a win win situation for both.

Also there are areas where 60+ job seekers far exceed open job position e.g. tutor, data entry clerk, freelance writer, business advisor, accounts manager,  production advisor and many more. 

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