David Warsen has refurbished hundreds of machines at Steelcase’s Kentwood, Mich., plant, from 50-year-old presses to new laser cutting equipment. When a press stopped operating recently, the 39-year veteran at the office furniture maker, a principal electrician, diagnosed and fixed the problem in minutes. So his boss was relieved when Warsen, who turns 65 in February, decided to take advantage of the company’s phased retirement program rather than simply end his career. Instead of the six-day-a-week schedule he used to work, including many Saturdays when production lines are down and equipment is repaired, Warsen puts in 30 hours over four weekdays.
“It’s a win-win because he has vast experience and skills we’re short on and need to teach younger workers, and he doesn’t have to go cold turkey into retirement,” says Steve Kempker, manager of skilled trades at the plant, where a quarter of the 800 workers will be eligible to retire over the next three to five years. “This gives me an opportunity to slow down from a very intense work schedule,” says Warsen, who’s spending more time golfing and biking, “so I can get used to my next chapter.”