Published: 09.05.25
More and more people are staying in the workforce beyond retirement age. The same is the case at DBI, where a handful of employees are actually over 70 years old. Two of them have recently been featured in radio and newspaper with their positive stories.
Following the Danish Parliament’s recent decision to raise the retirement age from 67 to 70 by 2040, there has been increased focus on older employees in Danish companies. But the number of people who remain in the workforce after retirement age is already on the rise.
At DBI, we see the same trend, so it wasn’t difficult to find employees in the target group when DR P4 Copenhagen and ‘Sjællandske Nyheder’ contacted DBI’s communications department in their search for personal stories about 70+ employees.
As a result, Property Inspector Svend Jørgensen, who is nearly 77, appeared in an article in ‘Sjællandske Nyheder’, while Fire Alarm Inspector Finn Oxenbøll, 76, gave an interview to DR P4 Copenhagen.
Both Svend and Finn cite DBI as the key reason they still want to work. DBI is simply a great workplace, with a good atmosphere and a high degree of flexibility, and they feel comfortable there.
- I have a varied job where I move around the building a lot and talk to many different colleagues. The working conditions at DBI are good, and there’s freedom with responsibility, says Svend, adding:
- And I feel very well treated. Everywhere I go in the building, I’m warmly received – with smiles and witty remarks.
That’s why Svend has no concrete plans to retire, although he has reduced his hours and now only works 30 hours a week.
- I take it one day at a time, and as long as my health keeps up, I’ll stay, says Svend, who has worked at DBI for 24 years and arrives at the office every morning between 5:15 and 5:30 a.m.
Finn also highlights DBI as a great workplace and greatly values the freedom he experiences as an inspector.
- I enjoy what I do. It’s meaningful work, and it gives me something to get up for. I want to take care of myself and not be a burden to others. But at this point, the main reason I stay is the nature of the work and the fact that I work where I do, says Finn, who has been with DBI for 46 years and still works full time.
As an inspector, Finn is often out of the office and only sees his colleagues a couple of times a month.
- But I like my colleagues, and we support each other. In reality, I have more contact with the companies where I perform inspections, Finn says and continues:
- And in my field, having a lot of experience can actually be an advantage – no one tries to outsmart me, and they respect my work. What’s great is that my job requires precision, so I have no trouble keeping up physically when I walk 5,000 to 10,000 steps a day.
Finn started at DBI in the fall of 1979, so in 2029 he’ll celebrate his 50th anniversary. By then, he will be 81 years old.
- If my health holds up, I intend to stay until my 50th anniversary. That’s my goal, says Finn.
Currently, six DBI employees have passed the retirement age of 67, five of whom are over 70. DBI strives for diversity and values the perspectives and approaches to problem-solving that experienced employees bring.
- Elder employees bring experience, stability, and calm. And the interaction between younger and elder employees creates exciting dynamics and positive energy. DBI aims to embrace all generations and the different needs of both elder and younger employees. We must focus on the individual and offer flexible solutions tailored to their personal life and stage of life, said Head of People & Culture, Kim Hansen, to DR P4 Copenhagen.
