Baby boomers back in business: Retirees returning to workforce

MABELTON, Ga. - The Great Resignation started in early 2021, but, according to the US Labor Department, it fizzled out last March. Folks headed back to work. And, an interesting segment of this return-to-work crowd is retirees. 

There was at one time a prevailing feeling that after some of us hit a certain age we are kinda washed up in the workforce. But that is not standing the test of time. Baby Boomers Cleaning is owned and staffed by seasoned ladies who get the job done.

"Good attitudes. Treat customers good. Don’t mind going out of their way," is how company 62-year-old owner Helen Hatten describes what she looks for in an employee. "A lot of Baby Boomers have those traits."

Ms. Hatten started her housekeeping business almost a decade ago. The Smyrna business person said she was a housekeeper to some of the wealthier area families, but got discouraged.

"By the time I was hitting 52, I was starting to feel like I was getting discriminated against, that people felt I was too old to do the job," she told us. "I physically keep myself in shape, so I felt like maybe it was time for me to find my own customers."

Helen Hatten felt pushed out of the job market. So, this 62-year-old runs her own company, "Baby Boomers Cleaning," and hires similarly situated staff. 

And she did it with friends Georgia and Jackie who were aging as wonderfully as she was. It was the "can-do" spirit of her generation that she found so appealing when hiring.

"They are good listeners. They commit to something they stick with it."

The AARP website has a list of employers who’ve pledged to promote opportunities for older workers. The Georgia section is robust. Hop over to another site called the "Age Friendly Institute" where it runs a certified age-friendly employer program. This offers places to work for the 50+ employee.

Baby Boomer Cleaners is AARP recommended. Ms. Hatten promotes her business as one that works with this population segment.

"If they just want to work on day a week, that’s fine. If they want to work three, four, five days a week is OK."

So on our visit with her on the job over the holidays she gave her regular crew time off.  She slotted in the grandkids who had some free time while on break. They filled the gaps. They made a little extra cash. And her Baby Boomer set  took some time off.  

Baby Boomers Cleaning is hiring. And Helen Hatten reminded us, "I don’t think anybody is too old to work. I think we are all team players."