At 91, still itching to get back to work
Packaging designer joins growing number of seniors in workplace
Like most workers at Armour Packaging Technology in Itasca, Ron Palacz is at work by 9 a.m. When he arrives, Palacz turns on the radio to the classical jazz station and grabs a cup of joe before heading to his drawing board.
But Palacz is not like most of his colleagues.
At 91, Palacz works three days a week for about five hours, measuring product dimensions and drawing sketches to create custom packaging for items ranging from treadmills to door hinges. His job is the first step in the process of packaging and shipping goods for many Chicago-area companies. And he shows no signs of stopping.
“Until I drop,” Palacz said about working. “I’m serious. I’m not being facetious.”
A growing number of Americans are working past the age of 66 — when most workers are eligible to receive full Social Security retirement benefits — not out of financial need but because they enjoy their careers. Human resources experts say baby boomers, the generation born between 1946 and 1964, remain in the labor force because they grew up in a culture that values a strong work ethic.
Like Palacz, most older workers are staying employed through part-time or consultancy roles. According to a Pew Research
Center study published last year, 29% of Americans between the ages of 65 and 72 were working or looking for employment in 2018. As more employers welcome the idea of retaining their older workers, experts say Americans’ post-retirement outlook is changing.
“You can only play so many rounds of golf . ... There is an intrinsic need (to work). It’s what we know. We enjoy and like working,” said Jill Chapman, a senior performance consultant
for Insperity, a Houstonbased human resources firm.
Chapman said the Great Recession, which decimated many workers’ 401(k)s, kept older Americans in the workforce to rebuild their retirement funds. But as the economy stabilized, Chapman said those people continued to work to feel productive and because they relish their careers.
“We were born to work, 40 hours a week. It’s how we define our work ethic,” Chapman said.
But Palacz hasn’t been at work recently. Armour is among the firms temporarily closed to heed Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order that runs through April 7. Palacz said he’s never experienced such a time during his decadeslong career.
He isn’t working from home, because he needs tools he can only access at work. Instead, he’s playing crossword puzzles and eating honeydew during his hiatus.
“We are listening to them (government officials) and staying home. I make a note of something I want to do when I get back to work. But I’m just waiting for a phone call to come back to work,” Palacz said.
Palacz, who has worked in the Chicago-area packaging industry for more than 50 years, initially retired at 66, but the sedentary lifestyle didn’t suit him.
“Financially, I wasn’t in trouble. I was bored just sitting at home. You get tired of doing certain things,” Palacz said.
During his retirement, Palacz would fix things around the house and play golf with his friends, but he grew tired of the sport and realized he missed working. Soon after, he was hired at a golf pro shop as a driver, which included delivering damaged clubs to the store for repair.
Palacz still drives himself to work every day, though at his age, he is required to renew his driver’s license annually. He lives in Hoffman Estates with his wife,, who often jokes with his employer about keeping him working. But family comes first, said Palacz, who has two children, three grandchildren and one greatgrandchild. “I’m a greatgrandpa now. My job always comes second,” he said.
Palacz had a few stints at other packaging firms, and said he doesn’t actively seek work, but employers approach him because of his long history in the industry.
“His wealth of knowledge in design … is almost irreplaceable,” said Adam Armour, 28, owner of Armour Packaging.
Armour, who became owner after his father’s death in 2018, said his father, Robert Armour, hired Palacz in October 1996 after one of the company’s designers left.
“What was meant to be a couple of years turned into an amazing long … run,” Armour said.
Packaging might bring to mind Bubble Wrap or foam peanuts, but Palacz said there’s an art to what he does. Palacz comes up with designs that can safely secure clients’ products, which are often heavy, large and oddly shaped. The company counts Rosemontbased fitness equipment manufacturer Life Fitness and Chicago-based Motorola Solutions among its clients.
As Palacz got older, Armour hired an apprentice to learn the trade for when he stops working. Scott Graczyk, 31, said he had no experience in the industry when he was hired full-time in 2017.
Graczyk uses software programs to design projects, but Palacz still does everything by hand. Not all the shapes required for certain products can be generated using the computer so that’s where Palacz is especially helpful, Graczyk said.
But both men start the process the same way. “We do everything with a pencil, a paper and a measuring tape. That’s how I learned everything,” Graczyk said.
At the office, Palacz is at his drawing board, but he’s never just sitting. He runs up and down the facility to get corrugated fiberboard to create prototypes. He greets visitors with a firm handshake and his eyes light up when demonstrating his products.
Employers are seeing the benefits of retaining older workers, said Christy Lyons, CEO and founder of 4 Point Consultancy, a talent consultancy and human resources firm in Chicago’s Logan Square area.
Some companies split a full-time position between two workers to retain talent or to draw from older workers’ skills to train younger employees, Lyons said. Many older workers fill part-time roles as consultants, clergy members, tax preparers and at call centers, Lyons said.
“They come in on time, and workplace maturity can be helpful. I think it really depends on company culture. There are companies who have great young employees. Sometimes companies want to switch their workforce,” Lyons said.
Lyons said work makes older Americans feel valued, and she expects an increase in the multigenerational workforce across several industries in years to come.
Palacz said he plans to keep working.
“As long as I can draw a straight line, I’m going to continue doing this,” he said.