I write a blog called “Aging Disgracefully.” In an attempt at so-called humor, I’ve created a fictional persona to crack the jokes. She’s a 50-something woman who prefers to think of herself as a red-hot babe instead of a graying baby boomer.
Did I say fictional?
In reality, I have no problems with getting older. It’s the getting deader part that bothers me. You know, the part where you’re forced in my case I predict kicking and screaming to exit stage left.
What’s up with that?
As I’ve mentioned in my blog, I have no interest in traveling anywhere that doesn’t have the sense to sell tickets on Travelocity. Death, in my view, needs a drastic update in its marketing strategy.
But back to the aging thing.
If you were born between 1945 and 1960, I have terrific news.
You’re fast becoming one of the most desirable job prospects in a wildly changing marketplace.
Now, if you’ve used your common sense and prepared financially for your so-called golden years, you can stop reading this column right now. What the heck do you care about re-entering the work force when you can afford to loll around sipping daiquiris in your second home in Atlantic City?
But, if you exuberantly squandered both your youth and your money as I did, here’s a comforting fact.
Old is the new young in Human Resources departments across the country.
According to research by reputable groups such as The Conference Board, major corporations throughout the United States are starting to look seriously at the ginormous impact of the expected retirements of many individuals born after World War II.
Why?
There simply are not enough younger replacements, as stated by Holly Geldhauser, author of a 2007 study called “Income, Scheduling Flexibility, and Diversity Policies: An Experimental Investigation of Recruiting Older Workers.”
“As the baby boomer population ages, the number of retirees will increase to levels never seen before,” Geldhauser writes.
“For example, the U.S. Census Bureau predicts that between 2000 and 2040, the number of Americans aged 65 to older will double to more than 77 million, while the number of working adults between the ages of 25 to 54 will increase by only 12 percent. The imbalance between the number of older Americans leaving the work force and the number of incoming potential employees makes an outnumbered employment demand seem inevitable.”
Already, organizations with Chester County ties are taking notice. CVS, Home Depot, Starbucks, Walgreens, and Wawa are actively soliciting older workers right this minute.
According to every bit of research I could lay my slightly arthritic hands on, employers of all shapes and sizes before the end of this decade will start to:
Emphasize age in diversity efforts. Until now, most companies have focused on ethnicity and gender in balancing their work forces with different kinds of people. Finding ways to access the wisdom and knowledge of older workers will be paramount by 2013.
Break down stereotypes
Contrary to many other cultures, Americans have long placed excessive value on youthful curiosity and enthusiasm. The often unspoken, but real, subtext has been that anyone over 50 is inflexible and resistant to learning. Yet recent studies, including one done in a partnership between the prestigious Mayo Clinic and the University of Southern California, suggest that mental decline among the aged is far from typical.
Update media images
More and more, you’ll see individuals with white hair and furrowed brows featured on Web sites, in print advertising, and at point-of-purchase displays. More importantly, these photos will come from companies selling products and services beyond denture creams and high-fiber cereals.
Offer flexible schedules
Unlike younger people, workers in their 50s, 60s, and 70s rarely need time for child care. But many have dual, seemingly contradictory, goals: keeping their hand in career-wise and enjoying retirement leisure activities. Some organizations in the Northeastern part of the United States are trying to solve this paradox by testing seasonal employment. Its goal is to enable older workers to spend winters in their Florida or Arizona vacation homes.
Rethink career pathways
Until now, most people have thought of careers as ever-upward. As a result, if you were offered a lateral move at the same salary, you felt like a failure. Some experts are predicting that the wave of the future is toward bell-shaped careers, with a gradual downshifting similar to that already commonplace in academia.
Customize training. In contrast to their parents, most white-collar baby boomers are computer literate. So are many of their blue-collar contemporaries. Instead of assuming all older workers need technical training, savvy employers first will identify specific learning gaps. A marketing firm, for instance, might want to bring older individuals up to spread on hot promotional concepts such as streaming videos or informational podcasts.
Recruit in new ways. Traditionally, organizations seeking the best and brightest engineers, financial analysts and computer programmers have gone directly to college campuses and solicited applications. Each year, thousands of new graduates get their first jobs this way. Who knows? Tomorrow’s savvy recruiters may start trolling for 50-plus retirees on golf courses. Conceivably, these efforts will create a whole new meaning for LinkedIn.
