THE BOOMERS ARE OUT!

Wait up, not so fast! Yes it is true that many baby boomers have already retired and many more are fast approaching retirement age. Not all them are looking forward to retire, ride out into the sunset and enjoy life, and this is so for various reasons.

Lack of finance to travel, take care of their health and meet monthly expenses is a real battle for so many boomers. COVID 19 was responsible in so many ways for the depletion of savings. Loss of jobs, jobs put on hold when we were on lockdown; some people had absolutely no income during this period. For example, people in tourism, culture & arts, barbers and hairdressers to name a few.

Research shows that "more than two out of 10 baby boomers said the pandemic has made them delay retirement because they feel less financially secure".? It is my opinion that some baby boomers are unable to fully retire, and are therefore making a choice to either semi-retire, become business consultants or entrepreneurs like myself.

Let's face it, the financial struggle is real, but more than this, boomers are not ready to throw in the towel to having a career of their own. Having said that, I like many other boomers want to continue working and make a meaningful contribution to motivate and inspire others, to grow more and achieve more in life. It is for this reason, I made a decision to became a Career Coach!

To do this, I would have to get to know and understand the other generations I would encounter along this path, and hope that they would take the time to learn about boomers as well. Baby Boomers (1946-1964), are shaped by Vietnam War, Civil Rights Movement and Watergate. We have a strong work ethic, company loyalty, teamwork and responsibility to duty. Our communication style is whatever works including phone calls and face-to-face. Employers should provide specific goals and deadlines, place them in mentorship roles and give coaching-style feedback.

Generation X (1965-1976) are shaped by the AIDs epidemic, fall of the Berlin Wall and the dot-com boom. GenXers are motivated by their own personal-professional interests rather than company's interest, diversity and work-life balance. Their communication style is same as boomers, but they prefer immediate feedback and extended opportunities for personal development.

Millennials (1981-2000) who will make up a percentage of 75% of the global workforce by 2025, are shaped by the shooting?that occurred on April 20, 1999 at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, when two teens went on a shooting spree; the 9/11 terrorists attack on New York City in which I almost lost one of my cousins, and the Internet age. They are motivated by responsibility, unique work experience and quality managers to guide them; not surprising they expect their managers to get know and manage them by results. They communicate via IMs, text messages and emails.

Generation Z (2001-2020) expect their boss to provide them with formal training opportunities to advance their careers. They are shaped by 9/11, the Great Recession and access to technology from a very early age. The GenZs are motivated by diversity, personalization, individuality and creativity. Employers who want to get the best from this generation, should offer opportunities to work on multiple projects at the same time, provide for work-life balance and allow them to be self-directed and independent. Micromanagement for this generation is defiantly out of the question.

We are all living in the digital era where we work in one global village. Key to surviving this era is knowing, understanding and raising our level of communication with everyone, so that we show compassion and respect for all. This way we can build trust, work in harmony and support each other along the road to success.

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