Keeping On

At 94, Arthur Casey loves his work at Ormiston Wire. Three mornings a week he cleans and restocks the staff canteen and toilets, and helps in the factory. He says: 'I don't want to put my feet up. Even when I'm not well, I come to work; work keeps you going'.

Ormiston is a specialist wire-processing company. It encourages people to stay as long as they want, provided they are still effective in their job. The firm has 14 employees who have done a total of 310 years of service - an average of 22 years each.

It boasts a technical director of 70, a quality manager of 69 and Casey, who joined after retiring as a bricklayer more than 25 years ago. All three have been with the company for many years in several roles and now work part-time.

Ormiston's MD, Mark Ormiston, told First Voice: 'Ormiston is very much an equal-opportunity employer. We have no sexism, racism or ageism but we don't carry any passengers - getting the job done is what matters. Arthur started with us as a full-time cleaner. When he got to 90 I cut it down to four days a week and then at 93 to three mornings. You just have to grasp the nettle and deal with people. And, of course, if they want to go early, we've no objection.'

Case study taken from First Voice of Business
www.firstvoice.co.uk