We’ve written several times in this medium that funeral homes all over the country are having tough times attracting and retaining new young employees.  I came across an article published by ABC.net Australia that you can read here which points out maybe some of us older, set in our ways employers just need to be a little more creative as to what young people are looking for in helping us land the great employees.

The article centers on Morgan Renehan and Amy Sagar, two young female funeral director/embalmers who are happy in their careers but faced old reinforced barriers just to get into the profession.  Ms. Renehan is a 20-year old who says it is really rewarding to bring comfort to others during a hard time and being the “line” between a good and bad experience is a challenge that she is up for.  However, she had been told that she looked “too young” to work in the industry.

Ms. Sagar, now 25 also commented that she felt discriminated when people told her she was too young to be a funeral director.  She now really encourages young people to get involved.

The experiences of these young people encourages me.  I graduated from mortuary science school in 1980 at age 22 and came to work.  I wasn’t experienced, and probably was not very good at what I did, however, I soon realized that giving unbelievable effort with every family I worked with was appreciated.  I’m a “people pleaser” by nature and I worked hard to please my client families.

There are a lot of young people who have those traits. They may be young and not be perfect.  But, think back to the first families we served. . .we were certainly not perfect either.  I learned long ago, as a boss, that the young people I hire enjoy having the responsibility to please families that we serve.  It is part of the nature of being a funeral director.

Think again at your funeral home. . . .it doesn’t always have to be the veteran who meets with the families.  Give the young funeral directors that chance and you might be astounded on how well they do.  Giving them that chance may also give them the satisfaction of helping others and cement them in our business for a long, long, time.

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