Boomers can still be relevant in the workplace
By Steve Kayser
Boomers may want to recall one of the poets they grew up reading, Dylan Thomas, and his most famous poem, named for its first line, “Do not go gentle into that good night,” a desperate appeal to resist the trappings of old age.
As they retire, baby boomers need to stay true to their reputation for grand statements, and to mobilize their skill set in the business world.
In fact, many older Americans may have little choice but to adapt their mindset and survive longer in their careers if they want to maintain something resembling their current lifestyle during retirement.
Here are a few trends that may incentivize aging workers to clock in for a few more years:
• The number of Americans 55 and older will almost double between now and 2030 – from 60 million today to 107.6 million, according to the Census Bureau. That will likely strain public safety nets such as Social Security and Medicare.
• American life expectancy is at an all-time high, and death rates are at an all-time low, which means some people will outlive their retirement savings.
• The global economic crisis has wiped out or severely affected millions of middle- and senior-aged people’s life savings.
But with an increasingly competitive pool of professionals whose skill sets need to be regularly updated, how can boomers stay in the game?
Alvin Toffler said, “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.”
Older workers can maintain their value – by staying “R-E-L-E-V-A-N-T.”
• What it means to learn, unlearn and relearn. The ever-shifting sands of technology pose a special challenge to older workers. Younger professionals not only grew up working and entertaining themselves with screens, they also learned to adapt to technological leaps. A program you learn today may not be relevant in a few years, so keep an open and flexible mind.
• Being R-E-L-E-V-A-N-T: Take this mnemonic device to heart: Risk, Experiment, Listen and Learn, Engage, Value, Attitude of gratitude, No to negativity, and Time. This is an ongoing, evolving note to keep in your mind no matter your professional situation. I’ve been around a lot of charismatic and effervescent folks in their 70s and 80s who are still successful and growing, both on a personal and business level. The acronym encompasses the ideas that seem to promote a proactive life.
• Answer the question, “What resonates with you?” This is a deceptively deep question when you apply it to your life’s trajectory. If life hasn’t turned out to be what you expected it would 30 years ago, then it’s time to recalibrate how you see yourself, especially if that’s as a perpetual pre-retiree. If you’re not sure of how you see yourself in today’s setting, start with what the spiritual writer Joseph Campbell called the “moving power of your life,” which can be sensed by the things that resonate within you. The things that resonate within you, such as an unusual book, may just be the compass you need to find your way.
Steve Kayser is an award-winning writer, editor, publisher, former radio host and founder of Kayser Media.
Honestly, I didn’t know we were irrelevant. We’re the last generation that knows how to put in a full work week. Heck, my 70 year old sister-in-law was an old COBOL programmer, and she still understands more about programming than your average slacker gamer.
Dog, you have no clue about the work world. Most high tech folks (my wife is an HR Director) work 60 plus hrs a week, particularly if they work for a start-up. My nephew who is in his 3rd year out of law school and works in business law, is required to bill over 1900 hrs a year – which means he needs to work 60 to 80 hr weeks. The majority of educated young folk who find themselves working in private industry have learned that a salary employee means you work what it takes to get the job done, or someone else will. Now if they are non-exempt, then they follow hourly work rules and are paid overtime. The young professionals are almost all salaried employees. Trust me, they know what it is like to work harder then the previous generation (I am 61 and of the baby boomer crowd).
Rick
Dogula, people only identify their generation as the best generation when they are really insecure. I have over 20 young people working with me and I can guarantee they all work as hard as any prior generation.
Boomers, especially those from the tail end of that generation which I fall into, are arguably the most self centered, self absorbed, I me instant gratification generations in the history of the world!
She has so much pride in so little substance.
I don’t think that the working ethics or other characteristics of baby boomers can be so easily generalized. I’m now 65 and continue to work part time because I learn new information from the work I do, and that along with just working helps me to be mentally stimulated. In my youth I always worked more than 40-hours a week; I worked whatever was necessary to get the job done in a quality manner and on schedule. It wasn’t so easy when I had to work for people that I didn’t much like or respect, but once I was fortunate enough to find something where I was respected, valued, and enjoyed my work and where I respected and liked the individuals with whom I was working, I could do 60-hours a week standing on my head. The crappy part about being an older worker, or actually about just being older, is the decline in energy level; I just can’t go as long or as fast as I use to. Well, there’s that and not having 20-20 eyesight anymore! Bummer!
Anyway, I don’t think one’s propensity to work hard or not work hard is a generational thing but instead it’s an individual’s thing.
Spouse – 4-mer