Planning with Demographics in Mind

Jerry Chambers, the human resource specialist for the Cap Company, which manufactures baseball caps in Des Moines, Iowa, just returned from a luncheon where a speaker from the university presented current data on demographic trends in his city.

Jerry is concerned about what he just learned. The university professor said that the older worker would make up the largest majority of the workforce within the next 10 years. On the drive back to the office, Jerry is thinking of all the positives and negatives involved in future hiring decisions. He mentally computes the number of older workers on the staff. He realizes that he does have several who do good job and that perhaps hiring others would be a great idea. In fact, there are several openings that he anticipates in the next couple of weeks. He decides to talk to you, the administrative manager, to get your ideas about how this might work.

Discussion Questions

1. As the Administrative Manager, in your opinion, what are some benefits of employing the older worker in the workplace?
2. What are some drawbacks to employing the older worker? Explain your reasons for describing these drawbacks.
3. Do you feel companies need to plan in any special way for the older worker? If so, what type of planning should occur?