Going to the Company Elders for Help - New York Times

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/10/technology/10hp-1.html?ref=technology


SANTA CLARA, Calif. — On a recent Saturday afternoon, John Toppel, a  
retired Hewlett-Packard sales manager, did not spend his leisure time  
golfing or mowing the lawn. He spent it at a local electronics store  
extolling the virtues of H.P. laptop computers to customers.

He was not paid by the store or by Hewlett-Packard, for that matter.  
Mr. Toppel, 62, left the technology company four years ago, but he  
remains a volunteer cheerleader for H.P., one of thousands of its  
retirees whom the company is trying to galvanize into an auxiliary  
army of senior marketers, good-will ambassadors and volunteer sales  
people. None of them get paid; they do it, they say, because of their  
affection for the company.

“I feel like I have two marriages: a wonderful marriage at home for 36  
years and a wonderful marriage at H.P.,” Mr. Toppel said. “I guess  
that’s now a former marriage, but I still have strong feelings for it.”

Across the country, companies are making use of retirees as part-time  
or temporary workers. They are taking advantage of not only their  
expertise, but also their desire to stay involved and engaged with the  
world through work.

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