What can we do right now to help people over 55 years old find and keep jobs? I’ve pondered this question since the economic downturn transformed the work+life fit reality of older workers, radically and permanently.

Almost overnight, many later-in-life employees were forced into the job market without the know-how to find and compete for scarce opportunities while decimated portfolios changed their retirement expectations. They want to work but countless numbers struggle to find and keep a job.

This bleak employment picture for many over 55 year olds was confirmed in the recently released New Unemployables study conducted by Boston College’s Sloan Center on Aging and Work and the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University:

• 84% of older workers who were unemployed in August 2009 were still unemployed in March 2010, and
• 67% of older workers reported looking for work longer than a year.

Navigating this new later-in-life work reality requires an updated set of skills as evidenced by the 64% of older job seekers who said that the job search strategies they were using were not helpful, compared with less than half of younger job seekers. So what can be done? The research provides important clues including:

• Teaching workers over 55 years old how to use social media to network and brand themselves and
• Introducing them to new models of later-in-life employment, such as Encore Careers.

Teach workers 55+ years old how to use social media to network and brand themselves

According to the study, “just 13% of older job seekers had used online social networking sites compared to 28% of younger job seekers.” We need to convince older workers (and maybe even younger workers for that matter) that creating a presence and networking online is no longer optional. And we need to show them how to do it, as I did recently with a New York City cabdriver.

A couple of months ago I hailed a cab, and behind the wheel was a well-dressed man who looked to be in his mid 50′s. He smiled in the rearview mirror as I made myself comfortable for the ride uptown.

I’d decided to use the time to catch up on some calls. On one call I must have mentioned that I was on my way to give a speech. Overhearing this, the driver politely asked, “What is the topic of your speech?” I responded “How to manage your work+life fit.” He laughed and said, “Do you have any advice for me?”

He proceeded to explain that he had started driving a cab a couple of months earlier after his 18 months of severance ran out. He had two masters degrees and for eight years he had been a project manager for a major online retailer. When the layoffs started, he thought another equally good job would eventually turn up. But after countless promising interviews and not one call back, he had no choice to start driving the cab to make extra money. He sighed, “Any advice for me, lady expert?”

We were about 10 blocks from my stop so all I could think of saying was, “Are you networking with employers on Linkedin?” His confused eyes stared at me in the mirror, “What’s Linkedin?”  (Click here for more)

How Employees Can Partner with Employers: Work+Life Fit in 5 Days Series

Work+Life Flex “How to” in Pictures: #1 Don’t get stuck on the innovation curve

Work+Life Flex “How to” in Pictures: #3 Focus on fact that same flexibility keeps business open in snowstorm, cares for aging parent (and more)

Work+Life Flex “How to” in Pictures: #4 Making flexibility real takes more than traditional policy, toolkit and training

The other day, as I read Sharon Meers’ (author of Getting to 50/50) clear and compelling article in The Washington Post, “How Joe Biden Can Help Working Parents,” I had two conflicting reactions:

1. First was, “Go Sharon!” because she did a great job laying out the powerful data that support why we all benefit from helping parents manage their work and life. And she honestly addressed the common roadblocks that get in the way. But then …
2. I thought “Are we still having this same conversation 15 years later?!” You see, I could dig back through my files and probably find a similar article making many of the same arguments from 1990.

I’m becoming more and more convinced that the power of parenthood alone to catalyze a radical change in the way business, individuals and government approach work and life is limited.

No matter how many smart people, like Meers or Vice President Biden, join in the conversation, no matter how many pieces of research objectively state the need and benefits, we just can’t seem to move the needle.

We need a game changer. We need something that breaks us out of the rut we’ve been stuck in for 20 years and takes the debate to the next level. We need an issue that drives home the reality that finding new and better work+life strategies is not optional, or a “nice thing to do in good times.”

We need … to include the aging population. Why? It’s one of the greatest challenges both those who are aging and their caregivers (and, in turn, employers) are going to face in terms of the sheer number of people affected. Turns out, I’m not the only one who feels this way. Last week in The New York Times, David Brooks ranked “the aging population” first in the list of “deep fundamental problems” we are facing as a county.

As the parent of two beautiful children and as someone who can recite the bottom line benefits of work+life strategies in her sleep, am I frustrated that the argument for supporting parents hasn’t been enough to make more meaningful change happen? Yes, very.

But I’m also a realist who knows that at the end of the day change happens when people understand the “WIFM” or what’s-in-it-for-me. Adding the challenges of an aging population to the argument expands the base of people who “get it” and who are, therefore, invested in seeking solutions.

Here are some of the reasons I believe the work+life debate will finally get teeth if we add the challenges of aging. I’d love to hear your thoughts as well: (Click here for more)

David Brooks‘ thought-provoking piece in this morning’s New York Times calls older Americans on the carpet for, “Far from serving the young, the old are now taking from them.”  He then urges the older generation to use their time, energy and the internet to reverse this trend by starting a spontaneous national movement that demands changes in health care spending and the retirement age, “to make life better for their grandchildren.”

Okay, makes sense, but here’s the rub.  And I think Seth Godin said it best in a recent blog post:

“Baby boomers are getting old. Dreams are fading, and so is health. Boomers love to whine and we love to imagine that we’ll live forever and accomplish everything. This is the decade that reality kicks in. And, to top it off, savings are thin and resource availability isn’t what it used to be. A lot of people ate their emergency rations during the last decade. Look for this frustration to be acted out in public, and often.” (Emphasis mine)

This means that for David Brooks’ older people’s movement to take off a couple of things need to happen:

• First, we must address the harsh reality that for many older Americans the demand for greater government support is grounded in real (or perceived) financial need.
• Second, we have to get more creative.

Yes, expensive mandates like health care spending and Social Security require new approaches.  But what else can we do that would give older Americans non-governmental financial support, and greater time and energy for other parts of their life?   The answer: more later-in-career, work+life flexibility.

As part of the movement, older Americans should ban together, learn how to present a well thought-out plan, and propose creative, flexible work+life fit solutions to their employers.  This might include but is not limited to:

• Reducing hours and shifting responsibilities. For example, the seasoned newspaper editor who reduced his schedule and took on responsibility for teaching younger reporters how to write compelling stories, faster.
• Becoming a consultant who supports the business during specific busy periods, or in a particular area of expertise.  For example, experienced accounting firm partners who consult during busy season doing audit reviews.
• Job sharing with another older worker covering a specific function. For example, two plant managers takeover shared responsibility for the quality review process at their facility.
• Becoming part of a “coverage pool” that supports the business when people call in sick or go out on leave. For example, a group of experienced tellers are “on call” to cover a group of five offices in a region.  They work on average two to three days a week.

Another option would be for older workers to pursue an Encore Career where they earn money and give back.

Adding greater work+life flexibility to Brooks’ spontaneous, national movement would do more than just reduce the public financial burden on the younger generation.  Companies would retain valuable knowledge and experience.  And older workers, especially those “who ate their emergency rations over the past decade,” would make money and get time for other parts of their lives.  This is important because, quite frankly, I haven’t met too many 70+ year olds who are thrilled about the thought of going to work all day, everyday.

So why isn’t work+life flexibility part of the vision?  How do we get the movement started?  What do you think?

Why do you work?  As we emerge from the rubble of the Great Recession, an increasing number of people from a variety of sectors and in different stages of life are searching for a more meaningful “why” behind the work they do.

Paying the bills continues to be important, but there’s a growing awareness that work needs to be about more than money.  As we have seen, the money either isn’t going to be there in the amounts it was before or it can disappear in an instant.  Here are some of the discussions about and resources supporting the movement to find paid work with greater meaning that have come to my attention over the past week.

Looking for an Encore Career?  The guide to finding work that matters by Encore Careers

As they approach traditional “retirement,” many Baby Boomers want to work and make money but they also want their work to have greater purpose.  Following its recently announced Encore Opportunity Awards, Civic Ventures paves the way to a purpose-driven job with its excellent new guide, “Looking for an Encore Career?”

According to Marci Alboher, Senior Fellow with Civic Ventures, the core tenents of an Encore Career are 1) continued income, 2) personal meaning, and 3) social impact, “This generation is looking to change the world in this next phase of their lives.  They are returning to the values of Kennedy, and they are interested in service, giving back and having impact.”  Many of areas in which people have launched successful encore careers have also seen some of the greatest job growth:  social services, government, education and green jobs.

Alboher and I agree that everyone should begin their “encore planning” as early as possible because this is the new vision of retirement.  And much of the planning for an encore career can, and should, be done while you are still working in your primary job.  You can chart the winding path of research, informational interviews, conferences and trying out different options.  When the moment arrives to make the transition, you are ready.

And you don’t necessarily need to wait until retirement.  The Encore Career guide is an excellent resource for anyone in any stage of life looking for a purpose-driven job.  In fact, I realized after reading the guide and talking to Marci that I started my encore career in 1993 at the age of 29.  That’s when I left banking, went back to school and entered the work+life field.   For the past 16 years, I’ve made money (albeit initially less than I made as a banker), found personal meaning and have had social impact.  I need to start planning my second encore!

Finding Meaning in Your Current Job – Authentic Organizations Blog

As CV Harquail points out in an insightful post on her Authentic Organization’s blog, you don’t have to leave your current job to find more meaning.  In “How Job Crafting Can Get You Closer to Authentic Work,” Harquail, a former Darden b-school professor, explains how the revolutionary concept of job crafting (also outlined in a recent Time Magazine article) can help everyone build more meaning into their existing work…(Click here for more)

There are four major work+life fit transitions that spark a fundamental rethinking of the way work fits into the rest of life: parenthood, illness, elder care, and retirement.  Historically, our response to each of these reset points has been very black and white:  I either work full-time, as I am now, or I don’t work at all. But that’s changing in the new work+life flex normal, especially as it relates to traditional “retirement.”  One of the groups creating a modern vision of a purpose-driven retirement is Civic Ventures with their Encore Careers, or “paid jobs that offer meaning and the chance to make a social impact.”

Today, the MetLife Foundation and Civic Ventures announced the 2009 Encore Opportunity Awards, honoring eight nonprofit and public sector organizations that helped workers over 50 “find, thrive in Encore Careers.”  As Civic Ventures CEO, Marc Freedman, explained in a recent BusinessWeek column “The Case Against Retirement,”

“The road used to be much easier. For 50 years, the average fifty-something American was headed inexorably toward a clear-cut career and life transition: the transition to a leisure-based retirement.

The path was well-marked, with familiar rites like the retirement party and the gold watch. Employers offered enticements for early retirement, starting with pensions and health care. Policies like Social Security and Medicare were true safety nets.

Then the mad men of marketing went to work. On TV and in magazines, insurance firms trumpeted a shimmering vision of the good life. Whole communities with names like Leisure World were set up to cater to a full-throttled golden years’ lifestyle, filled with golf and shuffleboard.

Today an unprecedented number of Americans are coursing through their 50s, bound for a dramatically different destination. They’re headed not to the golf course but to a new stage of life that, for most, includes work…”

The 2009 Encore Opportunity Award winners tapped into this experienced, wise, passionate demographic to “protect public safety, build low-income housing, teach job skills, preserve the environment, even save dying Native American languages.”  Inspiring examples include (Click here for more)….

This fall, I noted how remarkable it was that work life “balance” and flexibility were part of both candidates’ economic platforms.  Families and Work Institute, the prestigious work-life think tank, then hosted unprecedented conference calls with both campaigns to discuss their positions on work+life issues.   And with the recently-announced White House Task Force on Working Families, to be chaired by Vice President-elect Joe Biden, the historic progress of the work+life agenda as a core economic issue continues.  This could be big. 

The goals of the task force are to “work towards raising the living standards of middle class families” by (presented in the order outlined in the official Obama administration press release):

1. Expanding education and lifelong training opportunities
2. Improving work and family balance
3. Restoring labor standards, including workplace safety
4. Helping to protect middle-class and working-family incomes
5. Protecting retirement security

“Improving work and family balance” is second bullet point (emphasis mine), after expanding education and training.  Second.  That’s not to say it’s more important than labor standards, income protection, and retirement security.  But placing “work and family balance” so near the top of the list is a noteworthy statement about the importance of managing work and life to the future economic success of the country. 

This placement acknowledges what we found in the 2007 Work+Life Fit Reality Check survey which was the 60 % of respondents believe the next President should introduce legislation that would make it easier for organizations to offer and individuals to have work life flexibility. 

Second, it recognizes the fact that work and life are no longer two separate spheres, with neat, commonly understood rules and boundaries. To use the term coined by Families and Work Institute, there is “spillover.”  Today there are no boundaries, and the old rules governing how we manage our work and our personal responsibilities no longer apply. 

There is no universal 9-to-5, in-the-office, Monday through Friday.  In all economic categories, most moms don’t stay home full-time, and dads are taking on more child care responsibilities.  (For new insights into the employment realities of rural women, check out the recent research from the Carsey Institute at University of New Hampshire.)  More and more people have aging parents.  No one has guaranteed lifetime employment with one company until retirement.  And increasingly, retirement includes some kind of paid work, either out of necessity or desire.  The personal, organizational, governmental, political and cultural ramifications of this spillover are formidable, and they need to be recognized and addressed. 

By facing this new work+life reality head on, the Task Force has an opportunity.  It can advocate updated strategies that will help individuals and organizations take advantage of the benefits that lie within these changes.  Important advantages do exist, if managed correctly:

1. Individuals will have more choices about how to flexibly manage their unique work+life fit realities as they change day-to-day and throughout their careers.
2. Organizations can be more adaptable and flexible in a global economy in which rapid change will continue to be the only constant. 

While there are great opportunities, success will require a partnership between government, business, and individuals.  The government alone can not provide the answers, but it can create a sense of urgency and reward innovation.  Making “work life” one of the top economic priorities of the Task Force is a great start. 

If I could make an initial recommendation to the Task Force, it would be to change the goal from “improving work and family balance” to “improving work+life fit and flexibility.”  

We all need to actively and strategically manage our work and life, not just those with family responsibilities.  There is no such thing as achieving balance, only helping individuals flexibly manage their unique work+life fit.  And, organizations can use the same flexibility individuals need to manage their work and life–flextime, telecommuting, reduced schedules, compressed workweeks, and project-based work—as business strategies to help them compete and thrive.

Simply changing the language of the goal would open up many possibilities:

For individuals, it could mean providing new guidelines and an updated skill set for managing work and life.  This would include an understanding of how propose a flex plan to telecommute, flex your hours, reduce your schedule, work fewer longer days, share your job, or become a project-based consultant.  And do it in a way that considers your needs as well as the needs of the business. These skills could be incorporated into the new education and lifelong learning effort.

From a public policy perspective, it could involve updating laws, programs and policies related to all aspects of work and life—continuing education, child care, eldercare, retirement, volunteerism, health and wellness—to reflect this new flexible work+life reality where one-size-does-not-fit all.

For organizations and business leaders, it could move business strategies—client service, resource management, talent management, work design and planning–once and for all out of the 1950’s.  Adapting workplace practices to a reality where work and life are no longer separate entities. 

The progress within organizations toward a more flexible work environment has been steady but too slow, as only 25% of respondents to the 2007 Work+Life Fit Reality Check said they had the work life flexibility they needed. Greater flexibility in where, when and how work is done allows individuals to more effectively manage their work+life fit, but also helps businesses better service clients, manage resources, prepare for disasters, support environmental sustainability, and reduce costs, just to name a few of the broad bottom line impacts. 

The Task Force could start by supporting the Working Families Flexibility Act whereby employees can request flexibility but must prove that it works for them personally and the business.  And the government could provide organizations with resources, tax incentives and best practices to encourage the implementation of strategic flexibility in a way that works for their business and employees.  As with individual work+life fit, one type of strategic flexibility does not fit every business or industry.

The prominent placement of “work and family” within the economic goals of the White House Task Force on Working Families is important and noteworthy.   It may finally move us beyond the outdated “all or nothing” mindset and inflexible approaches to work and life that keep individuals overwhelmed and organizations underperforming.  It’s a change that’s long overdue.

What do you think?  Will making “work life” a prominent objective of the White House Task Force have an impact?  How?

October is National Work and Family Month.   I’m guessing for many readers your initial reaction is, “Oh, that’s nice, a month for parents and kids” (assuming you even clicked on this post because you thought it didn’t apply to you).

We tend to think of “work and family” specifically, and work+life fit more broadly, as a nice thing to do, but not critical to the success of all individuals, and employers.  This year’s Work and Family Month is the perfect time to set the record straight:

1) Strategic work+life flexibility is a mission-critical issue for the success of every individual, and for the bottom-line global competitiveness of every organization. 

We operate in “always on,” “do more with less” reality where change is constant and increasing in frequency.  We all need flexibility in where, when and how work is done, both day-to-day flexibility and formal flex plans.  We need leaves of absence, and other direct programs and policies that help us to flexibly manage all of the personal work+life transitions—parenting, eldercare, retirement, continuing education, community service, etc—most of us will experience at one time or another.  

2) Work and family-related events are a significant part of the broader work+life fit experience, and they apply to all of us.  We may not have children, but we all do have family, be it a family of origin or a family of choice.  All of us have parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and friends who are going to age and require care.  And even if we aren’t parents ourselves, we all have a vested interest (whether we know if or not) in helping our colleagues manage that part of their lives effectively. 

Why does it matter?  Because as long as work+life fit, and more specifically work and family is considered something nice but not essential, the sense of urgency necessary to envision and execute new strategies, programs, and policies that reflect the realities of today’s world will be absent. 

To that end, either we need to redefine what the word “family” means in the context of the broader work+life discussion, or we need to come up with new language that captures the inclusivity.  We cannot afford another year without movement on core issues related to work+life flexibility, child care, eldercare, different types of leaves, health care, and retirement.  And I’m afraid that will happen if we don’t start thinking and talking about the issues of work, life, and family as being relevant for all. 

So, in honor of National Work and Family Month, take a minute to recognize that we all are part of a family, no matter what phase of life we are in.  And now that boundaries between work and life no longer exist, the traditional rules regarding care of family in its broadest definition need to be rewritten.  It isn’t just a nice thing to do for parents and kids.  It’s critical to the success of every person and organization.  Happy Work and Family Month!

The current financial crisis and poor market performance are forcing some pre-retirees to think twice about upcoming plans for retirement.  They face the prospect of working longer than they had planned and they are not alone.  In April, a survey conducted for AARP, found that 27 percent of workers age 45 and over, and 32 percent of those 55 through 64 said they had pushed back their planned retirement date because of the economic downturn.

With retirement on hold, most believe that their only choice is sit tight in their the same-old job, with the same-old schedule until their portfolios can recover or their savings can make up the difference.   Not necessarily. 

If you can’t retire completely, now or in the foreseeable future, you can find a new work+life “fit” that provides you with the financial benefits of working while giving you more time and energy for other parts of your life.  And you can do it in a way that meets your needs while benefiting your employer in a period where downsizing and cost-savings will become increasingly important. 

Here are the steps to get you started (for more information a Three-Step Work+Life Fit process is outlined in my book Work+Life: Finding the Fit That’s Right for You):   

1) Understand How Flexibility Helps You Find a Different Work+Life “Fit”: 

You can flexibly adjust how you work, where you work or when you work in order to find a fit between your work and life that benefits you and your employer.  This could involve reducing your schedule, shifting your hours, telecommuting, becoming a consultant, sharing a job, working fewer, longer days per week, etc. 

2) See the Possibilities—Challenge Your Notion of “Retirement,” and of “Work:” 

This is not your parents’ retirement with the gold watch and the golf course.  My experience is that the hardest part of this process for people over 50 years old is to shift their “all or nothing” definition of work.  You must get past the mindset that if you aren’t working Monday-Friday, in a physical space with everyone else, during a set schedule then you aren’t working.   Here are some examples:

• A former partner at a national accounting firm “retired,” but now works as a senior director with a reduced work load.
• A former Chief radiologist for a large teaching hospital now works “as needed” in the radiology department.
• A former section editor of a newspaper now works flexible hours mentoring and editing young newspaper reporters. and
• A former plant foreman shares his job as plant quality control specialist with another senior foreman.

3) Ask Yourself “What Do I Want?” and Analyze Your Realities, Particularly Financial Realities 

For many retirees-interrupted, the need for a full-time salary may preclude a fit that reduces your schedule or allows you to work on a project basis as a consultant.  However, if you need to work full-time, there are still options.  You could still telecommute, shift your hours or work fewer, longer days depending upon the realities of your job. 

4) Redefine Success So that You Feel Good about Your New “Fit” 

Like all of the examples above, finding a new pre-retirement work+life fit might mean having to give up seniority in job title, responsibilities, and salary level.  It’s very important that you sit down and consciously re-set your definition of success.  This means putting a value on the time and flexibility you gain above and beyond what you may have had to give up. 

5) Finally, Think About How Your Work+Life Fit Can Benefit Your Employer in a Difficult Economy

As the economy continues to struggle, employers will look for ways to cut costs and improve efficiency.  How can the pre-retirement work+life fit you want to propose help achieve those goals?  If you reduce your schedule or switch to a consultant-status, there are direct salary and benefit cost savings to your company, not to mention the retention of your knowledge about how to get the job done efficiently. 

If you want to shift your hours, perhaps you could cover clients or customers in other time zones that are currently under-resourced.  If you want to work from home a couple days a week, could you share an office with another telecommuter and save real estate costs? 

The events of this past week may have caused many to radically rethink their retirement plans.  But if you are a retiree-interrupted, it’s not all bad news.  There are still countless work+life fit options that can provide income and flexibility.  Do you have examples of pre-retirees who have used all types of flexibility to find a new work+life fit?

With lay-offs for the third quarter totaling 287,142 the largest number since 2005, it’s a perfect time to revisit the discussion of work life flexibility as an alternative downsizing strategy.  A number of the top 100 CFOs surveyed as part of the CFO Perspectives on Work Life Flexibility study co-sponsored by Work+Life Fit and BDO Seidman, LLP used strategic flexibility to reduce their workforce without severing ties with employees:

“Approximately a third (38%) of CFOs report that their organizations had reduced their workforce in recent years.  While employee lay-offs were most common, almost a third (30%) of CFOs innovatively used flexibility as a workforce reduction strategy that allowed them to stay connected to employees through contract project-based work (24%), reduced hours with full-benefits (3%) and sabbaticals with full benefits (3%).” 

As I wrote in an earlier posting on the subject, more companies are using flexibility to creatively downsize.  They recognize that it will be very expensive to rehire when the business cycle improves.  Read the comment posted by an award-winning New Jersey-based advertising agency that describes how they have used work life flexibility to match talent with the needs of their business. 

While it might be better to have a job at a reduced schedule or on a project-basis than no job at all, this use of flexibility as a way to manage the workforce injects a level of uncertainty into the lives of employees that hasn’t existed previously.  This means that individuals need to prepare for this potential reality.  To that end, fee-only financial planner, Michael Haubrich (www.toyourwealth.com) recommends that everyone have what he calls a “Career Asset Working Capital Fund.”  This money is earmarked for the unique financial requirements of career transitions or job status changes including:  (Click here to go to Fast Company blog)