Every business — no matter what size, industry or stage of development — is facing a strange phenomenon: the changing workforce. When you look at the people in your office, you see far more older staff than younger staff. All of a sudden you’re thinking, “When did this happen?” And then you realize, “OMG, I’m older, too!”

Never before has our country, or even the world, been inhabited by so many “older” people.  Today, one out of nine Americans is considered old. Every eight seconds someone turns 50. In 2010 the 45-to-64 year old population grew 31.5%. This extraordinary phenomenon is documented in the latest U.S. Census Bureau brief on the data from the 2010 Census.

People are living productive lives into their 80s. But that doesn’t mean people will stay in the traditional workforce longer. Baby boomers are redefining retirement. They will continue to work in a new, flexible way that will benefit businesses, society, their families, and themselves.  A survey by Del Webb found that half of retirees expect to work at least part time and they’ll want offices in their homes. Forty percent of them already have high-speed Internet connections and two or more computers.

Business owners and HR managers should start thinking about how to adapt their workplace to take advantage of this extraordinary talent.

How is your insurance firm changing to reflect these demographic changes?

– Sharon Emek, Ph.D.
Founder and CEO
WAHVE