Editorial
In today’s tight labor market, employers need to leave no stone unturned in their search for talent. Yet recruiters and hiring managers often dismiss baby boomers as job candidates and make assumptions that stand in the way of hiring them. But baby boomers are well worth recruiting and retaining — business leaders overlook them at their own peril.
Ageism, whether conscious or unconscious, tops the list of challenges that boomers face in the workforce, according to our survey of baby boomers. Some states recognize this challenge and are passing laws prohibiting employers from requesting age-identifying information in an initial application.
Our research revealed four commonly held myths about boomers that can impede their ability to compete in the job market.
Myth 1: Boomers Just Want to Play Pickleball
Some Boomers relish retirement, taking up pickleball, golf or quilting — but not all of them are ready to retire. Research shows that about half of all boomers expect to or are already working past the age of 70 and do not plan to retire at all. Many want and need to keep working.
The boomers we surveyed identified financial necessity and desire to add value as top reasons to keep working. When we asked boomers to name the age at which they expected to retire, the most frequent written response was “never.”
The reality: Many boomers want to keep working, and this motivation makes them attractive job candidates.
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Myth 2: Boomers Are Best Used as Gap Fillers
Boomers are often recruited for gap-filler roles, like during seasonal or surge periods, or for interim or temporary roles. Yet our research shows that boomers prefer permanent full-time or part-time jobs. Since many are working out of financial necessity, they are not interested in the temporary nature of gap-filler roles. They want the benefits and security that permanent positions provide.
The reality: Many boomers want permanent work, and can be tapped to fill permanent roles, not just filler roles.
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Myth 3: Boomers Don’t Want to Keep Learning
Younger people sometimes assume that boomers won’t, or can’t, keep learning. Some boomers even reinforce this myth by being hesitant to adapt or experiment with new technology or joking about being too old to learn new things. Yet the opportunity to keep learning and growing was high on the list of boomer motivators.
The reality: Many boomers can and want to keep learning — an attractive attribute for any job candidate.
Related Podcast: NCOA's Ramsey Lewis on the Benefits of the Multi-Generational Workforce
Myth 4: Boomers Have Little to Add to the Workforce
It may be easy to assume that boomers are winding down their careers and have little to add to the workforce, but that belief is incorrect — and an obstacle to a richer, more rewarding workplace for all employees.
Hiring and retaining boomers can foster intergenerational learning through reverse mentoring and two-way mentoring relationships. Boomers can draw on their experience during crises and organizational upheavals to lend a steady hand. They can also share their institutional knowledge with newer members of the workforce: Our research shows that boomers are highly motivated to develop and mentor others.
The reality: Many boomers can add to the workforce in ways that benefit all employees; by hiring boomers, organizations can enhance the employee experience for all of their workers.
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Once you get past these common myths, you see that boomers are attractive job candidates well worth recruiting for your team. When recruiting boomers, remember that money matters as much to them as it does to workers from other generations, so ensure that pay and benefits are competitive, and offer sign-on and retention bonuses for hard-to-fill jobs. Resist the temptation to only recruit boomers as gap fillers for interim or temporary roles or during seasonal or surge periods. And to retain the boomers who are already members of your workforce, invest in developing them just as you do members of other generations, and provide them with opportunities to develop and mentor others.
Boomers are a rich yet undervalued workforce resource. Organizations that recognize this and make the most of them will gain a competitive edge in the talent marketplace.
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