Why do I need to Attract, Hire and Retain Baby-Boomers?

So what’s all this talk about the need to attract, hire and retain Baby Boomers in the workforce? If I’m an employer, why do I need to be concerned with recruiting and retaining “mature workers”? First of all, I dislike that term “mature workers”. I know plenty of workers who are in their twenties and thirties and forties who are mature- and plenty who will never be mature even if they live to be 101!

The workers we’re talking about are those individuals who have a history of work and life experience which gives them a true advantage in the workplace. Employers first of all need to be aware of the demographics. 78 million baby-boomers born between 1946 and 1964; these workers cannot be replaced by the younger generations that have followed them. In total the Generation X and Y’s comprise only about 51million workers- a 20 million shortage. These are of course estimated figures but the magnitude of the gap is undeniable. Employers MUST attract, hire and retain baby-boomers. How do you do that?

1. Understand the differences between the Generations to know what Baby-Boomers want in their working environment.
2. Create a simplified “executive summary” of the types of working environments and job structures that baby-boomers prefer from their employers; this summary is for your company’s senior management.
3. Make a case for bottom-line savings to the company through HR metrics like: reduction of turnover, reduction of cost-per hire, increased sales to those of the baby-boomer generation; everyone knows that sales are more easily made by those who have a commonality to their customers.
4. Train your HR staff and your senior management in the advantages of a Multi-Generational Workforce.

Okay, this is high-level, I know, but it will get you started down the path of becoming a Boomer Friendly Employer! Stay tuned for more blogging on this topic.