How Does a Company Best Utilize the Older Worker?s Skill Level?

During the past few years the stock market has taken a downward turn several times.  The baby boomers that have been approaching retirement during this period of time are now looking at their investments and saying, ?I cannot retire.?  More importantly, many of them do not want to retire.  Why?  Well this is the generation that invented the 60-hour work week, found identity in what they did for a living, and vowed never to get old. The question is, ?What type of jobs will make these individuals flourish and add value to the bottom-line?? 

No one will deny the fact that this generation is one of the most educated generations to date.  So, is the business world best served by letting these individuals walk into the shadows without tapping the energy and passion they have for work one more time?  I say NO!  I do not believe that Wall-Mart, Wendy?s, and McDonald?s can offer the jobs in which their skill level will be utilized to the maximum.

One possible solution is to look at the areas in which older workers have knowledge and expertise and hire them for jobs in which these traits are needed and valued. An example of this comes from a police agency that employs retired officers to handle their property room. These individuals, because of their prior experience, realize the importance of maintaining a chain of custody and keeping their areas neat, organized and accessible. Their job role is quite different now but their backgrounds are invaluable to the organization. Another similar avenue would be to hire older workers to ?fill-in? when other workers are sick, on vacation, or leave the organization.  In a sense, an organization could create a temporary pool staffed with their own retirees.

Stay tuned for Part IV.....