Delaware Employment Law Blog

It's safe to say that there is a communication gap between the generations.  When it comes to careers, for example, Boomers want to build a solid but fantastic one, whereas Gen X wants to ensure security through portability--a major divide in perspective.  Or, take training, as another situation where the two differ greatly.  Gen X wants, needs, must have training--good training--in their job or they're gone.  Baby Boomers, who were never given much training other than the basic skills needed to perform their required duties, don't see training as that big of a deal. 

At Salon.com, there is an excellent article by Heather Havrilesky that indicates that maybe the generational divide has shrunk some recently.  In An open apology to boomers everywhere, Havrilesky apologizes on behalf of her generation, Gen X, for being so impatient with Baby Boomers, their idealism, their tales of peace rallies, and their unending devotion to a "cause."  The article's cultural references put the story into focus as she partially excuses the conduct of Gen X.  After all, her generation had to deal with the influences of a motley crew including "Mister Rogers, Son of Sam, the Iran hostage crisis, Catholic school, the Hite Report, "The Day After," Edwin Meese, rampant divorce, "Fantasy Island," "Endless Love," Jeffrey Dahmer, the Happy Meal, the Lockerbie air disaster, Toyotathons, John Updike, and 'Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire?'"

The piece is really a political one, likening the connection between Gen X and the president-elect to that of Baby Boomers and JFK.  Having come of their political age, Gen X is only now able to understand their parents' "idealism" and "notions about community."

The article poignantly recognizes some of the real-life experiences that make the two generations so different.  And, it concludes, as Generation X continues its own journey into maturity, it has come to understand some of those differences with modern-day replays of the experiences of their parents. 

[H/T to Lisa's Generation Relations Blog]

For more on the Generational Divide, see:

Succession Planning and the Particular Needs of Gen Y Employees

HR Glossary: Generations at Work

Why Recruiters Need to Understand the Helicopter Parent

How to Use Reverse Mentoring as a Retention Tool for Gen Y Employees

Gen Y Demands Employers Open the Checkbook for Technology Requests

The Connection Between Training and Employee Retention, According to Gen Y

What Makes a Good Leader? If You Lead Gen Y's, You'd Better Find Out.

Smart employers have begun internal campaigns to prevent what could be a potentially crippling brain drain as the Baby Boomers, the largest generation in history, nears retirement.  As many as 40% of the current workforce is expected to be eligible for retirement age by 2010.  With a mass exodus of key employees on the horizons, employers look for ways to transfer knowledge to the next generation workforce.  But, in light of the many particular characteristics of Generation Y (or "Millennials"), this effort is not necessarily one with an obvious plan of attack.    

Gen Y demands that communications be transmitted in a format that they're used to, which almost always means the involvement of real-time technology.  For many employers, this demand is light years beyond the bulletin-board and newsletter-style communications they've employed for years.  So what's an employer to do if it's not current with the cutting-edge technology attractive to Gen Y? 

Implement a formal leadership program.  Gen Y will not have had the experience necessary to successfully take control as managers.  Unless there is a formal program in place to teach Millennials what makes a good leader and communicates the expectations of the organization with regard to have leaders should behave and treat others, we cannot expect them to simply "figure it out." 

Teach employees how to communicate with other generations.  Baby Boomers and Traditionalists hold the key to your organization's future success.  Now you have to get them to share it.  And, even if they're willing to do so, they may not know how.  Intra-generational communication is notoriously weak.  The generations simply don't speak the other generations' language.  Providing training to employees on how to communicate is essential if you want the older generations to share their knowledge and for the younger generations to receive and understand it. 

For more about Gen Y in the workplace, see:

HR Glossary: Generations at Work

Why Recruiters Need to Understand the Helicopter Parent

How to Use Reverse Mentoring as a Retention Tool for Gen Y Employees

Gen Y Demands Employers Open the Checkbook for Technology Requests

The Connection Between Training and Employee Retention, According to Gen Y

What Makes a Good Leader? If You Lead Gen Y's, You'd Better Find Out.

Knock It Off, Gen Y: 3 Ways You're Driving Your Boss Crazy

Human Resource professionals must be familiar with a vast vocabulary, spanning from the legal world to psychology and sociology terms.  At a professional organization meeting I attended this morning, I had the pleasure of listening to an organizational consultant speak about employee retention and engagement--a very important topic in my world.  Her presentation was filled with a variety of factoids of which I hadn't been aware.  One little tiny piece of constructive feedback I have, though, is that she got the Generations wrong.  

During her talk, she referenced the challenges presented to employers by Generation Y employees.  But what she meant was Generation X and Generation Y.  She stated that Gen Y includes employees just entering the workforce (i.e., 18 years old), through individuals aged 31.  This is not quite accurate.  Here's what she probably meant to say:

Traditionalists are actually two generations ("Matures" and "Silents") who share similar values and behaviors who were born between the start of the 20th century and the end of World War II (1900-1945).  This generation is characterized by rigidity, privacy, and loyalty.

Baby Boomers, who were born between 1946 and 1964 during the Post-World War II baby boom,  the largest generation ever born in the U.S.  This generation is known for its love affair with rock 'n roll, Woodstock, and its experiences with the civil rights movement and Watergate.

Generation X includes individuals born between 1965 and 1980 grew up with celebrity figures that included Madonna, Oprah, and Michael Eisner.  Because the Baby Boomer parents of Gen X included working mothers, Gen X was left to fend for itself and the concept of the latchkey kid became prevalent. As a result, this generation is particularly independent and resilient.

Generation Y (also known as "Millennials") represent the youngest workers in today's workplace, being born between 1981 and 1999.  Raised by Baby Boomers, who coddled and protected in a way that they'd not been cared for by their own parents, Gen Y believes that it really can do anything and, as a result, tends to see very low penalty associated with frequent job changes and even career changes.  Gen Y engages in "real-time learning" as a result of constant digital access to resources such as YouTube and Google.  One defining feature of this generation is their general lack of awareness of the concept of a chain of command--something that can put a Baby Boomer or Traditionalist into a tailspin. 

For other posts on Generational Issues in the Workplace, see:

Why Recruiters Need to Understand the Helicopter Parent

How to Use Reverse Mentoring as a Retention Tool for Gen Y Employees

Gen Y Demands Employers Open the Checkbook for Technology Requests

The Connection Between Training and Employee Retention, According to Gen Y

What Makes a Good Leader? If You Lead Gen Y's, You'd Better Find Out.

Knock It Off, Gen Y: 3 Ways You're Driving Your Boss Crazy

Generational differences have transformed the concept of workplace management.  Ground rules that once seemed obvious and implied to many of today's managers have been flipped upside down.  And, often, there seems to be no common ground to be found among a workforce that now spans across four generations.  There is much to understand about each of the generations' perspectives, values, and priorities, and the differences among them.  Armed with an improved knowledge of the motivators and disincentives that drive its employees, an organization is more likely to develop the recruitment and retention strategies that others only dream about.  This post is not about any of that. 

This post does not discuss the differences between the Baby Boomers and Matures as compared to Gen X and Millennials.  But not because there is no value in that knowledge--there undoubtedly is.  If you understand the "why," it is infinitely easier to understand the "how," (as in how to respond/react/prevent, etc.)  Putting aside the value in being well versed in these sociological and psychological concepts, there is a way to press "fast forward" and jump straight to the playbook.  In other words, there are a number of programs and policies that employers can implement that will silently effectuate improved relationships between generations--without the employer even having known about it in the first place.  Although there are several such programs that come to mind, I will limit this post to just one--reverse mentoring.

What Is Reverse Mentoring?

Reverse mentoring is a type of workplace-mentor relationship.  The mentor in a reverse-mentor relationship is younger than his or her mentee with substantially less seniority in the organization.  Conversely, the mentee is the older of the two and is well-established in his or her position within the company.  Reverse mentoring works in all industries but may demonstrate the most effective results in professional fields where technology is an integral part of the work environment but is not the central focus of the work.  This environment is conducive to knowledge sharing between mentor and mentee using the mentor's deeply engrained familiarity and comfort with basic computer skills.  Of course, many would agree that there is no industry in which the new would not have something to teach the not-so new.

What Is the Subject of the Mentoring Relationship?

Reverse mentoring works in all industries but may demonstrate the most effective results in professional fields where technology is an integral part of the work environment but is not the central focus of the work.  This environment is conducive to knowledge sharing between mentor and mentee using the mentor's deeply engrained familiarity and comfort with basic computer skills.  Of course, many would agree that there is no industry in which the new would not have something to teach the not-so new. 

So, exactly what the topic is for the mentoring relationship will depend, in large part, on what it is that the mentor is knowledgeable about but the mentee is not.  As long as those two requirements are satisfied, the topics are unlimited. Most commonly, the mentor offers to share his or her technological know-how and the mentee returns the favor by sharing broader-picture lessons that can be formulated only after a full career of participating and observing one's self and others in the workplace.

What Does Reverse Mentoring Involve?

As with any mentor program, there are no clearly defined requirements for an effective relationship.  But there are guidelines that should be followed in order to receive the best results.  First, there must be a clear set of objectives and they must be communicated to and understood by both persons.  They can define the objectives themselves--no corporate branding required--but they must both come to the relationship with a defined target and set of goals.

Also, as in any relationship, both inside and outside the work environment, time matters.  There must be a mutually acceptable time commitment to both parties if the relationship can be expected to produce real results.  And the more time, the better.  Up to once weekly or as little as once every quarter can be effective. The key, though, is to set expectations in advance and to meet them every time. 

Why Is Reverse Monitoring Effective?

Reverse mentoring is a "win-win" relationship.  The mentee gets to learn skills or obtains access to information that otherwise would be unavailable or unattainable.  The learning environment is non-threatening, which means that it is much more likely to stick.  The mentor has no incentive to make the experience a hostile or showmanship-like event.  Not only does the student rank substantially higher than the teacher in the organization, but the student gets direct fulfillment from the relationship, as well. 

The mentee is given a direct line to someone who is willing to share valuable insight, which Generations X and Y deeply value.  The mentee is also given an opportunity to demonstrate his or her particular skill set, which, especially for the most junior employee, doesn't happen very often--usually because the skill set hasn't yet developed.  Once the bond has been forged, both parties are more likely to an active interest in the success of the other. 

For additional information on employee engagement through peer-to-peer training, see these prior posts:

As Further Proof that Training Is Key to Employee Engagement . . .

Why Top Performers Are So Hard To Please

The Connection Between Training and Employee Retention, According to Gen Y

Gen Y employees are difficult to recruit.  "Millenial" employees, as they've come to be known, have lots of demands from a potential employer.  But the expectations of potential Gen Y employees are not nearly as high as the expectations of their parents.  Their parents?  That's right.  For the first time, employers aren't recruiting just job candidates.  They're also recruiting the parents of job candidates. 

No, I'm not kidding.  The parents of Gen Y'ers are often referred to as "helicopter parents."  Why?  Because they're always hovering around overhead.  They were hyper-involved in their childrens' already over-extended activity schedules.  They raised Gen Y to believe that there was nothing they could not be, nothing they could not achieve.  (Thus explaining Gen Y's perceived sense of entitlement--Why can't I be the boss right away?  My mom said I can be anything I want to be!)  They coddled their Gen Y'ers and bought them new gadgets like cell phones and Blackberries, which, as an ancillary perk, enabled parent and child to remain in constant contact.  They treated their Gen Y offspring like adults, further deepening the one-way dependence that ran from child to parent. 

And now, employers of America, they're yours.  Now it's up to you to treat them like the equals that they're not, to pat them on the back for every seemingly unimportant accomplishment, and to give them the flexibility to work from home whenever the spirits move them crack open their third laptop of the year.

Which brings me to recruiting strategies.  For employers who haven't already figured it out, Gen Y job applicants won't make a move before getting the stamp of approval from Mom and Dad.  Not until the parents give the thumbs up will candidates accept a job offer.  So, when recruiting Gen Y, be sure to advertise your organization's flexible and alternative work schedules, the company's continued investment in its technology infrastructure, and the yearly allowance offered to new hires for purchases of Blackberries, laptops, and the like. But don't forget to look out for what Mom and Dad will want to see before they'll give the official seal of approval.

Helicopter parents want to make sure their Gen Y'ers will be secure for a long, long time (even though it's fair to say the chances of a Gen Y staying at any firm for more than 3 years at a time is pretty slim).  They don't want any chance that their pride and joy will be subject to a layoff during a reorganization.  But Helicopter Parents also want to be Helicopter Grandparents.  And in order to do that, the Gen Y employee needs to work for an employer with a healthy understanding of work-life balance.  After all, how else can the generation be expected to find a mate and produce offspring?  Work-family balance is as important to the parents of Gen Y employees as it is to Gen Y employees themselves.  The next time you are recruiting for a position that may be filled by a Gen Y candidate, don't forget your marketing audience has grown and now includes the parent hovering overhead. 

In my current mission to call some well-deserved attention to fellow bloggers who consistently generate posts about the workplace.  Here are a few worthy reads.

Effortless HR Blog takes an in-depth look at one of the most challenging types of compensation structures--commission-based employees.  And then takes it to an even deeper level by discussing what many employers seem not to understand--that Commissions Should Produce Sales.

Alison Green, from the Ask a Manager blog, readily agrees that she likes working with recent graduates.  And, because of her general affection for the generation that is destined to revolutionize the workplace as we know it, she helps them avoid the 7 Mistakes that Recent Grads Made at Work in her post at U.S. News.

And, in case you missed the opportunity to wish your boss Happy Boss's Day today, there are a few worthwhile comments to soothe your woes. Start your journey at the Blogging Boss blog, where there are some tips for What to Say on Boss's Day.  Management Craft Blog has a very clever post on Poems for Boss's Day--for the sensitive employees in the group.  Finally, be sure to check out the well-timed Carnival of HR at Totally Consumed for a great mashup of HR and leadership blog posts.

Employers must recruit and retain Generation Y employees to stay current in the rapidly evolving workplace.  Equally important is the ability of employers to engage and utilize its older workers.  Employers are scrambling to find ways to harvest the knowledge of older workers before being faced with the impending brain drain.  All around, it's in the best interest of employers to provide a workplace that will attract older workers.   

These factors make the AARP's recent award, 2008 Best Employers For Workers Over 50, particularly timely.  Cornell University topped the list and was recognized for its health and wellness programs, which include health screenings and counseling, multiple fitness centers, as well as group nutrition and aerobics classes.

On its website, the AARP has published a helpful summary of the features common to the 50 winners. 

[H/T to the Aging Workforce News Blog, which consistently publishes timely and helpful information on issues facing employers as they deal with new generational challenges.]

Training is directly connected to employee retention.  Many employees view adequate training as an essential element of a satisfying workplace.  Gen Y sees continuing training as particularly important.  This could be, in part, because of the high priority the Millenial Generation places on making a valuable contribution to the workplace.  And it could be because the average Generation Y employee stays at a job for just 2 years, making continued learning even more important to keeping their skills sharp. 

But how Gen Y defines training is as different as the high value they assign to its importance.  The most recent generation to join the workforce demands access to "knowledge in chunks."  Given their familiarity with YouTube, podcasts, and online tutorials, Gen Y is used to jumping online and having immediate access to on-demand learning whenever it is convenient for them. 

Their older coworkers, on the other hand, are more likely to turn towards the traditional paper manual.  They are also more comfortable with classroom training and will request reimbursement for academic tuition fees-not the cable internet bill.

The same casual approach that characterizes Generation Y's workplace attire carries over to their approach to knowledge sharing.  They are not shy and have no qualms about asking their more knowledgeable coworkers for the answer they need.  And, given that casual attitude, they're more likely to just "holler across the cubicle walls" to a colleague.  Boomers, who have spent a career in a much more formal and structured workplace, are less than comfortable with this casual interaction.

So what's the lesson for employers?  For one, if you haven't already adapted a training and learning approach that fits the Gen Y model, get moving!  Your best Gen Ys may already be "googling" their next career opportunity!!

What makes a good leader? Each leader surely has his or her own thoughts on this.  And so do those who are required to follow that leader.  If leader and follower do not value the same characteristics, trouble may follow. A recent survey may provide some helpful insight to this question.  The survey looked at the attributes that individuals value most in a leader. 

Respondents ranked the following characteristics as contributing the most to an individual's ability to lead:

85%  Accountable

82%  Knowledgeable

81%  Honest

78%  Effective

78%  Integrity

76%  Good listener

72%  Flexible

69%  People Person

68%  Visionary

62%  Inspiring

59%  Intelligent

57%  Creative

55%  Experienced

54%  Strong

The highest rank trait, "Accountable," is defined as "is responsible, admits and learns from mistakes."  Not too surprising.  Accountability is integral to gaining respect from others.  Accountability includes not just taking blame but it also means not taking credit that belongs to others.  Those who are charged with the responsibility of a leader but who steal credit from their reports will not likely go far in the leadership ring. 

But, as BusinessWeek reports in Gen Y: It's What You Know, the results of the survey that are a bit more surprising involve generational perspectives. Once again, Gen Y stands apart from its Boomer and Gen X colleagues.  

Gen Xers and Boomers both selected "Accountable" as the most important quality in leaders, with Boomers ranking it slightly higher.  (88% vs. 83%).  But Gen Y didn't see accountability as the most important.  Instead, Gen Y selected "Knowledgeable" as most important. (79%).

The quality rated the most different?  Integrity. It was rated as Very Important by 66% of Ys, while 76% of Xers and 84% of Boomers thought it was Very Important.

Work-life balance, toxic bosses, and generation gaps.  Three of our favorite topics at the Delaware Employment Law Blog.  They're also the focus of a Special Edition of Businessweek.  The magazine, on stands Monday, has a feature called Business@Work.  The workplace special report was created, really, by readers.  In surveys, blogs, and polls, readers talked about their top concerns at work and their strategies and practical tips for how they deal with it all.  The topics covered include, in addition to the ones above, how to stay creative and entrepreneurial in uncertain economic times, time management, and managing the bureaucracy of Corporate America.

There were lots of fascinating tidbits among the nine pages of text.  One of the main articles deals with the initiatives being taken by employers that focus on their employees' "happiness."   Go figure.  A "happiness initiative" is not necessarily a new idea.  After all, that's what employee benefits are, for the most part.  But some of the efforts being made by companies like Safeco, IBM, and BMW N. America, are new to me. 

How would your employees like the idea of being flown to Disneyland for the day--families included.  (If you like it enough to transfer, you'd want to apply at the L.A. office of law firm DLA Piper).  Or maybe you'd be interested in hiring a Chief Happiness Officer, who, if he's like the CHO at London ad agency, iris Worldwide, is in charge of managing regular pub crawls.  And for the academics in the group, there is happiness learning just around the corner.  Companies including Qantas and Sanofi-Aventis have called in experts to assess the emotional health of their employees. 

So are these "perks" really seen as perks by the employees who receive them?  Or does the fact that they occur during working time with coworkers and monitored by management make them any less enticing?

By as early as 2010, the Baby Boomers will leave the workforce en masse.  As the "reliable" generation heads towards retirement, employers will be faced with a substantial need for new recruits.  And those employers who have the foresight to plan ahead know that recruiting starts now.  Otherwise, there will be nothing but college grads and retirees.  To prevent the "brain drain," the need for mid-level managers must be factored into hiring and recruiting decisions now. 

More than ever, the hiring process is a critical element of success planning.  But hiring, of course, is no easy thing.  There are obstacles everywhere.  And, frankly, hiring should be a priority far beyond the Human Resources department.  It should be a priority for the C-Suite, too.  If senior management appreciates the fundamental need for good hiring decisions, there will be less resistance to implementing a full-fledged hiring program.  In an ideal world, all companies would have one. 

If you are one of the businesses fortunate enough to get buy-in from executive management, one of the best things you can do is to be highly selective in choosing the hiring team.  The authority to be involved in the hiring process, at any level, should be granted sparingly.  Treat the hiring team with the importance it deserves and don't let the undeserving join the team.

Select interviewers with purpose.  Not everyone should be permitted to interview.  Interviewing is hard. It involves a great deal of legal exposure. It's a great opportunity to capture the attention of the best and brightest--or to send them running out the door faster than you can say "signing bonus." 

Employers are always looking for new ways to offer their employees perks and benefits.  Perks can be a double-edged sword.  On one hand, many think that employee retention can be directly correlated to the perks offered.  On the other hand, in difficult economic times, employers worry that they'll have to chose between keeping costly perks or keeping employees.  And to take away perks is an absolute morale killer.  (See The Real Price of Pulling Perks and 5 Free Ways to Reward Employees).

So what's an employer to do? We've talked before about some of the free perks that employers can use to keep employees.  Here's another type of perk that isn't free but that will give you a real return on your investment.  Training.

Yes, that's what I said, training.  Employees, especially Gen Y employees) want to know that they are making a contribution to their workforce.  Employees who are able to participate in meaningful work, as opposed to mind-numbing "busy" or "filler" work are far more likely to get engaged and have the sense of ownership that employers value so highly. 

Without continued development, employees are destined to get bored and lose their enthusiasm.  Unless employees are given continuous opportunities to develop new skills or to deepen their understanding of skills they already have.

This is a win-win for employers, too.  What more could you want?  Engaged and highly skilled employees?  Maybe it's more of an employer perk.

Workplace attire is a topic that just doesn't seem to go away. Dress codes and style rules for the modern worker get continuous coverage in the media.  Apparently, fashion is not just for the fashion columns anymore.  Fashion is a part of the business world, like it or not.  This modern-day fashion challenge is especially prevalent with Gen Y employees. 

Gen Y is known for its casual approach to work attire.  A generation that grew up wearing flip-flops and baring their belly rings can be particularly defiant of a conservative dress code.  The Millenial mantra for fashion may be coined, "Comfort Is King."  But that position often conflicts with the expectations of management. 

It can also prevent Gen Y job candidates from landing the job in the first place.  Candidates who come to an interview dressed in clothing that stands out as casual, trendy, or "young" will have a more difficult time making the cut.  And they may never know why. 

So what's a 21st-century fashion savvy job seeker to do? Generally speaking, don't take chances.  The interview is not the place to demonstrate your appreciation for cutting-edge couture.

And what about the rules of engagement for employers?  Although some will surely disagree, my position is to err on the side of caution.  If a potential employee comes to the interview with hot pink fingernails and Cyndi Lauper-style eye shadow, don't assume that she'll magically know better by the time she arrives for orientation, or that she'll "get the message" once she start work and sees that her colleagues are all dressed in more conservative garb. They won't.

Gen Y is known for its fantastic sense of entitlement and are unlikely to be particularly understanding or appreciative of the message that their clothing choices are unsatisfactory.  So, if you hire a candidate who makes his first impression by wearing a vintage Van Halen t-shirt under an Armani suit blazer, just be aware that you'll either have to accept his particular style choices or be prepared to have the uncomfortable "dress-code discussion" that will inevitably be required.

Accenture has come up with a great way to communicate its dress code and, with any luck, to prevent that dreaded conversation from ever being necessary in the first place.

Related Posts on Dress Codes:

I'm Too Sexy For This Job: The Beginnings of a Failure-to-Hire Lawsuit

“Are You My Lawyer or the Janitor?” The lawyer’s dress-code pendulum swings back.

Gender Discrimination & Dress Codes. Who wears the skirt, I mean, pants in your office?

Recruiting, Managing, and Retaining Millennials

The HR world has been abuzz with discussion about the generational dynamic between the aging baby boomers and the Web 2.0 world of Millennials. This five-part series is designed to give the rest of us some perspective.

A "Millennial," demographically speaking, is a person born after 1980. They are the youngest members of today's workforce. Experts estimate that by 2010, Millennials will outnumber both Baby Boomers and Gen Xers. Millennials (a/k/a "Gen Y") are our society's "digital residents," which means that they have enjoyed the luxuries of digital technology their entire lives, including the massive world of video games. Their digital residence has given their generation characteristics employers never seen before.

Some sociologists believe that as a result of their residence in the digital world (think instant messaging, Facebook, and MySpace), Millennials are significantly peer-oriented and constantly seek instant gratification. The bottom line: Millennials don't necessarily buy into the idea that in order to succeed at work, you need to get in early, stay late, and consistently work hard.

These characteristics can make it difficult for employers to adapt how and who they recruit, and how they manage and retain their new human resource. In short, Millennials are changing the way employers do the business of, well, employment. The next three installments provide tips on how your organization can tap into Millennial talent.

For more insight on Millennials and how they fit into your organization, consider the text "Millennials Incorporated" by Lisa Orrell. Ms. Orrell hosts the blog "Lisa's Generation Relations Blog." And, on May 20, 2008, HRHero.com will host Dr. Diane Gayeski, contributor to the Wall Street Journal and consultant to some of America's top employers, in an audio conference titled "Are you ready for the Millennials? What HR Needs to Know to Recruit and Manage the IPod Workers."

The focus of the next post in this series is Recruiting Strategies for the Next Generation.

Employers need to plan for the aging workforce—the "gray-haired demographic" is here to stay.

Aging Workforce News (AWN) talks about a newly introduced piece of legislation, the "Incentives for Older Workers Act." The proposed bill is designed to provide incentives and eliminate barriers for older Americans wishing to stay in the workforce longer, and encourage employers to recruit and retain older workers. AWN explains some of the bill's highlights:

Given the statistics on Baby Boomers in the workplace, this law could help employers deal with what Forbes.com calls the "Gray-Haired Workforce." By 2010, the number of workers aged 35 to 44--or those typically moving into upper management--will decline by 19%; the number of workers aged 45 to 54 will increase 21%; and the number of workers aged 55 to 64 will increase 52%. These statistic show that the workforce will include more and more employees aged 45 and over for several years to come. And they're not going anywhere—AARP reports that 79% of baby boomers say they have no plans to retire any time soon.