I have a birthday coming up next month. It is not a traditional milestone birthday, but as I have gotten older, I tend to look at each birthday as a milestone and they become a time of celebration and reflection.
The Beatles
I am of the generation that reveled in change. We went from the Cuban Missile Crisis and “duck and cover” drills to the Beatles, bellbottoms, and protesting war. We were going to change the world and, in so many ways, we did.
Last year around this time, I began a list to remind me of how much there is for me still to learn and do. It is my “Firsts after Fifty” list and it grows monthly. Some of the items on the list are career oriented, such as earning my SPHR certification. Others are more personal, such as beginning to study piano or meeting George McGovern. All of them represent my need for growth, development, and change.
The generation of change is now watching the world change around us. Retirement funds have diminished with the economy and many of us will not be able to retire at the age we had hoped. We will work more years than we planned, but we are less certain as to where we will be working and what we will be doing. Some of us have lost our jobs due to no fault of our own. Others have seen their career growth slow down or stall. Many of us are searching for new jobs and wondering if we are too old to find one. We have another 10+ years to contribute to the workforce, but will we be doing something we enjoy and working where our contributions will be valued?
Growing up in change, we are resourceful and resilient and it is still our mission to change the world. In order to do that, we “fiftysomethings” need to sharpen the image of older workers. Let it be known that we are not resting on our laurels and counting the months and days to retirement. We are not unwilling to learn new technology. We are a valuable resource that is too often left untapped.
HR professionals need to be looking at ways to engage and develop our “seasoned” employees. There is a need to nurture and use our institutional knowledge and mentoring/coaching skills, and better train supervisors to ensure that employees of our generation continue to not only give valued service, but feel valued.
We still have a future, but only the present is ours to change.
Karen is an active volunteer for Big Bend SHRM. She is a seasoned HR professional in higher education. As a passionate certified human resource professional, Karen is an advocate for HR certification. Her words have been acknowledged by the Society for Human Resource Management and have even been used in marketing campaigns. @kgoodlett
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