Baby Boomer Insights

Why Paul Newman would have made a great Boomer

I've been a fan of Paul Newman as long as I can remember. So when I got the chance to meet him in person in 1979, it was a thrill. After all, by then he had not only had a great solo career, but had teamed up with another heartthrob, Robert Redford. The Sting remains a favorite movie of mine.

I've never forgotten how genuinely kind Newman was and how he inspired me to continue down the path of being a journalist.

I was a senior at the University of Georgia, double-majoring in journalism and political science. One of my professors at the J-School had connections that somehow enabled him to take a few of the students from his magazine writing class to Atlanta to meet Newman, who was in town for a car race. Newman had agreed to be interviewed by us for a class project.

When we arrived, he exited from his trailer and I was immediately struck by how small he was. He had always been bigger than life on the movie screen, but in person he seemed downright average.  But there was nothing average about his beautiful smile and his incredible patience at answering what must have been inane questions from star-struck students whose professor desperately wanted us to impress him with our journalistic prowess. (When Newman offered to pose for pictures, we threw journalistic standards to the wind and instantly became crazed fans.)

Looking back on Newman's life, I now realize that he was born into the wrong generation. He would have made a perfect Boomer. After all, he loved his work and did it for several decades, delighting multiple generations of movie-goers. He didn't retire from acting, in fact, until he was 81.

He was also adventurous, as evidenced by his love of race car driving, a sport he participated in  well into his 70s.  And when he wasn't driving a race car himself, he still invested in them as part owner of  a racing team.

Newman was well known for his generosity. As the founder of Newman's Own, he used his fame and love of food to raise millions for charity. He personally selected every charity his company contributed to. As if that weren't enough, Newman also founded the Hole in the Wall Gang, a camp for severely sick children.

Another way Newman resembled Boomers was in his political activity. He was a liberal who used his clout to try and persuade the kind of activism he believed would result in a better society, including one in which its citizens were environmentally conscious and mindful of our impact on the earth.

As if all this weren't enough, he was also admired for being a family man who was married for more than 50 years to the same woman, which is practically unheard of in Hollywood. He was loved by neighbors and  respected by his community. Instead of retreating to his mansion to live out his years as retired actor, he got involved in community theater.

Newman will be missed by generations of fans but I hope his example will be embraced by all of them. He was technically too old to be a Boomer, but I honestly can't think of anyone who is a better example of the very best characteristics of Boomerhood. Rest in peace, Butch.

National Employ Older Workers Week to focus on why Boomers may save your organization

How ironic that last week saw Boomers sweating over their retirement funds just days before National Employ Older Workers Week. No doubt, many people who were beginning to see retirement on the horizon are now wondering if they'll be able to retire at all.

At Edelman, we've been advising our clients that Boomers won't be following the typical retirement pattern set by their parents. In our 2007 Boomer Insights and Implications Study conducted by our market research firm, Strategy One, we learned that a vast majority of Boomers plan to work well past age 62 (the first time they can draw Social Security). Most said they would work even into their 70's, in part because Boomers like to work, want to contribute and because many need to work in order to maintain the standard of living they wish to have.

With the financial shake-up of the past few days, expect more Boomers to stay put in the workplace and for many who have already retired to start looking for part-time work to help supplement their pensions. Already, 40 percent of the workforce is 45 or older and another 8 million Americans 55 or older have joined the workforce in the past 10 years, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

National Employ Older Workers Week isn't a new concept, though. It started during the Eisenhower administration 40 years ago and was created to bring attention to the importance of having older workers in the workforce. Originally, the government emphasized training programs to help older workers keep their skills up-to-date, especially those with limited financial means. Today, the emphasis on older workers is more about appreciating our contributions, as well as acknowledging that we're essential to addressing the upcoming worker shortage.

As a member of the Boomer Nation, of course it's obvious to me why it's wise to keep experienced workers in our companies and government agencies. We're loyal to our employers, have experience that usually translates to wisdom (which employers can tap through mentoring programs) and we have the energy and good health to continue working. Throw in the surveys done by the U.S. Committee on Economic Development which note that older workers show up to work and are punctual, are committed to quality, and have good judgment, and you have a pretty darn compelling argument to seriously consider employing Boomers and beyond.

Since the oldest Boomers don't turn 65 until 2011, we can expect to see  this trend of older workers for quite some time. Smart companies need to have a plan in place for how to deal with this phenomenon because it affects all multi-generation work forces.

I got a dose of the older worker trend just yesterday. Ralph and I went shopping for a new bed and at all five places we visited, we were waited on by someone who was clearly 60+.  I must say I have never received better service and I actually took some comfort in having a silver-haired person explain the difference in the various ways sleigh beds are manufactured and why I should care.

Later in the day, at a big box discount store when I was waited on by an eye-rolling gum-popping twenty-something who always answered my "Thank you" with "No problem," I started thinking I'd like to see a lot more snow on some roofs in retail!