The Time To Upgrade To 21st-Century Systems Is Now
CEO & CLO of Age Brilliantly, Jerry Cahn, Ph.D., J.D., leads Project THRIVE to help businesses and workers benefit from upgrading systems.
The recent barrage of almost daily flight delays due to air traffic control problems at Newark Airport exposed a set of challenges (registration required) with wider ramifications beyond airports and transportation. As business leaders, we need to see this as a clarion call for upgrading how our companies do business.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy shared with the public that the airport is using outdated equipment, which should have been replaced years ago. In a discussion with Kristen Welker, Duffy highlights that delayed replacement by modern technology caused the problem and needs to be addressed immediately. His action plan involves getting more air traffic controllers into the workforce as well as retirement policy changes, notably raising the retirement age from 56 to 61, with a 20% bonus to encourage older workers to stay.
For me, this interview brought to light three key challenges we need to address in the coming years:
Most age-related policies were created during the early and mid-20th century, when 'retirement from manual work' for a few "golden" years was the aging norm. Today, thanks to longevity, better health practices and technology, increasing numbers of people are staying productive into their 70s, 80s and beyond. Business leaders should encourage workers who want to continue working in some capacity (not necessarily the same job they did in the past)—whether it's for additional income, are passionate about their work and/or want to engage in purposeful activities—to meet both the workers' needs and those of businesses.
The Great Resignation, in which over 50 million people left their jobs, often without another one lined up, revealed that people today want engaging work in which they can meet one or more of the three motives for work (i.e., income, passion, purpose). That applies to adults from Gen-Z through Boomers. Thanks to technology, '9-5 office work' is an option, not a necessity, for those who prefer hybrid, remote and flex work schedules.
The key is to do engaging, meaningful, quality work on time so the rest of the team can do theirs. As a result, time blocks for 'work-life balance' are being replaced by life-work integration. Within your 16-hour wake hours, you choose when to work, care for yourself and care for children or parents, learn, etc. For people who choose to work for 30-60 years—in as many as 10 different careers—21st-century businesses need to adapt to these changing needs by offering flexible options so both the workers and the company will thrive.
Media and business reports tell us that AI is going to change the nature of work. While some jobs might be eliminated, others will be created. For most people, AI may augment people's ability to do effective and efficient work. Simultaneously, our workforce is going to be intergenerational. As increasing numbers of older workers choose to stay in the workforce and the number of young workers declines (either from lower birth rates or increased preferences for entrepreneurship and gig positions), workers need to reject ageist attitudes toward older workers and younger managers to create collaborative, productive teams.
Instead of waiting until the last minute to keep older workers in their jobs by offering "bonus pay," businesses can adopt flexible structures for workers to integrate work and non-work activities throughout their lives. This includes the development of a greater range of career paths in which workers can bring their whole selves to work. Empower them to apply skills and interests they have outside the business to projects within the company as well. Offer programs like phased retirement, sabbaticals, learning breaks, etc., throughout workers' careers, as they can generate greater engagement and retention.
The inconveniences and near catastrophes at Newark Airport are the result of a lack of adequate planning and execution. Winston Churchill is widely credited with saying, "Never let a good crisis go to waste." Business leaders should use this as a call to upgrade their business systems now to meet the needs of customers and workers today. For our workers and businesses to thrive simultaneously, we need to adapt to 21st-century realities.
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