Tanisha Williams Cultural Diversity Professor Donna Trent February 18, 2012
Managing Age and Ability
The Department of Labor estimates that by the year 2012, the Labor Force will be over age 55 (Harvey 184). In a time when issues such as Age and Ability are at the far front for a lot of employers, understanding how to deal with an aging workforce is essential. The debate on how to address this issue is only beginning. There are a host of issues that surround age and ability in the workplace, but examining a few could give a glimpse in the magnitude of the challenge. First, Age, how does it affect a company’s ability to manage long term. Secondly, Ability to perform the assigned task continually. With respect to age “Phased retirement” is another option in which older employees can reduce work hours slowly over time. There is no magic pill for the retention of older workers, though because more will be required to work for one reason or another, there must be a resolution to this phenomenon. Before closing, there is one other segment of older workers that receives little attention. That is those workers who will never have enough time on one job to have a retirement plan and face the prospect of working until they die or live in near poverty off of Social Security. One such person is a close friend who told his story. During the late 1970’s, 1980’s, and early 1990’s, the popular business practice of Venture Capitalist engaged in the practice of acquisition and mergers. What this entailed was the purchase of a business, the venture capitalist would then liquidate the businesses selling its equipment and firing its employees. Over three decades this was an accepted practice, but the results were an interruption in the long term employment for those who had come to depend on these jobs. Companies that had employed generations were now non-existent or moved out of town. For over three decades millions of workers were displaced or forced to start over again, some of whom had to reapply for their own jobs, resulting in restarting their
