Baby Boomers in the Multigenerational Work Team

A multigenerational workforce will strengthen business resilience and grow market share.   

Baby Boomers were born between1944 & 1964 making them 57 – 77 years old in 2021 and they make up 29% of our workforce with many of them choosing to remain in employment until they are around 70. 

They are referred to as Baby Boomers because statistically there was a significant boost in the number of births during these years. 

They are the most experienced workers of today and their experience cannot be taught.  It gives them insights into what has and has not worked in the past and they have worked with all personality types, so they have learned to relate to “everyone” which can make them great mentors for younger employees and valuable leaders and managers. 

They are our most stable workers having no desire to job-hop seeking new opportunities and they generally possess a sage confidence.  They are our most genuinely connected generation in their fields of speciality and although they may not TikTok in some cases, they have adapted to the rapidly changing technology age and will not be overwhelmed by technical advances. 

They deliver experience and professionalism, an engaged work ethic and stability in long-term roles and businesses are embracing them with Internships and Returnships for those choosing to come out of retirement back into the workforce. 

So how do you attract them and retain them? 

Baby Boomers crave purpose so all endeavours to attract them need to communicate the purpose of the role honestly, simply, and accurately without wasting their time on vague references and slang.  They are big consumers of social media but do not rely entirely on attracting them this way, you will need to engage other strategies as well. 

They value Employee Benefits especially those related to health, lifestyle and financial security so think about insurances, extended holiday leave arrangements and retirement plans.