Seniors at work: ‘As seniors we have a lot to offer’

Award-winning doorman Winfield Todd retired at 65 – for two days.

Then Mr Todd, now nearly 76 and who works at The Reefs, took up a new job and has not looked back since.

And he said he intended to stay on the job as long as he could.

Mr Todd, who won a prestigious VIP award for best doorman/bellman recently, said: “I couldn’t afford to retire and I didn’t want to give up work anyway.

“I have my health and strength and I don’t see why people like myself should have to go home and rust away. I feel I have a lot to offer, especially to the hotel industry, with my knowledge of things.”

Mr Todd retired from Bacardi, where he had worked in security and catering, in 2004, but was back at work as a barman at the Mid Ocean Club only days later.

He worked there for four years before joining the Rosemont Tucker’s Point resort and left to go to The Reefs around four years ago.

Mr Todd said: “I am enjoying every moment of it and the main thing is the guests are happy because I really put my heart into working in any way possible.

“They can tell when you’re sincere.”

The former ambulance driver said he had worked part-time in hotels even when holding down a full-time job.

He added: “When I drove an ambulance, I was never sick or late and worked at Bacardi for 16 years and was never sick or late and I haven’t changed.”

Mr Todd said that Mr Burgess’ view that older workers still had much to offer had “a lot of merits.”

He added: “We have a lot to offer and the way we were taught by fellow hotel workers when I was very young was that time was money. That’s the way I came up and I have never been sick or late.”

Mr Todd said: “Younger workers can learn from us. Some of them don’t like to listen, but those that listen learn quite a bit from people like me.”

He added that he told young workers to arrive ten to 15 minutes early to prepare to start their shifts on the dot. And he said: “If you have problems, leave them at home – don’t bring them to work with you. If you have a bad attitude, people pick it up right away.”

Mr Todd added: “I just keep on trying to encourage the tourists to come back to the island again.”