4 secrets to managing baby boomer employees

While a smaller piece of the total employee pie than Gen-Xers and millennials, boomers, workers born between 1946 and 1964, still account for almost a fourth of the workforce. Statistics indicate a high rate of commitment to their place of work among boomers, which allied with their generally wider experience base, makes them a valued fourth. Worthwhile strategies to keep this group coming back to work for as long as possible can include offering more flexible hours, the ability to work from home, further training for those with non-transferable skills and accommodations, where possible, for disabilities.

Key Takeaways:

  • While baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) are starting to move into senior living facilities, the generation still makes up a significant chunk of the American workforce—and they plan to keep it that way. A 2014 Gallup poll (the latest data available) shows that 49% of boomers who still are working say they don’t plan to retire until at least age 66, including 10% who say they never will retire.
  • Still, boomers are only the third-largest segment of the workforce (29%), surpassed by both millennials and Generation X (34% of the workforce each, respectively); and with 53.5 million millennials in the workplace as of May 2015, according to Pew Research Center, the younger generation represents a significant challenge to boomers for both jobs and workplace collaboration.
  • While millennials and Gen Z are happy to sit down with a tablet and be trained by YouTube, baby boomers have longer attention spans, and prefer traditional methods like PowerPoint presentations and printed handbooks, according to the Wall Street Journal.

“While baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) are starting to move into senior living facilities, the generation still makes up a significant chunk of the American workforce—and they plan to keep it that way.”

http://www.foodservicedirector.com/managing-your-business/managing-staff/articles/4-secrets-managing-baby-boomer-employees#page=0

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