Changing Dynamics, Generations in the Workplace

Author: Emily Crumrine, AMR Marketing Coordinator

What could the Baby Boomer’s non-retirement do to an association’s membership?

There are currently an estimated 78 million people in the Baby Boomer Generation. The Baby Boomer Generation consists of those born between the years 1946-1964 which places them now between the ages roughly 54-63 in 2009. This means many from this generation will move into the retirement age of 65 beginning in 2011, and many have already entered into early retirement. The US Census Bureau has released some interesting facts and figures about the Baby Boomers that give you an overview of this generation’s demographics.

More interesting however is that trends show a surprising number of Boomers will opt to continue working past the age of 65 rather than enter into full time retirement. In fact, Sharon O’Brien with Senior Living maps out a new direction of retirement for the Boomer Generation. With many Baby Boomers planning to work past the retirement age due to either a lack of retirement planning, or purely for the enjoyment of work, associations will need to make sense of not only how to reach out to their membership, but how to effectively connect with a more diverse age group. With small numbers from the Traditionalist Generation and the 2020 Generation along with the Boomers, Generation X and the Millennials, associations can soon face up to 5 generations participating in their membership. This span shows diversity not only in age, but in attitudes, perceptions of the workplace, values, and life goals.

A large element of being an association member is being part of a community. Your organization has a great opportunity in this societal shift to make open communication and relationship building an immense value for your membership, and become a centralized place for connecting people in the industry you serve. With the challenges that this diversity brings, there is also more opportunity for idea-sharing between older and younger members through establishing mentor programs, and becoming a source of great networking for those in your industry.

What diversity currently exists in your association’s membership? What membership efforts are you taking to establish good rapport between the different groups in your membership?