Meet the Centenarian Who Holds the World Record for the Longest Career at One Company

Walter Orthmann started working at a textile company in Brazil as a teenager. Now, after turning 100 this month, he's shattered the Guinness World Record for the longest career at the same company. From a report: For 84 years and nine days, as verified in January, Orthmann has been working at what is now known as ReneauxView, according to the Guinness World Records. In those eight decades, he's collected pay in nine different currencies. Orthmann was born in Santa Catarina, Brazil -- an area that had a large German population -- on April 19, 1922, according to Guinness. As a teenager, his family hit hard times financially, and he applied to work at a weaving mill. Thanks to his proficiency in German, the young Orthmann got a job there as a shipping assistant. Soon after, he was promoted to a position in sales before becoming a sales manager. "I was given the opportunity to work as a salesperson," he said in a release. "I traveled to Sao Paulo and in less than one week I filled the production with orders equivalent of three month of work." In the 1950s, he started traveling across the country, establishing relationships with clients who became his friends. To Orthmann, having a job means a sense of "purpose, commitment and a routine," according to the release.

Preview of the future for the rest of us

[sinij]

Most of us will be found dead in a chair in front of computer a few days after deadline with unfinished code still on the screen.

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[Arethan]

Most of us will be found dead in a chair in front of computer a few days after deadline with porn still on the screen.

FTFY

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[JaredOfEuropa]

Nice work if you can get it...

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[Darinbob]

I will die in front of my screen while editing my resignation later, my finger inches away from pressing Send. Meanwhile the wife is saying "He looked so calm and he wasn't ranting about work, so I didn't want to disturb him!"

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[denzacar]

That's why everyone should outsource the care about their health by investing in heart monitors connected to a network of strategically positioned heavy explosives packages.
Call it iB-or-Boom.

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[Darinbob]

Improvised Electrocardiograph Device?

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[UnknownSoldier]

Dying happy programming sounds like a good way to go. =P

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[Anonymous Coward]

As if, you will be fixing a bug Murgesh's uncommented code.

Award for shortest tenure

[LatencyKills]

I was hired by a very well known tech company which I shall not name. Between the time I accepted the offer and started work, the entire division was axed. No one thought to contact me. I showed up for my first day of work - there was some confusion, but in about an hour they figured out my position no longer existed. Some embarrassment on their part. I told them I had turned down another position for theirs (fun fact: I hadn't), and after some haggling and threats we settled on 6 months salary for 1 hour of attendance.

Lol.

[waspleg]

Well played ;)

Re:Award for shortest tenure

[Darinbob]

Now, if you can repeat this every 6 months, you've got an excellent career!

Haven't we all worked 84 years at some company?

[ukoda]

I know in some jobs I have had it feels like I have worked there longer than 84 years. The day you walk out for the last time the relief in knowing you will never have to deal with another [insert biggest job annoyance here] is what made it feel like at least 84 years.

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[arglebargle_xiv]

"You need to get busy with the present, not the past or the future," he says. "Here and now is what counts. So, let's go to work!"

Was it even necessary to point out that this guy, who's worked non-stop for 84 years, is German?

Now meet the millennial

[rsilvergun]

who holds the world record for most layoffs due to mergers, acquisitions and stock market collapses.

I'm just kidding, if we tracked that it would change weekly.

He's still using

[Your Anus]

the old cover sheet on his TPS reports

Good German efficiency

[quonset]

"I traveled to Sao Paulo and in less than one week I filled the production with orders equivalent of three month of work."

Get the prouction moving! Here's your work. I'll be back next week with another three month order.

Not at IBM?

[PPH]

I'm surprised.

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[manu0601]

Perhaps they have retirement plans at IBM so that you are not still working after 84 years.

More msmash space filler

[couchslug]

Old person is old. Hooray.

Less than a year ...

[fich]

... and he's eligible for retirement!

He was ...

[PPH]

... a member of the IT department in charge of the Netware servers. He got sheet rocked into a wall with them and it took this long to find him.

Good news: The servers are still up.

Orthmann's day at the office

[clovis]

Here's a video of Orthmann on the job.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]

You load sixteen tons, what do you get
Another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go
I owe my soul to the company store

Not a politician ?

[TheNinjaCoder]

I’m surprised there’s not a politician holding this record.