Why a 94-year-old McDonald's employee is celebrating 44 years on the job
As many Millennials are struggling to figure out their career paths, Loraine Maurer鈥檚 story may serve as an inspiration.聽
Ms. Maurer, a 94-year-old great-grandmother from Indiana, celebrated 44 years of service at McDonald鈥檚 last Thursday. Yet, unlike many others born after her, she is still not retiring.
Maurer, who gets up at 3 a.m. for her 5 a.m. shifts on Fridays and Saturdays, has worked at several locations of the chain in Evansville, Ind., since 1973, when her husband retired due to a disability.聽
Four of Maurer's adult children have since retired. But she says the relationships she has cultivated with her customers and coworkers have made it difficult to stop.
"I can't quit," Maurer told local news channel WFIE. "It's a reason to get up in the morning. The people are all nice."
Her work at the chain聽did not go unnoticed. Chip and Katie Kenworthy, the owners of the McDonald鈥檚 location where Maurer currently works, threw her a party to honor her contribution.聽
鈥淎fter all these years, she to serving her customers with one of the most delightful smiles around,鈥� they said in a statement, according to People magazine. 鈥淟oraine has a loyal following of customers and they look forward to having her take their orders when visiting McDonald鈥檚.鈥�
Although Maurer鈥檚 story is somewhat unique, she is not alone in postponing retirement. Though she is part of the Greatest Generation, she may feel some kinship with many baby boomers, who 鈥� although the first of them became eligible for early retirement under social security about nine years ago 鈥� are reluctant to stop working. According to a Gallup poll in 2014, the generation of baby boomers account for .
Women are聽becoming significantly more likely to work into , according to a National Bureau of Economic Research study released in September.聽Some choose to continue working because they hope to stay actively engaged. For others, the generation's strong work ethic has made it hard for them to slow their pace. This motivation seems particularly powerful among women with higher education, especially those who have spent years building a career, Harvard economists Claudia Goldin and Lawrence F. Katz said in the paper.聽
鈥淭hey鈥檙e in occupations in which they really ,鈥� Dr. Goldin聽told The New York Times last month. 鈥淲omen have more education, they鈥檙e in jobs that are more fulfilling, and they stay with them.鈥�
For many, however, the decision to continue working has to do with financial concerns. Carrying too much debt and accruing too little in savings, together with pension and stock losses, have pushed many baby boomers to delay their retirement. The Gallup poll found that those who strongly disagreed with the statement that they currently 鈥渉ave enough money to do everything [they] want to do鈥� expected to retire at a much later age (73) than those who strongly agreed with the statement (66).聽
Continuing to work could also offer health benefits, according to a study published in March 2015 in the American Heart Association's journal聽Stroke. The sense of , the researchers said, may offer protection from health problems linked to age, such as dementia, disability, and premature death.聽
But as the average retirement age climbs higher, so do some job-related challenges.聽
鈥淲e do not have enough institutionalized offerings like phased retirement programs and flexible work schedules,鈥� Chris Farrell, a journalist who writes on economic issues, told Fast Company in 2016. 鈥淭here are a lot of laws that make it difficult for companies to rehire part-time, former employees. There is a lot of so that it becomes much simpler for people to keep working.鈥�
