Age Diversity In The Workplace
Effective Management of the Aging Workforce
OL-500
Southern New Hampshire University
September 10th, 2014
Introduction
The baby boomer generation, those born between 1946-1960, brought forth sweeping changes in society. Not only did the population increase exponentially they also brought forth changes in the social and economic scene. From free thinking to war protests and a drop off from attending conventional religious services the boomers were the first social rebels that challenged the way we live and work. Many of this generation where the first of their family to attend college or some sort of secondary education from high school. The boomers also broke away from traditional workplace conformity and began to chart their own path to success. (Bruce, 2009). This meant longer working hours, less traditional work weeks, and the tendency to become “workaholics”. By doing so many of the boomer generation are now in upper level management of most companies and businesses As the Baby Boomers draw close to retirement age new challenges will arise in the work place. Who will take their place? Is the next generation of workers ready for the challenge? Do they have the same ideals and principles of the outgoing workers? Management is tasked with making this transition as smooth as possible while dealing with an ever growing diverse work force. Technology will play a key role in the sweeping changes facing a workplace as well as older workers trying to learn new ways to do the same tasks they have done a certain way for an extended period of time. How management meets these challenges will determine the long term success of the company.
What changes in employment relationships are likely to occur as the population ages? As the baby boomer generation looms towards retirement a big challenge faced by management will be to fill the rolls voided when the
OL-500
Southern New Hampshire University
September 10th, 2014
Introduction
The baby boomer generation, those born between 1946-1960, brought forth sweeping changes in society. Not only did the population increase exponentially they also brought forth changes in the social and economic scene. From free thinking to war protests and a drop off from attending conventional religious services the boomers were the first social rebels that challenged the way we live and work. Many of this generation where the first of their family to attend college or some sort of secondary education from high school. The boomers also broke away from traditional workplace conformity and began to chart their own path to success. (Bruce, 2009). This meant longer working hours, less traditional work weeks, and the tendency to become “workaholics”. By doing so many of the boomer generation are now in upper level management of most companies and businesses As the Baby Boomers draw close to retirement age new challenges will arise in the work place. Who will take their place? Is the next generation of workers ready for the challenge? Do they have the same ideals and principles of the outgoing workers? Management is tasked with making this transition as smooth as possible while dealing with an ever growing diverse work force. Technology will play a key role in the sweeping changes facing a workplace as well as older workers trying to learn new ways to do the same tasks they have done a certain way for an extended period of time. How management meets these challenges will determine the long term success of the company.
What changes in employment relationships are likely to occur as the population ages? As the baby boomer generation looms towards retirement a big challenge faced by management will be to fill the rolls voided when the