In an unusual step for a Mexican-based company, Starbucks is allocating jobs to people aged between 60 and 65 – not as dish washers or cleaners, but as baristas.
The U.S. coffee firm has even signed an agreement with a government agency, the Instituto Nacional de las Personas Adultas Mayores (the National Institute for Senior Citizens or Inapam), to formalize the strategy.
So far, ten Starbucks branches in Mexico City are employing baristas aged over 60. They receive on-the-job training, health benefits and work for six-hour shifts.
Mexico is notoriously discriminatory when it comes to job opportunities for elderly citizens. It is not illegal for advertisements for jobs to specify the maximum age for applicants – an unacceptable practice in most western nations. The general consensus among job seekers in Mexico is not to bother to apply if you are aged over 50.
According to Inapam Director General Aracely Escalante Jasso, employing senior citizens is a win-win equation. “The experience they can provide is of enormous value to a company,” she says.
This is not the first time Starbucks Mexico has used innovative recruitment policies. They also make a point of hiring people with disabilities and make huge efforts to integrate them into their workforce.