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Startups tap into 60 plus skill sets – Hires experience

55 Plus experience -A job market demand

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.

10 Tech Must Haves for 50+ age group

Technology has forever transformed the world we live in. The count of 55 plus adults using internet and other related tech devices have risen over the years. However, there’s still a long way to go before we can consider ourselves to be technologically savvy. Hence lets talk about Technology for us.

Today’s Technology for 55 plus in its various avatars has the power to keep the entire population not only active both mentally and physically but also help them engage and connected with the world at large through internet and smart devices. Technology in its various manifestations can also be a great aid. It can help people in taking care of their health, entertainment, financial goals and other such needs. Embracing technology is in the best interest of everyone. Those not adjusting themselves to embrace the change are bound to be left behind in an era of exponential technical advancements across different aspects of life.

Below are 10 Technology Must Haves for 55+ which will improve the overall quality of life immensely.

Embrace Computers in its various manifestations (Smart Phones / Tablets / Desktops)

Adopting and embracing computers in its various avatars like desktops, tablets, smart phones etc. can help transform one’s day to day life. The power of this technology can be gauged from the fact that knowledge of all kinds and form becomes available at the swipe of a finger tip or click of a mouse. From entertainment to health, games to finance, education to photography and much more are now available for people to explore 24×7.

Technology for 55 plus : Wireless internet

Internet is a global computer network providing a variety of information and communication facilities. Access to a wireless network would help seniors remain connected in an increasingly connected world.

Hearing Aids

The continuing miniaturization of all kinds of devices has meant a whole lot of options when it comes to hearing aid related technologies like wireless Bluetooth earphones. Hearing aids can be tiny, transparent, and nearly invisible—or even implanted inside the ear itself. The 55+ population needs to seriously embrace themselves to these types of gadgets for an overall increase in quality of life.

Social Networking

A social networking service (also social networking site, SNS or social media) is an online platform that 55+ population can use to build social networks or social relations with other people who share similar personal or career interests, activities, backgrounds or real-life connections. There are a whole host of applications / platforms which help towards facilitating this, most notable being Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. Purnaa, through its website Purnaaglobal, plans to bring training programs for members in near future.

Health Gadgets

Technology has helped bring a revolution in personal healthcare. Now people can monitor their blood sugar levels using smart technical gadgets. They can track exercise and food schedules, nutritional needs, set reminders for medicines, measure calories burnt and much more.

e-Games

Technology has transformed the world of gaming. Embracing this wholeheartedly not only helps 55+ community remain engaged and active. It also boosts cognition ability, mental agility, and even physical health, besides promoting social interactions

Chat and Video Communication

Technology has meant that distance and boundaries are no longer a barrier when it comes to communication. The 55+ population who till recently only relied on voice calls to communicate with their near and dear ones residing far away from them, can now embrace video calling tools and platforms to connect live thereby living the firsthand communication experience. Even meetings are conducted over internet these days where people from different locations can attend. Just like real life meetings.

GPS

For those who are concerned about getting lost, or who has dementia and occasionally wanders, GPS technology can immediately alert caregivers to their location if they leave their comfort zone. There are separate GPS trackers that attach to the wrist or clothing, as well as smartphone GPS apps. A great enabler for aged.

Home Assistive Devices

Adopting assistive technology at home can go far in helping people remain independent and safe. Besides home monitoring and GPS, there are devices such as LED lighting, medication dispensing appliances, photo-enhanced phone dialers, smart electric appliances, stove shut-off systems etc., all of which can help those with mild cognitive and motor impairment.

Utility Applications

Embracing and using utility apps on smart phones / tablets can help the 55+ population immensely. Today there are apps right from making digital payments, retaining copies on one’s digital documents in a shared global repository, tracking personal expenses to reading news and blogs, there are e-commerce sites where purchases can be made from the comfort of a home to mechanisms where information can be obtained / shared almost instantly. Being ignorant or illiterate about these technologies would be a hindrance in improve the overall quality of living.

With this we come to the conclusion of this article on Technology for 55 plus. As outlined earlier, technology landscape is evolving everyday. On our part we need to keep pace with this change. Those who do will benefit tremendously in related areas thereby increasing the overall quality of life. Even if a single 55+ person embraces these Technology our effort spent in drafting this article would be worth it. Please let us know your thoughts on this in the comments section below.

Love yourself, Stay young

Love thyself, and don’t be sorry!

“Be yourself, but always your better self.” ~ Karl G. Maeser

Researches show that abiding by the general opinions is the biggest and the prominent trait of a people pleaser. Majority of us have a latent people pleaser lurking inside of us. As we grow and mature we want to feel more important and needed in the process putting everyone else before ourselves. Many times we just say a “yes” thinking we could that way contribute to someone else’s life.

We at times misconstrue that our ability to please others guarantees us a spot. Staying in other people’s good graces, being on their good side, and acting obediently is an assurance that they won’t find a reason to discard you. Everyone deserves to be loved, but not at the cost of losing ourselves. This kind of love embodies an unconscious agreement and includes an exchange that never ends up being fair or even.

Do we really need to do this? Do we really need to care about what others think about our new little black dress or red colored T-shirt?

Do we need to really color our hair because someone else can spot a wiry silver hair sticking out from our heads? Come on! We don’t need anybody’s validation for every little selection of ours.

Attending to our own needs cannot be accounted for as a selfish or a self-absorbed trait, all the time. Listening to our own selves and satisfying our personal needs is immensely critical because, in the process of doing so, we do apply our principles, high standards, and values.

There will always be someone ready to take us off-track with their baseless opinions and judgments. But the question is why should we try to fit into someone else’s picture? or Why should we forget who we are or may be why should we toss away our set of likes/dislike just because someone else wants us to be like them?

We really need to stop seeking everyone’s approval for the choices we make, as a first step towards showering some self-love.

When we start loving ourselves un-apologetically,

- - we learn to ignore the pointless remarks thrown at us like “ain’t that lip color too loud for your age?” or “that cologne is screaming for some serious attention” and stop looking for validations from outside.
  - we learn to say “No” with a conviction and don’t brood and regret over saying so.
  - we realize that we have a specific taste and stand by it.
  - we understand that we will never be able to please everybody. Never! It’s impossible, it can’t be done!
  - we embrace the real us, accept it, own it, love it.
  - we don’t compare ourselves to others, don’t try to be different, don’t try to be something else just so we can fit in.
  - of course, we get rid of toxic people.

After all being your better self also comes with the responsibility of shedding the extra baggage that’s holding you back. At the end of the day its all about freeing ourselves from the shackles of fear and insecurities and reflecting the real us, spreading the wisdom we gather over the years and brightening the lives of others as well with positivity without being sorry.