"Boomerang" At The Office

Baby Boomers are back.
After years of a youth movement in the employment market, it appears old is “in” as employers rethink their strategy of who to keep on the job and who to let go.
The numbers alone are forcing the issue and it’s the Baby Boom generation that is driving the equation. For starters, more than 40 million Baby Boomers are now past the age of 50. Every day, 8,000 Boomers turn 60.
We’re also an educated and motivated group that is not retiring at the same age our parents did. The Census Bureau estimates 70 percent of men and 58 percent of women between the ages of 55 and 64 are still working.
Part of the reason is money. The average lifespan in the United States has increased by 30 years since 1900. That’s a lot of extra post-career time. In fact, a century ago, the average retirement lasted two years. Now, it’s 20 years.
In addition, Baby Boomers are not the type to sit on the porch and rock away their golden years. A lot of us are learning retirement is overrated. Many Boomers enjoy their jobs and a lot of them get their identity from their work.
Add to this mix the divergent populations between generations.
The number of 55- to 64-year-olds in this country is expected to increase by 11 million by 2025. The number of people ages 25 to 54 will rise by only 5 million.
The math is obvious. There simply aren’t enough younger employees to fill the shoes of retiring older workers. It’s a trend the General Accounting Office says is creating a “skills gap” in the workplace.
Executives have noticed. They can see that if Baby Boomers retired in bulk the next decade, there would be gaping holes in their employee ranks.
So, how are companies enticing us to stick around a little longer? There are several popular alternatives, none of which involve paying older workers significantly more money.
Experts say Baby Boomers are looking for flexibility in their jobs. That can include part-time hours, seasonal work or telecommuting.
Boomers are also looking for something meaningful and perhaps even something different in their jobs. A new aspect to their profession or perhaps a new career altogether.
Now, this isn’t true in all industries. The hi-tech sector still feels youth is king as does the media industry.
Nonetheless, enough companies are eyeing their seasoned employees as their short-term saviors to give our generation a definite advantage in the coming years.
Yes, it appears the ball has bounced back into the Baby Boomers’ court. Company executives, it seems, need to show an interest in their older employees and treat them as if they’re valuable.
So, Baby Boomers look around. Decide what you’d like to do the next 10 to 15 years. Depending on your situation, you might just be in a position to negotiate.
For, the new power color at work might not yellow purple. It could be gray.

All In The Family

Thanksgiving today is a time to focus on family, food and football. It wasn’t always that way.
Originally, Thanksgiving was a harvest festival, a time to give thanks for that year’s bounty of crops.
The Pilgrims gathered in Plymouth, Massachusetts, for their first Thanksgiving in 1621. A year earlier, a cold, dreadful winter had killed half the members of their colony. That following fall, however, the colonists had a robust corn harvest and they celebrated with a three-day festival in which they cooked ducks, geese and turkeys.
The tradition of Thanksgiving spread throughout the states over the next century and a half. In 1789, President George Washington declared Nov. 26 to be Thanksgiving Day. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln designated the final Thursday in November as “a day of thanksgiving and praise.” Finally, in 1939, President Franklin Roosevelt set Thanksgiving Day as the fourth Thursday in November. His reason? To give the nation’s merchants one extra week of holiday shopping season.
Over the decades, Thanksgiving has evolved into not only a day to give thanks but one to celebrate family. Relatives gather on this day. The smell of roast turkey wafts from the kitchen. The football gets tossed in the back yard. It’s a healthy, heartwarming tradition.
On Thanksgiving Day 2007, this might also be a good time to assess the status of family in the United States. I’m afraid the picture isn’t necessarily a rosy one.
The web site, “divorcemagazine.com,” has produced some poignant statistics compiled from the U.S. Census Bureau and other government agencies. It does report the divorce rate in the United States dropped to 3.6 per 1,000 people in 2005, the lowest since 1970. However, that low rate appears to be a consequence of fewer people getting married.
The on-line magazine reports 59 percent of the U.S. population is married, down from 62 percent in 1990 and 72 percent in 1970. Only 52 percent of marriages make it to their 15th anniversary. The magazine also reports 10 percent of the population is now divorced, up from 8 percent in 1990 and 6 percent in 1980.
Perhaps more startling, only 63 percent of children in the United States now grow up with both biological parents. That’s the lowest rate in the Western world. What happens to the kids who aren’t raised under the traditional household? The magazine reports that fatherless homes account for 85 percent of kids with behavioral problems, 71 percent of high school dropouts and 85 percent of youths who are behind bars.
Obviously, this is no small problem. It is a plague that is infecting virtually every segment of our society.
However, the situation is not irreversible. Baby Boomers can certainly help alter this course, if they are willing to step up. We’ve done a lot of good things in our lifetime, but unfortunately marriage isn’t one of them. Our generation’s divorce rate is around 33 percent, twice our parents’ generation. We are a prime reason almost half the marriages in our country end up in divorce.
It’s time to make amends. Strengthening the family circle can be our generation’s shining achievements.
There are many ways to accomplish this. First, for those still raising families, put time and effort into this responsibility. Help your children with their homework. Attend their after-school or weekend events. Make sure the family has dinner together. All sitting at the same table at the same time, with the television turned off. Ask them how their day went. What they learned.
Nothing should be higher on your priority list than your spouse and your children. Give them attention, give them love, give them roots, then give them wings. Children who are raised properly make better citizens, pure and simple.
Once you’ve sent your offspring into the world, your job is not done. Even when your children get married and have children of their own, you are still their parents. They still need your guidance, probably as much as young adults as they did when they were teen-agers.
If at all possible, live close to your children as well as other relatives. Re-create extended families, like in the colonial days. Establish a loving, supportive village for your sons, daughters, nieces, nephews and grandchildren.
There’s no time to waste on this goal. Let’s use this Thanksgiving to recommit ourselves to the idea of family. Do what you can to bolster the bonds within your circle.
This Thanksgiving and every fourth Thursday of November.

Let's Move On

What we now know as Veterans Day began on Nov. 11, 1918. That’s when Allied countries and Germany signed an armistice to end World War One.
In 1926, Congress designated November 11th as “Armistice Day.” The date became an official federal holiday in 1938.
In 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower signed legislation that changed the name of the holiday to Veterans Day. It’s a day when we honor all our country’s veterans. Those who served in war and those who didn’t. Those who died on the battlefield and those who survived.
As Veterans Day 2007 fades into the past, perhaps this is a time where our nation – and in particular Baby Boomers – can do all veterans a favor and put the Vietnam War behind us.
The war has fractured our generation for 40 years now. And not without reason. This was no small combat mission.
Our country was involved in Vietnam for more than a decade beginning with President John Kennedy’s initial wave of advisors sent to that southeast Asian country in the early 1960s. President Lyndon Johnson escalated our involvement in the mid-1960s. President Richard Nixon unleashed bombing raids in the late 1960s and early 1970s before eventually signing a peace treaty in 1973.
At its height, 540,000 Americans were engaged in that war. More than 58,000 of them died. Most were Baby Boomers in their late teens and early 20s.
Unlike today, there was a military draft, which meant virtually any young man could be called upon to risk his life in Southeast Asia.
Television fanned the flames even furthur. The war was covered on the nightly news. During the 1960s, virtually every home in the United States witnessed the war on their t-v screen. In full view were bodies lying in fields and flag-draped caskets rolling out of the cargo compartments of planes.
There was one final, fiery ingredient. Before 1972, the voting age in the United States was 21. That meant every 18-year-old, 19-year-old and 20-year-old being drafted didn’t have the right to choose the leaders who were sending them to war. It was 1960s equivalent of taxation without representation.
The war was a lightning bolt that cracked our nation into sectors. On one side were those who supported the war. On the other were those who opposed it. The generation that fought in World War Two couldn’t understand the younger generation’s reluctance to fight in a war against Communism in a foreign land. Many Baby Boomers were outraged we’d be asked to sacrifice our lives in a conflict that didn’t directly affect our nation.
The war also split our generation. It divided those who went overseas to fight against those of us who remained at home. The soldiers who wearily returned from battle were, in many instances, treated as traitors who were aiding and abetting our leaders instead of young men and women who were simply a cog in a large war machine.
The rift didn’t end with the conclusion of the war. It has lingered for the 35 years since the peace accord. Former soldiers still feel bitter about the way they were treated after risking their lives. Those against the war still feel it was an unjust crusade that needlessly killed tens of thousands of their generation.
The Vietnam War has surfaced in the past four presidential campaigns. Bill Clinton’s avoidance of the draft was brought up both in 1992 and 1996. Al Gore’s service in Vietnam and George W. Bush’s stint in the Air National Guard were campaign issues in 2000. John Kerry’s duties on boat patrol in the Mekong Delta were a crucial part of the 2004 election.
The war still haunts people on an individual basis. Vietnam veterans complain about flashbacks and guilt from their tours. It’s estimated 25 percent of the nation’s homeless are war veterans, the majority of them from the Vietnam era.
This is not a minor problem either. There are 8 million Vietnam veterans in this country. That’s about a third of the military veterans still alive.
So, as the book closes on Veterans Day 2007, it might be a good time to put an end to four decades of divisiveness. Enough is enough. Let’s lose the anger.
The younger generations are tired of hearing us talk about Vietnam and the ongoing dialogue about the war is preventing Baby Boomers from healing the scars from that period and putting the issue behind us once and for all.
The people who fought in Vietnam did what they thought was the right thing. The people who protested against it did what they thought was proper. End of story.
We shouldn’t necessarily forget, but we can certainly forgive.

Shape It Up

The scale at the fitness center doesn’t lie.
I stepped on it this week as I do the first Monday of every month. Thirty days ago, I weighed in at 208 pounds, the lowest I’ve been in at least a decade.
Today, after four and a half weeks of working out pretty hard and denying myself beer, candy and most carbohydrates, I was hoping for a reward.
I took off my shoes and placed my feet on the pad. I pushed the large bar to 200, then nudged the smaller bar to the right. It slid past 205… 206… 207… before settling once again at 208.
A stalemate. A “push” in Black Jack. A lot ventured. Nothing gained. But nothing lost either.
Keep in mind, I’m 6-foot-3, so for the age of 53, my 208 isn’t bad. In fact, I’m in decent shape for a grandfather. Probably the best condition I’ve been in since I was in my late 30s.
However, that lack of downward movement on the scale was a prominent reminder of the challenge of losing weight as one gets older. Baby Boomers are finding this out in a heavy way.
The youngest of the Baby Boomers is now 43. The oldest is 61. More than half of us have seen 50 come and go. And we are not in good shape.
A study early this year concluded Baby Boomers are in worse physical condition than their parents were at the same age. Quite a shock to the generation that was weaned on President Kennedy’s Council on Physical Fitness.
Unfortunately, it’s not just us. Our entire country is suffering from a health crisis. It’s estimated 127 million Americans are overweight. That adds up to 64 percent of adults over the age of 20. Those statistics have prompted the American Medical Association to list obesity as the “second leading cause of preventable death” in the United States.
It’s not just the grown-ups, either. Today’s children are heavier and more lethargic than any generation in our nation’s history. The American Academy of Pediatrics says childhood obesity is “a serious health concern” that has “reached epidemic proportions.” It’s estimated 15 percent of America’s children are overweight. The percentage of toddlers and preschoolers in that category has doubled since 1980. The percentage of schoolchildren who are overweight has tripled the past 25 years. That has led some experts to predict the children of the early 21st century will be the first generation in recorded history to have a shorter average lifespan than their parents.
Baby Boomers, we need to lead a charge here. Let’s get off the couch, stop “supersizing” our lunch meals and hit the track and the trail. We need to improve our physical conditioning, not only for ourselves but as a healthy example for the rest of the country. It’s a worthy cause, but it is not an easy task.
The body starts to deteriorate when most people hit their mid-30s. That downhill trend rapidly picks up speed when a person passes the half-century mark. In case you haven’t noticed, your metabolism suffers a serious slowdown after the age of 45. And it doesn’t stop there.
As people get older, they suffer a serious decline in their muscles. Humans can lose up to a half-pound of muscle mass every year after age 30.
In addition, a person’s bone density recedes as they get older. That leads to brittle bones and explains why older people break hips so much easier than younger folks.
The growth hormone in your body also declines as your pituitary gland gradually produces less of this important substance. That lack of chemical contributes significantly to the aging process. The growth hormone, in essence, is a fountain of youth.
“You lose the slack you had when you were younger when you could eat like a fool and do whatever the heck you wanted,” says Dr. Tighe O’Hanrahan, my personal physican. “You become less tolerant to those things. Your body becomes to a greater extent a delicate balance.”
All these risk factors, however, do not spell doom for the aging Baby Boomers. It simply means as you get older, you have to work harder and be more disciplined to stay in shape.
Let’s begin with exercise, an important component to good health. For those with limited mobility, walking is a perfectly fine way to work out. It’s relaxing, it pumps oxygen through your system and it works some of the main muscles of your body.
Stretching is another terrific way to stay in good physical condition. As muscle mass declines, it’s important to keep the body limber and flexible.
For those who can do more, strength training is a key ingredient to a good exercise routine. For people over 50, lifting weights is probably the best exercise you can do. It provides some aerobic work, but, more importantly, it strengths the deteriorating muscles.
Aerobic exercise is fundamental for the body as well as the mind, for those physically able to do it. Boomers should choose activities they enjoy as well as ones their bodies will tolerate.
Running burns up the most calories in the shortest amount of time. It’s also easy to do. Running, however, is a weight-bearing exercise that leads to injury more quickly than other activities.
Bicycling has less impact on the body and is beneficial to the knees. It’s relaxing and you can sight-see while you do it. However, biking can take a significantly longer time to burn up calories.
Swimming is an excellent total body workout for Baby Boomers. It uses all the muscles and the body suffers no impact. It is highly aerobic but does not burn a lot of fat because your body is held up by the water as you exercise.
Triathlons are a good mix for Baby Boomers. They combine running, bicycling and swimming into an exercise regiment. The variation reduces boredom and helps prevent injuries because different muscles are used on different days. In fact, the average age of triathlon participants in the United States is 52.
Good health doesn’t stop there, however. Nutrition is another key component. Being overweight is a primary contributor to diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure as well as heart problems.
Experts recommend people over 50 eat fewer carbohydrates and fat as well as try to avoid white sugar as much as possible. Eating fast food, pizza and candy is harder on your body as you age. Smoking and drinking alcohol are perhaps the most harmful habits of all.
Kaiser Permanente dietician Nicole Britvan says older people should increase their intake of fruits and vegetables, eating as many as seven to nine servings a day. Eating more fish, turkey and chicken is recommended. When you eat red meat, pick leaner cuts such as sirloin and rib-eye steaks. Add fiber to your diet, especially in the form of whole grains.
Serving sizes are also important. No matter what you eat, don’t overdo it. A half-cup is a good amount for most foods.
Fitness will play an important role in how much we will be able to do the next 10,000 days. If we plan to take on our society’s pressing issues the next 30 years, we need to have the stamina to do it. We’ll need to be sharp, vibrant.
I’ve been working at for three years now. I’ve lost 30 pounds in that time. But it’s been a slow, tough battle. And the lower my weight becomes, the harder it is to shed pounds. So, holding my own for 30 days is actually a pretty good accomplishment.
More importantly, I feel stronger and more lively.
That’s not only good for your body but for your mind and your self-esteem as well.
Getting back in shape is an excellent late-in-life goal for Baby Boomers. Not only for us, but as an example for the rest of the country, too.

To Grandmother's House

It is a four and a half hour journey by car.
A pleasant drive from my house through California’s Central Coast region. Through the farm fields of Salinas, the river basin of King City and the rolling hills of Paso Robles. A serene stretch of territory depicted in numerous novels by John Steinbeck.
The 250-mile trip ends in the small town of Nipomo, the final community in San Luis Obispo County before you cross into Santa Barbara County. What so special about Nipomo? What compels me to drive there several times a year?
It’s the town where my grandmother lives.
This past week, I made an annual pilgrimage to her home. I do so around November 1 of every year. That is the date she and I share a birthday. This year, she turned 94 the same day I hit 53.
The trip to Gram’s house isn’t always convenient. Sometimes I have to squeeze it into my two-day weekend. But I always do it. Why? There are a number of reasons.
For starters, I am celebrating the fact I still have a grandparent who is alive. Not many people my age are so lucky.
There are also practical reasons. I like to check in and see how she’s doing. Among other things, I rode in her car for her morning voyage to McDonald’s to make sure her driving abilities are still OK. I’m happy to report they are. In fact, she drives a little too fast.
Her health, I’m also happy to report, seems fine. I actually think she’s better this fall than she was a year ago. Her memory is solid. Her mind is sharp. And her hearing is better than mine. I hope I’m in as good a shape when I’m 74, much less 94.
I checked around her house to make sure everything is running smoothly. The sprinkler system still works. There are no leaks from the roof into her attic. The new kitchen floor is laid down nicely. And, there is no shortage of photographs of her 9 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.
However, the main reason I travel to Nipomo is to simply absorb my grandmother – her personality, her wit, her humor, her perspective. It’s something any younger person should do and it’s something I encourage all members of my generation to make a habit.
Baby Boomers haven’t always embraced the folks who raised them. In our heyday, we encouraged the attitude in our society toward youth that is still prevalent today. We called ourselves the “younger generation.” We said don’t trust anyone over 30. We bucked the system and ignored our elders.
Perhaps it is time we put an end to this practice. Reverse the trend in our culture where youth is king and older folks are viewed as people who should be quiet and stay out of the way.
Although we have a lot we can teach the generations younger than us, there is still a lot Baby Boomers can learn from the people a generation or two ahead of them. These are people who lived through the Great Depression as well as fought and won in World War Two. Many of them are still around and most of them will still give us their time and wisdom, if only we ask.
Boomers should take advantage of this opportunity. Tap into that vast reservoir of knowledge. Pick those experienced brains before this generation disappears.
Take a few moments. Turn off the cell phone. Blacken the computer screen. Sit down in a chair, face to face with that person in their 70s, 80s or 90s. Ask them what they’ve seen. What they’ve gleaned over the years. What they think of the world today. Answer them with a “yes, sir” or “yes, ma’am.”
If nothing else, Boomers might learn how they should approach life when they become the most senior people in this country. When they replace their parents’ generation at the front of life’s constantly moving train. What it feels like to be the oldest person in the room. What it means to be a societal elder.
This behavior can also set a standard for how middle-aged people should treat the folks older than them. How to show respect for grandparents and great-grandparents. Give the younger portion of our population a primer on how we would like to be treated when our final years have descended on us.
All you have to do is make that drive to grandmother’s house, sit down, be quiet for a moment and listen.