Managing the older worker—don't just rinse away the gray

Abstract

Executive Overview America is aging—and rapidly! Currently, one American in four is fifty or older and one in eight is over sixty-five. By the year 2000, nearly half of us will be over forty-five and more than thirty-six million will be over sixty-five. Life expectancy is increasing and as a group seniors are now healthier after age sixty-five. What do these changing demographics mean for the American workforce? As the active workforce ages and diminishes, it must be replenished, but that does not appear to be occurring. Our preoccupation with youthfulness has tended to undermine the importance and wealth of experience offered by our senior members. Indeed, Golda Meir became prime minister at age seventy-one. The New York Mets hired Casey Stengel as their manager when he was seventy-five. Not to be forgotten are Benjamin Franklin who worked on the U.S. Constitution at eighty-one, and Milton Petrie, who at ninety, still presides over Petrie Stores. The breadth of this subject is enormous. Given that, this article seeks to examine only a few facets of our changing demographics—the older worker and his or her importance in the workplace, recent trends which are creating more older workers, and popular myths. Finally, we conclude with recommendations on their employment.

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