We Are A Valuable Asset. Don't Waste Us.

 By Karen and Erica

Over half of today's retirees want to keep working. Some of us need the money. Many of us need the purpose. But it is really hard for any of us to find work commensurate with our experience. That's a waste.

Why don’t companies—and even non-profits—want to employ retirees? A few reasons, we suspect, none of which should create a barrier to entry.

First, out-dated assumptions about what older workers can and can't do, or are willing or not willing to do, have no basis whatsoever. Data demonstrate that today’s retirees have decades of productivity left in their lives.

Second, we don’t want to take the jobs of younger people—essentially, to compete with our children. We are not on the way up, and we don’t want to work 24/7 any more. We do want to take our experience and use it to help today's workforce—our children—to build on what we have learned.

Third, no need to worry that we will remain on the payroll long after we succumb to senescence. There are structures to use that protect employers from that concern.

The real problem is a lack of imagination. Businesses apparently cannot figure out what to do with someone who too senior to be an intern, but who has no desire to run the place. There are actually several models that do the trick, and help with the other concerns as well:

• One is the freelance model championed by Millennials and Gen Xers who want to work on a flexible basis. Perfect for us. Use us when and where you need us, for as long as we agree ahead of time, and then we go our separate ways. Or, if we remain sentient, agree to do it again, for another defined period.

• Another is project based work. Do you have a problem that needs to be solved, one that no-one else has time to tackle? We’ll do it. Scientists will tell you we are especially good at problem solving, because we have had years of practice.

• And think about part-time work. Do you need people for short periods during rush hour work? Look at us.

The macroeconomic arguments for employing retirees are powerful.

First, the positive arguments. As the workforce shrinks, due to Boomer retirements and restrictive immigration policies, economists warn that we will be unable to continue to sustain growth at current rates.. But we--the Boomers who make up almost half of the adult population--do not want to retire. We are skilled and experienced workersready and waiting to fill the needs of a growing economy.

Second, the anti-negative arguments. There are a lot of us, and we will live for several more decades. Economists warn darkly that we will pull down the economy with our health needs. But if we remain engaged, and productive, we will maintain our physical and mental health. If you let us work, not only will we enlarge the pie, but our slice of it will shrink, as well.

Retired and retiring Boomers should be viewed as a national asset, not a looming liability. Today's retirees are experienced, healthy, long-lived, and enthusiastic about working. Especially we Lustre ladies. So, employers, wake up. Look at the data. We’re not in the 1950s any more. Abandon preconceptions and stereotypes that were hatched way back then, when retirement and retirees were entirely different and life expectancy was short. Work with us. Together, we can get to the next level much faster than if you sideline us.