More about changing demographics submitted by a reader of this e-news service. More and more I’m finding myself as the “staff historian”. I often quip to my co-workers, “Well children, gather around and I’ll tell you about the ancient 80’s”. It seems like yesterday I was a 22-year old summer intern from ETSU who met my 18-year old future wife who was also an intern at City Hall. Several folks called us “Ken & Barbie” (boy those were the good ol’ days, ha). Now our son is only 2 years shy of being the same age as his mom when we first met. Scary indeed! Every day, I experience the situation described below. About half of my co-workers are older than me, and half are younger. They have very different viewpoints, but somehow we find a way to peacefully co-exist.
Jeff
Look around your office right now and you can see history in the making.
If you're in an office of any size in practically any industry, you see four different generations of people working side by side. And that has never happened before. Ever.
At present, organizations are comprised largely of Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964), and a slightly smaller group of Gen Xers (1964-77). The smallest percentage of the workforce is distributed between Millennials (born after 1977) and Traditionalists (born before 1946). But the mix varies by company, industry, and location.
Which means we have history, and a few headaches, in the making. The four generations all have varying expectations of the organizations they work for, different ways of working, and different attitudes about the workplace. But the most pressing issue presented by this gang of four is also the toughest: a coming brain drain.
Older workers are one of the fastest growing segments in the workplace today. The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics estimates that between 2002 and 2012 the number of U.S. workers 55 years and older is expected to grow by nearly 50%.
As Boomers and Traditionalists (referred to as “ancients” in Europe) prepare to leave the workforce, organizations are faced with the challenge of preserving the knowledge and experience that the older-generations possess.
How an organization manages the transfer of knowledge, has huge implications for the organization's future well being.
"Before you go..."
The eldest Boomers turn 62 in 2008, old enough to qualify for reduced Social Security benefits. While many Boomers intend to keep working, pension time often equals retirement time. Boomers will walk out the doors in droves over the next several years bringing with them valuable work experience and technical know-how. To stop or even just slow this brain drain, some companies offer incentives to older staffers to work longer than they have to, or to work part time as contractors or consultants after they officially retire.
Source: http://www.enewsbuilder.net/eletra/refer.cfm?z=b9dLJSH,bHNV7v,b5mbkhwm,b5SdL2G
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