Page 10 - BusinessWest September 2, 2024

EDITORIAL >>
The Value of Communication
Let’s talk generations.
About how Zoomers are too focused on work-life bal- ance, dressing down, and taking mental-health days to
get anything done in the office.
About how Boomers can’t adapt to a workplace culture
that’s more flexible, collaborative, and tech-driven than they’re comfortable with.
How Gen X — oh, wait, no one cares about Gen X.
Now, let’s take the first line of this article and add a comma.
Let’s talk, generations.
That’s better.
For all the (sometimes negative) stereotypes about how
four (and often five) generations coexist in the work world, there’s really more that connects us than divides us, as savvy employers and HR managers have learned.
What was striking, when we delved into the topic in the story on page 17, was the emphasis on what communication and openness to new ideas can do for a workplace culture, turning generational differences that might otherwise cause conflict into something positive.
You’ll read about a 29-year-old leader who regularly seeks out the advice and perspective of an older employee whom she manages. And, conversely, how employers have insti- tuted something called reverse mentoring, whereby younger employees share their ideas with older employees, including
OPINION >>
older executives.
That may be the biggest generational shift of them all,
away from a hierarchical, siloed model of management that, if it didn’t actively discourage such exchanges and question- ing, at least didn’t encourage it.
But as Millennials and Zoomers continue to comprise
a greater and greater share of the workforce, employers, even those from the Boomer and Traditionalist generations, are learning ... well, the value of learning from each other, no matter the ages or positions of the people having the conversation.
The consensus seems to be that many benefits and perks favored by the younger cohort, from work-life balance and hybrid schedules to more wellness-focused benefits, are here to stay, benefiting all generations in the workplace, but it’s equally true that they have plenty to gain from the perspec- tives of business leaders who have been succeeding and adapting for decades.
It all begins with open conversation and trust.
“You want everyone on the team to question everyone else — to question everything, in a good way,” the 29-year-old Operations director told us. “Does this make sense? Is there a better way to do this? Why are we doing this? Why are we still doing this?”
So let’s talk about it. BW
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Thriving in the Third Age
BY KATHY MARTIN
Retirement is changing. We are living longer. We are more active. We can continue working — if we want to — well into our retirement years. We can go on adventures,
start new hobbies, volunteer, or continue our education. Get- ting your AARP card is no longer a dreaded milestone, but access to great discounts. Birthdays are celebrations of possi- bility and opportunity, not a sign that you are over the hill.
One only needs to compare advertising campaigns from the 1980s to today to see that the retirement experience has been entirely reframed by the choices and behaviors of those in retirement now and those expected to retire in the next three to 10 years — the Baby Boomers. Medicare subscribers increase by 10,000 every day, and that number is expected to double by the end of the decade.
You’ve heard that 40 is the new 50? Well, the truth is that 80 is the new 60. In the landmark Age Wave study, the defi- nition of ‘old’ has been pushed back 20 years. In this study, 83% of adults reported they want to be useful in retirement (compared to the 17% that want to be youthful). In that same study, 66% said retirement is a ‘new chapter’ in life, and 97% said it’s important to ‘stay curious’ and be willing to ‘learn new things’ throughout life.
This data reflects what has been called the Third Age
— age 60 and up — when the focus is on personal develop- ment and reinvention through a lens of growth and purpose. According to Dr. Ken Dychtwald, goals that once seemed cli- ché and almost mythical — fun, contentment, and happiness — peak during the Third Age.
We arrive in the Third Age during a time of unprecedented medical innovation that leads to longer lifespan, an under- standing of the human body and mind that gives us tools to
optimize physical and mental health, and a societal openness to self-reflection, centeredness, and peace as worthwhile indi- vidual endeavors. The pressure to produce has been replaced with the freedom to choose.
When we started to explore the idea of honoring individu- als in their Third Age, it quickly became clear that so many in the 60+ community are embracing this time in their lives. Glenmeadow’s inaugural Age of Excellence Awards were born out of the desire to recognize and celebrate those who serve as models for us all staying open-minded and seeking fresh experiences.
Isn’t that what we are working toward? The opportunity in retirement to embrace self-determination and spend time on things we enjoy — whether that means hiking the Appa- lachian Trail, traveling the world, starting that business we’d always dreamed of, reading books, or serving the community — the Third Age is a time to put yourself first in a way per- haps you never have before.
In the best of circumstances, though, retirement isn’t just about doing. It’s about being. It’s not about retiring. It’s about contributing. In “The Summer Day,” poet Mary Oliver asked, “what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” Perhaps now it is relevant to ask, “what is you plan to do with your Third Age?” BW
Kathy Martin is president and CEO of Glenmeadow, which recently announced seven winners of its inaugural Age of Excellence Awards: Lawrence Akers, Debbie Gardner, Jeffrey Greim, Ethel Griffin, James Lagodich, Maria Roy, and Karen Tetreault. Learn more about them at glenmeadow.org/age-of-excellence-awards.
10 SEPTEMBER 2, 2024
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