The Boomer brick wall
In an earlier client engagement, one interviewee said, "the aging of the Baby Boomers is THE demographic imperative of the next century." As you know, Boomers are those individuals born between 1946 and 1964. We Boomers have been the 'pig in the python' our whole lives - having a profound effect on schools, housing, the workplace, and now, as we retire, on health and community services.
In late 2000, an East Coast county engaged PSG to help them understand more about what the aging of their population would mean specifically for them. Here's a taste of what we heard from over forty interviews we conducted across topical areas and stakeholders:
- In this county, the number of seniors was expected to grow 45% over the next ten years. Across the nation, due to lengthening life expectancies, the fastest growing subset of people is those over 100 years of age. One interviewee said that one in twenty Baby Boomers should expect to live to be 120 years of age!
- Service expectations are expected to rise. Current WWII-era seniors are experienced as quite appreciative of anything they receive. Boomers are expected to drive more choice and personal control in the services they receive. An interviewee said, "The Boomers are going to demand more service options and a high quality of service. They will not settle for what is offered. They are used to getting it 'their way'."
- At the same time, the retirement of Baby Boomers from full-time work will drain the public sector workforce - from executives to deliverers of direct care.
Thus, Boomer aging means greater numbers than ever before of older adults who hold heightened expectations for quality and choice. Financially, Boomer retirement from the workforce will exacerbate structural deficits in government revenue and expenditure equations. Last, the public sector will find it hard to attract and retain employees because there will simply be fewer bodies to go around.
Exhortation to position anew
This Boomer phenomenon is real and looming. Two main ways I believe the public service needs to position differently -
Marketing to Boomers. By marketing, I mean listening. The public sector needs to know a lot more about the Boomers' expectations, yet the public service is unused to such market research. I still remember a public sector client saying, "We can't know about people we don't know about." Politicians traditionally haven't valued marketing and many organizations are so busy with today's work, they don't think about tomorrow's.
Yet, it is imperative that we learn this new skill. The public service needs to start listening NOW - before the Boomers become our service customers. Where do they expect to live? How do they expect to live? What are their expectations of the public sector? One of PSG's non-profit clients recently went to a business conference and expo dedicated to connecting to the Boomers. The questions they explored together were - "What exactly are the Boomers looking for? How do I find them? How do I meet their needs?" The private sector and non-profit sectors were in attendance. The pubic sector needed to be there too. (See more on the Boomers Business Web site.)
- Delivery to Boomers - More than ever, Boomers will demand services beyond "you can have any color you want, as long as it's black". Customization, choice, customer-determination, and continuums of service options will be the expected norms. The public service has done work in this regard, but nowhere near what will be required. Redesign of our organizations to accommodate these forces will require unparalleled inventiveness.
One concrete step to take.
Soon, at a management or staff meeting, ask everyone in the room to raise their hand if they are considering retirement in the next five years. If your organization is typical, at least 30-40% of the people in the room will do so. Ask these individuals to take whatever materials they have with them and go to a separate room.
To those who stay, say, "Imagine the people who have just left are gone forever. Given the structural deficits in both our finances and the workforce marketplace, we will not be able to replace them. How can we transform ourselves such that we will continue to provide excellent (or even better) public services with 40% fewer employees?"
To those who left, say, "You are leaving within five years time. Given the structural deficits in both our finances and the workforce marketplace, we will not be able to replace you. We are asking you to help us transform before you leave. How can we become an organization that continues to provide excellent (or even better) public services with 40% fewer employees?"
During the meeting itself ideas will be arise that will be immediately actionable. And, it is my firm belief that you'll also need to establish ongoing design teams. The old ways will no longer work - and you'll need people attending to the new ones needed. Some redesigns we've seen have removed unnecessary controls, empowered customers to serve themselves, and positioned the organization to broker services rather than provide them directly. But, there's no particular solution I'm asking you to import. I'm asking you to invent what's needed for your organization now.
Because the Boomers are still Coming!
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