When No One Retires
世界正经历巨大的人口结构变化，这一切就发生在我们眼前。很多国家的人口都在老化——非常老。从全球范围看，预计到2050年，60岁或以上的人口将翻一番，达到20多亿人，比5岁以下儿童的人数还多。美国每天大概新增一万名65岁人口，而到2030年，每五个美国人中就有一人是65岁或更年长的老人。到2035年，达到退休年龄的美国人口数量将在历史上首次超过18岁或以下的人口。
Before our eyes, the world is undergoing a massive demographic transformation. In many countries, the population is getting old. Very old. Globally, the number of people age 60 and over is projected to double to more than 2 billion by 2050 and those 60 and over will outnumber children under the age of 5. In the United States, about 10,000 people turn 65 each day, and one in five Americans will be 65 or older by 2030. By 2035, Americans of retirement age will eclipse the number of people aged 18 and under for the first time in U.S. history.
导致这一年龄结构变化的因素有很多，比如医疗进步，人们可以长期保持健康；生育率下降等。但最终的结果都一样：全球人口在未来几十年内会发生巨大变化。
The reasons for this age shift are many — medical advances that keep people healthier longer, dropping fertility rates, and so on — but the net result is the same: Populations around the world will look very different in the decades ahead.
无论是公共还是私人部门，都已经有人注意到这一趋势，并敲响了警钟。在本·伯南克（Ben Bernanke）担任美联储主席的第一个任期内，大衰退迫近。当时他这样评价道：“在接下来几十年中，很多力量都将改变我们的经济和生活，但没有任何一个因素能像人口老龄化那样，有如此广泛的影响。”早在2010年，标准普尔就曾预测，将对“未来国民经济健康、公共财政和政策制定”产生最大影响的是“不可逆转的全球人口老龄化速度”。
Some in the public and private sector are already taking note — and sounding the alarm. In his first term as chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, with the Great Recession looming, Ben Bernanke remarked, “in the coming decades, many forces will shape our economy and our society, but in all likelihood no single factor will have as pervasive an effect as the aging of our population.” Back in 2010, Standard & Poor’s predicted that the biggest influence on “the future of national economic health, public finances, and policymaking” will be “the irreversible rate at which the world’s population is aging.”
这种社会结构变化无疑也会影响到工作：越来越多美国人希望，或者说不得不延长工龄，因为很多人都没有攒够退休金。很快，从青少年到耄耋老人，劳动力大军将囊括五代人。
This societal shift will undoubtedly change work, too: More and more Americans want to work longer — or have to, given that many aren’t saving adequately for retirement. Soon, the workforce will include people from as many as five generations ranging in age from teenagers to 80-somethings.
公司准备好了吗？简单地说：“没有。”老龄化会影响到企业运营的各个方面，比如人才招募、薪酬和福利结构、产品和服务开发、创新开发流程、办公室和工厂设计方式，甚至包括工作的组织方式。但出于某种原因，上述信息并没有完全传达给企业。总体来看，公司领袖仍未投入足够时间和资源来彻底了解老龄化将以哪些前所未有的方式改变整个游戏的规则。
Are companies prepared? The short answer is “no.” Aging will affect every aspect of business operations — whether it’s talent recruitment, the structure of compensation and benefits, the development of products and services, how innovation is unlocked, how offices and factories are designed, and even how work is structured — but for some reason, the message just hasn’t gotten through. In general, corporate leaders have yet to invest the time and resources necessary to fully grasp the unprecedented ways that aging will change the rules of the game.
此外，关注老龄化人口影响的人往往看到的是正在迫近的危机，而非机会。他们认识不到，年长者作为员工和消费者所具有的潜力。但现实是，寿命延长促进了全球经济的增长。如今，和过去几代人相比，这一代的年长人群普遍更健康、活跃。他们在持续学习、工作和为社会做贡献的过程中，改变了退休的本质。在工作场所，他们有稳定的情绪和复杂问题的解决技能、思考细致入微并熟悉制度。他们的才能和较年轻的员工形成互补，对年轻员工的指引和支持也能提高绩效并加强代际合作。在重新开始的职业生涯、志愿工作，以及市政和社会环境中，他们的经验和问题解决能力都为社会带来了福祉。
What’s more, those who do think about the impacts of an aging population typically see a looming crisis — not an opportunity. They fail to appreciate the potential that older adults present as workers and consumers. The reality, however, is that increasing longevity contributes to global economic growth. Today’s older adults are generally healthier and more active than those of generations past, and they are changing the nature of retirement as they continue to learn, work, and contribute. In the workplace, they provide emotional stability, complex problem-solving skills, nuanced thinking, and institutional know-how. Their talents complement those of younger workers, and their guidance and support enhance performance and intergenerational collaboration. In encore careers, volunteering, and civic and social settings, their experience and problem-solving abilities contribute to society’s well-being.
公共部门的政策制定者开始采取行动。美国正在重新构想对高龄更加友好的社群，制定改善基础设施的战略，促进健康并加强疾病防控，以及设计新的养老金投资方式，毕竟退休金和养老金固定收益计划等传统收入来源已逐渐枯竭。但这些努力仍处在早期阶段，鉴于政府改革步伐缓慢，未来可能还要花费数年时间。
In the public sector, policy makers are beginning to take action. Efforts are under way in the United States to reimagine communities to enhance “age friendliness,” develop strategies to improve infrastructure, enhance wellness and disease prevention, and design new ways to invest for retirement as traditional income sources like pensions and defined benefit plans dry up. But such efforts are still early stage, and given the slow pace of governmental change they will likely take years to evolve.
相比之下，公司在改变措施和态度方面有独特优势。改革并不容易，但如果公司能摒弃当前对年长员工的成见，并适应不断变化的人口结构，就会受益无穷，有更多机会获得财务回报并提高员工和客户生活品质。多年来，我一直专攻行政管理、公司法和董事会咨询服务。基于在这些领域的经验，以及与米尔肯研究院老龄化未来中心的阿里尔·伯斯坦（Arielle Burstein）、凯文·普罗夫（Kevin Proff）等同事合作的研究，我制定了一个可实现“长期供职策略”的框架，有助于公司创建充满活力的多代际员工队伍。总的来说，长期供职策略应包含两大要素：面向内部的活动（雇用、保留、发掘所有年龄段的人才），以及面向外部的互动（你的公司在客户和股东面前，对自身及产品和服务的定位）。我将在本文中阐释公司应参与的内部活动，并在《长期供职的机会》中讨论面向外部的活动。
Companies, by contrast, are uniquely positioned to change practices and attitudes now. Transformation won’t be easy, but companies that move past today’s preconceptions about older employees and respond and adapt to changing demographics will realize significant dividends, generating new possibilities for financial return and enhancing the lives of their employees and customers. I spent many years in executive management, corporate law, and board service. Based on this experience, along with research conducted with Arielle Burstein, Kevin Proff, and other members of our staff at the Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging, I have developed a framework for building a “longevity strategy” that companies can use to create a vibrant multigenerational workforce. Broadly, a longevity strategy should include two key elements: internal-facing activities (hiring, retention, and mining the talents of workers of all ages) and external-facing ones (how your company positions itself and its products and services to customers and stakeholders). In this article, I’ll address the internal activities companies should be engaging in. I’ll discuss the external-facing activities in an article coming tomorrow.
但我们要先来探究一下，为何领导者似乎没看到老龄化社会的机会。
But first, let’s examine why leaders seem to be overlooking the opportunities of an aging population.
年龄歧视的影响
The Ageism Effect
全球人口结构正在改变，且严重老化，这一点已成为广泛共识。另一流行观点是，老龄化在很大程度上会对社会构成负面影响。美国政府问责办公室报告指出，老龄化人口将减缓经济增长，降低生产率，并加剧社会依赖性。国会预算办公室项目的报告则显示，人口老龄化导致福利成本增加，收入成本随之上升，联邦赤字也持续扩大。世界银行预测全球经济增长潜力降低，并在2018年警告人们，“发达和发展中国家的人口老龄化趋势，将减少劳动力供应并减缓生产率增长。”诸如此类的预测进一步加深了这一偏见：年长工人是对社会的昂贵拖累。
There’s broad consensus that the global population is changing and growing significantly older. There’s also a prevailing opinion that the impacts on society will largely be negative. A Government Accountability Office report warns that older populations will bring slower growth, lower productivity, and increasing dependency on society. A report from the Congressional Budget Office projects that higher entitlement costs associated with an aging population will drive up expenses relative to revenues, increasing the federal deficit. The World Bank foresees fading potential in economies across the globe, warning in 2018 of “headwinds from ageing populations in both advanced and developing economies, expecting decreased labour supply and productivity growth.” Such predictions serve to further entrench the belief that older workers are an expensive drag on society.
前景如此悲观，究竟问题何在？经济学家往往会提到所谓的抚养比（dependency ratio）：一国人口中一般不参与工作的人数（15岁以下和65岁以上）除以适龄劳动人口数。该指标假设，年长人士普遍没有生产力，进入晚年后除了享受福利外，不太可能有多大作为。如果这一假设属实，那么对所谓“银发族海啸”（silver tsunami）的担忧就合情合理了：考虑到未来将出现大量病弱、孤寡、贫困和有认知障碍的人，前景实在黯淡。
What’s at the heart of this gloomy outlook? Economists often refer to what’s known as the dependency ratio: the number of people not typically in the workforce — those younger than 15 and older than 65 — in a population divided by the number of working-age people. This measure assumes that older adults are generally unproductive and can be expected to do little other than consume benefits in their later years. Serious concerns about the so-called “silver tsunami” are justified if this assumption is correct: The prospect of a massive population of sick, disengaged, lonely, needy, and cognitively impaired people is a dark one indeed.
但这一假设并不正确。尽管一些年长的人确实患有生理和认知方面的疾病，或者不能保持活力，但更多人能够也愿意在职场中多打拼一段时间，他们不认为自己在未来会失去工作能力和生产力。斯坦福长期供职中心的劳拉·卡斯坦森（Laura Carstensen）及同事所做研究表明，如今60多岁的员工一般都比较健康、经验丰富，而且比年轻同事更容易在工作中获得满足感。他们上进、有见识、善于解决社会难题、更关心有意义的贡献，而非个人升迁。相较于年轻同事，他们更可能建立社会凝聚力，分享信息和组织价值观。
This picture, however, is simply not accurate. While some older adults do suffer from disabling physical and cognitive conditions or are otherwise unable to maintain an active lifestyle, far more are able and inclined to stay in the game longer, disproving assumptions about their prospects for work and productivity. The work of Laura Carstensen and her colleagues at the Stanford Center on Longevity shows that typical 60-something workers today are healthy, experienced, and more likely than younger colleagues to be satisfied with their jobs. They have a strong work ethic and loyalty to their employers. They are motivated, knowledgeable, adept at resolving social dilemmas, and care more about meaningful contributions and less about self-advancement. They are more likely than their younger counterparts to build social cohesion and to share information and organizational values.
但偏见仍然存在，而问题的源头是难以杜绝且普遍存在的年龄歧视。对年长员工的负面刻板印象盖过了正面特质，既破坏了职场环境，还降低了“青年崇拜”文化中年长人士的价值。年长的人会发现自己在面临招聘决策、晋升，甚至志愿工作机会时，往往处于劣势。美国退休人员协会（AARP）的研究发现，45岁到74岁的员工中，大概2/3的人称自己曾在职场中看到或遭遇过年龄歧视，其中高达92%的人表示，年龄歧视极其（或比较）普遍。旧金山联邦储蓄银行的研究佐证了这一点。一项使用四万假简历的研究证明，年长求职者，尤其是女性长期遭遇年龄歧视。以IBM为例，该公司因利用不当措施，边缘化并解雇年长员工，正面临指控。
Yet the flawed perceptions persist, a byproduct of stubborn and pervasive ageism. Positive attributes of older workers are crowded out by negative stereotypes that infect work settings and devalue older adults in a youth-oriented culture. Older adults regularly find themselves on the losing end of hiring decisions, promotions, and even volunteer opportunities. Research from AARP found that approximately two-thirds of workers ages 45 to 74 said they have seen or experienced age discrimination in the workplace. Of those, a remarkable 92% said age discrimination is very, or somewhat, common. Research for the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco backs this up. A study involving 40,000 made-up résumés found compelling evidence that older applicants, especially women, suffer consistent age discrimination. A case in point is IBM, which is currently facing allegations of using improper practices to marginalize and terminate older workers.
更多例子还包括：德勤2018年全球人力资本趋势研究发现，20%的企业和HR领导者认为，年长员工在竞争中处于劣势，而且妨碍到年轻员工的进步。该报告的结论是，“当前职场中可能存在严重的隐性年龄偏见”，并警告称，“如果问题得不到解决，公司文化和雇佣措施中存在年龄偏见的认知，会损害公司品牌和社会资本”。
There’s more: Deloitte’s 2018 Global Human Capital Trends study found that 20% of business and HR leaders surveyed viewed older workers as a competitive disadvantage and an impediment to the progress of younger workers. The report concludes that “there may be a significant hidden problem of age bias in the workforce today.” It also warns that “Left unaddressed, perceptions that a company’s culture and employment practices suffer from age bias could damage its brand and social capital.”
媒体和广告对年长人士形象的刻画既刻板，又自带优越感，进而加深了老龄化的负面文化寓意。一个典型的例子是20世纪80年代Life Alert公司打出的医疗急救项链广告，其中“我摔倒就站不起来了”那种话给人留下了深刻印象。近期E*TRADE和Postmates推出的广告也被批评为年龄歧视。另一种更微妙，但杀伤力同样大的做法是，通过鼓吹美容产品的“抗衰老”功能做营销，暗示衰老本身是个负面过程。
The negative cultural overlay about aging is reinforced by media and advertising that often portray older adults in clichéd, patronizing ways. A classic example is Life Alert’s ad from the 1980s for its medical alert necklace, immortalizing the phrase “I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up!” Recent ads by E*TRADE and Postmates have also drawn criticism as ageist. A more subtle, but just as damaging example is the trumpeting of “anti-aging” benefits on beauty products as a marketing tool, suggesting that growing older is, by definition, a negative process.
有些公司开始反击：最近一段视频中，T-Mobile的约翰·莱杰尔（John Legere）在推销T-Mobile为55岁以上人士推出的服务时，谈到了和性别歧视相关的刻板印象。他斥责竞争对手贬低年长人士（用他的话说）的做法，因为对手在营销活动中强调手机的按键要大，并暗示婴儿潮一代都是科技白痴。“这是最高等级的羞辱。”莱杰尔这样评价说，“这些运营商以为婴儿潮一代是一群搞不懂互联网、早已过时的人。运营商们，重要信息：婴儿潮一代发明了互联网。”
Some companies are pushing back: In a recent video, T-Mobile’s John Legere took on the topic of ageist stereotypes while promoting a T-Mobile service for adults age 55-plus. He chided competitors for what he called their belittling treatment of older adults in marketing campaigns that emphasize large-size phone buttons and imply that boomers are tech idiots. “Degrading at the highest level,” Legere calls it. “The carriers assume boomers are a bunch of old people stuck in the past who can’t figure out how the internet works. Newsflash, carriers: Boomers invented the internet.”
但在大多数情况下，雇主依然会给年轻员工投入更多资源，而且一般都不会培训超过50岁的员工。实际上，很多公司都不愿意考虑年长员工的处境。“如今，你不能因一个人的性别、种族和性取向，而无视、嘲笑他或形成刻板印象，这是社会不接受的行为。”AARP的CEO乔·詹金斯（Jo Ann Jenkins）说，“那为什么年龄歧视的行为就被接受了呢？”
Yet for the most part, employers continue to invest far more in young employees and generally do not train workers over 50. In fact, many companies would rather not think about existence of older workers all. “Today it is socially unacceptable to ignore, ridicule, or stereotype someone based on their gender, race, or sexual orientation,” points out Jo Ann Jenkins, the CEO of AARP. “So why is it still acceptable to do this to people based on their age?”
在过去几十年中，企业已经认识到女性、有色人种和LGBT人群在职场中产生的经济和社会价值。针对上述群体的优先倡议必须继续执行——显然，我们离在企业界实现真正的平等还差得很远；此外，我们早就该将年长人士纳入商业多样性体系了。美世（Mercer）跨国客户事业群的高级合伙人兼全球主管帕特里夏·米利根（Patricia Milligan）称：“在最受尊敬的跨国公司中，从多样性和包容性的角度看，唯一没有被代表的阶层就是年长员工。LGBT、种族和民族多样性、女性、残障人士、退伍军人——你可以在公司中找到任意一个亲和群体，但年长员工除外。”
Over the past decades, companies have recognized the economic and social benefits of women, people of color, and LGBT individuals in the workforce. These priority initiatives must be continued — obviously, we’re not even close to achieving genuine equality in the corporate world; at the same time, the inclusion of older adults in the business diversity matrix is long overdue. Patricia Milligan, senior partner and global leader for Mercer’s Multinational Client Group observes, “[a]t the most respected multinational companies, the single class not represented from a diversity and inclusion perspective is older workers. LGBT, racial and ethnic diversity, women, people with physical disabilities, veterans — you can find an affinity group in a corporation for everything, except an older worker.”
管理多代际员工队伍
Managing a Multigenerational Workforce
公司该如何摆脱刻板印象，并克服其他组织障碍，从而充分开发越来越庞大的年长员工队伍，发挥他们的才华？最佳实践不断涌现，有些公司正取得实际进展。这些做法都是公司在制定自身战略时，必须考虑到的改革方向。
How can companies push past stereotypes and other organizational impediments to tap into a thriving and talented population of older workers? Best practices have been emerging and some companies are making real progress. Each points to specific changes companies should be considering as they develop their own strategies.
重新定义工作周。首先，你需要重新审视过时的工作周理念：所有员工都要在同一间办公室，朝九晚五从周一工作到周五。你要摒弃的另一理念是，每个人都在65岁之前彻底退休。相反，公司应为年长员工提供更多符合他们能力和意愿的发展机会，比如创意导师制、兼职工作、弹性工作时间和休假计划。公司也可以提供多种有助于提高员工参与度和效率的项目，如退休准备和职业转型支持、教练、咨询和再就业途径项目。很多年长员工表示，他们愿意为弹性工作时间和阶段性退休，放弃高薪。有些公司已经实行了非传统工作计划，为员工创建新的成功环境。举例来说，CVS的“雪鸟”计划允许年长员工季节性地换到不同地区的CVS药店工作。家得宝（Home Depot）招募和雇用了数千名退休建筑工人，充分利用他们在一线销售方面的专长。美国国立卫生研究院的一半员工都超过50岁，还在50多个招聘会上积极招募人员，并提供弹性工作时间、远程办公和健身课程等福利。Steelcase为员工提供阶段性退休计划，减少了工作时间。米其林（Michelin）重新雇用退休人员来监督项目、促进社群关系和协助辅导员工。布克兄弟（Brooks Brothers）就设备和流程设计问题咨询年长员工的意见，同时改变任务安排方式，为老龄化的员工队伍提供更大的工作灵活性。
Redefine the workweek. To start, you need to reconsider the out-of-date idea that all employees work Monday through Friday, from 9 to 5, in the same office. The notion that everyone retires completely by age 65 should also be jettisoned. Companies instead should invest in opportunities for creative mentorship, part-time work, flex-hour schedules, and sabbatical programs geared to the abilities and inclinations of older workers. Programs that offer pre-retirement and career transition support, coaching, counseling, and encore career pathways can also make employees more engaged and productive. Many older workers say they are ready to exchange high salaries for flexible schedules and phased retirements. Some companies have already embraced nontraditional work programs for employees, creating a new kind of environment for success. The CVS “Snowbird” program, for example, allows older employees to travel and work seasonally in different CVS pharmacy regions. Home Depot recruits and hires thousands of retired construction workers, making the most of their expertise on the sales floor. The National Institutes of Health, half of whose workforce is over 50, actively recruits at 50-plus job fairs and offers benefits such as flexible schedules, telecommuting, and exercise classes. Steelcase offers workers a phased retirement program with reduced hours. Michelin has rehired retirees to oversee projects, foster community relations, and facilitate employee mentoring. Brooks Brothers consults with older workers on equipment and process design, and restructures assignments to offer enhanced flexibility for its aging workforce.
重新想象工作场所。公司还必须准备好调整工作空间，从而改善工作条件，为年长员工创造更友好的环境。任何人都不应该因可预防或消除的痛苦，而不能专心工作；即使是微小的改变，也能促进健康、安全并提高生产率。以施乐（Xerox）为例。公司设有工作环境培训项目，旨在预防年长员工的肌肉骨骼失调症。宝马和日产根据年长员工的特点，对生产线进行了调整，包括配置理发店风格的椅子和设计更合理的工具，比如能帮助合作伙伴管理复杂任务和提拉重物的协作机器人（collaborative robot，简称cobot）。好消息是，改善年长员工生活的项目对年轻员工来说，也有同样重要的意义。
Reimagine the workplace. Your company should also be prepared to adjust workspaces to improve ergonomics and make environments more age-friendly for older employees. No one should be distracted from their tasks by pain that can be prevented or eased, and even small changes can improve health, safety, and productivity. Xerox, for example, has an ergonomic training program aimed at reducing musculoskeletal disorders in its aging workforce. BMW and Nissan have implemented changes to their manufacturing lines to accommodate older workers, ranging from barbershop-style chairs and better-designed tools to “cobot” (collaborative robot) partners that manage complicated tasks and lift heavier objects. The good news is that programs that improve the lives of older workers can be equally valuable for younger counterparts.
谨慎融合。最后，你必须考虑和监管你所在部门和团队中，不同年龄层员工的融合状况。在不久的将来，很多公司都需要管理多达五代人，而这在有些公司已成为现实。有些恶性偏见可能会加剧管理难度。比如研究表明，各个世代的员工都希望做有意义的工作，但每代人都认为其他人都是为了钱才工作。公司必须强调员工的共享价值。“专攻千禧一代员工参与度战略的公司正在浪费时间、注意力和金钱。”毕马威前人力资源副主席布鲁斯·法奥（Bruce Pfau）称，“如果这些公司关注让所有员工都参与、留下并拿出最好表现的因素，收效会大得多。”
Mind the mix. Lastly, you need to consider and monitor the age mixes in your departments and teams. Many companies will need to manage as many as five generations of workers in the near future, if they aren’t already. Some pernicious biases can make this difficult. For example, research shows that every generation wants meaningful work — but that each believes everyone else is just in it for the money. Companies should emphasize workers’ shared value. “Companies pursuing Millennial-specific employee engagement strategies are wasting time, focus, and money,” Bruce Pfau, the former vice chair of human resources at KPMG, argues. “They would be far better served to focus on factors that lead all employees to join, stay, and perform at their best.”
若公司选择开发多种方法，让不同世代的员工向彼此学习和提高，就能够为长期成功奠定基础。年轻员工会受益于年长员工的指导，而且代际合作中可能蕴藏丰厚人力资源，结合了年轻人的活力和速度以及年长人士的智慧和经验。
By tapping ways that workers of different generations can augment and learn from each other, companies set themselves up for success over the long term. Young workers can benefit from the mentorship of older colleagues, and a promising workforce resource lies in intergenerational collaboration, combining the energy and speed of youth with the wisdom and experience of age.
PNC金融集团利用多代际团队，帮助公司更好地了解目标受众对产品的反馈，从而在金融市场进行更有效竞争。制药巨头辉瑞（Pfizer）尝试用一项“资深实习生”计划，实现多代际合作的优势。在技术领域，爱彼迎（Airbnb）聘请前酒店大亨奇普·康利（Chip Conley）为年轻同事提供富有经验的管理视角。在产品和服务创新设计的各个阶段都可以进行新老结合，从而创造职业发展的新机会。促进不同代际之间的联系、指导、培训和团队合作，有助防止员工被孤立并打破隔阂。
PNC Financial Group uses multigenerational teams to help the company compete more effectively in the financial markets through a better understanding of the target audience for products. Pharma giant Pfizer has experimented with a “senior intern” program to reap the benefits of multigenerational collaboration. In the tech world, Airbnb recruited former hotel mogul Chip Conley to provide experienced management perspective to his younger colleagues. Pairing younger and older workers in all phases of product and service innovation and design can create opportunity for professional growth. And facilitating intergenerational relationships, mentoring, training, and teaming mitigate isolation and help break down walls.
在实行这一流程时，首先你要和不同年龄层的员工谈话，让他们告诉彼此自己的目标、兴趣、需求和担忧。新老员工对工作有同样的焦虑和希望，也有需要在公司层面上得到更多了解的不同之处。你还要寻找强化代际沟通的机会，以及能够让新老员工在技能开发和指导中支持彼此的领域。毕竟，如果每个人都需要也愿意工作，我们就要学习如何协作。
To begin this process, start talking to your employees of all ages. And get them to talk with each other about their goals, interests, needs, and worries. Young and old workers share similar anxieties and hopes about work — and also have differences that need to be better understood companywide. Look for opportunities for engagement between generations and places where older and younger workers can support one another through skill development and mentorship. After all, if everyone needs and wants to work, we’re going to have to learn to work together.
确切地说，以上所有改变，从弹性工作时间到团队构成，都要求对公司流程重新做出调整，而有一些流程已经算是根深蒂固。领导者必须扪心自问，现行的医疗保险、病假、护理和休假政策是否照顾到工时缩短的员工？我们的员工绩效评估体系是否认可年长员工的优势并给予适当奖励？目前，多数公司都关注个人成就，而非团队成功。这可能在无意中惩罚了提供其他类型价值的年长员工，而他们对年轻员工的指导、与客户和同事建立的深厚关系、解决冲突等贡献，很难用传统评估工具测出。举例来说，研究表明，评估团队绩效往往有利于低收入员工的职业发展。
To be clear, all of these changes — from flexible hours to team makeup — will require a recalibration of company processes, some of which are deeply ingrained. Leaders must ask, do our current health insurance, sick leave, caregiving, and vacation policies accommodate people who work reduced hours? Do our employee performance-measurement systems appropriately recognize and reward the strengths of older workers? Currently, most companies focus on individual achievement as opposed to team success. This may inadvertently punish older employees who offer other types of value — like mentorship, forging deep relationships with clients and colleagues, and conflict resolution — that are not as easily captured using traditional assessment tools. Here, too, initiatives aimed at older workers can benefit other workers as well. For instance, research suggests that evaluating team performance also tends to boost the careers of employees from low-income backgrounds.
化危为机
Turning a Crisis into an Opportunity
我的确对工龄延长的积极效应持乐观态度，也相信公司领导者能够利用人口老龄化的机会获得竞争优势。但我也知道长期供职策略带来的挑战。我们正讨论在企业中发起大规模的文化改革，而这次改革必须自上而下进行。
I’m admittedly bullish about the positive aspects of working longer and believe that company leaders can harness the opportunity of an aging population to gain competitive advantage. But I’m not oblivious to the challenges a longevity strategy poses. We’re talking about initiating a massive culture change for firms — a change that must come from the top.
但我们不能再忽视人口结构正在改变的现实了。CEO和高管都必须向HR主管、产品开发人员、营销经理、投资者和其他很多利益相关者明确表达这一问题的关键性，因为他们可能并没有认识到这件事的重要性。这需要勇气和毅力：领导者必须勇敢地说：“我们反对‘年龄越大，就越不懂科技’的观念”，以及“我们会克制自己只把新项目交给最年轻员工的冲动”。要在这一长期议题上取得进展，公司必须做出艰难，有时甚至是不得人心的决定，特别是在一个由短期结果和需求主导领导者议程的世界里。但卓越领袖不就是要能够力排众议吗？
But ignoring the realities of the demographic shift under way is no longer an option. CEOs and senior executives will need to put the issue front and center with HR leaders, product developers, marketing managers, investors, and many other stakeholders who may not have it on their radar screens. This will take guts and persistence: Leaders must bravely say, “We reject the assumption that people become less tech-savvy as they get older” and “We will fight the impulse to put only our youngest employees on new initiatives.” To genuinely make headway on this long-range issue, companies will have to make tough, and sometimes unpopular, decisions, especially in a world where short-term results and demands dominate leaders’ agendas. But isn’t that what great leaders do?
企业界有机会带领这一次声势浩大的运动，改变文化、创造机会和促进增长。在改革中，企业不仅将改善年长人士的生活，各年龄层和以后的几代人都会受益。本次改革运动旨在实现21世纪新型人口结构的潜能，也是企业领导力的下一个重大考验。
The business community has a chance to spearhead a broad movement to change culture, create opportunity, and drive growth. In doing so, companies will improve not only mature lives, but lives of all ages, and the prospects of workers for generations to come. This transformative movement to realize the potential of the 21st century’s changing demography is the next big test for corporate leadership.
保罗·欧文（Paul Irving） | 文
保罗·欧文称，在很偶然的情况下，他对老龄化和长期供职问题产生了浓厚兴趣。“刚进米尔肯研究院时，我参与了一个关注老龄化人口的城市适应力项目。我意识到这一前所未有的人口结构变化将以各种不可思议的方式改变一切——社会、社区、企业、家庭和各种机构。”他说，“但我们对此缺乏了解、规划、行动和紧迫感。”
欧文曾是企业律师、某律所CEO和米尔肯研究院院长，现任米尔肯研究院老龄化未来中心主任。他也是美国南加州大学戴维斯老龄科学应用研究和管理学院杰出驻校学者和Encore. org公司董事会主席。欧文的研究包括向公众传达人口年龄结构变化的紧迫性。他定期为主流媒体写稿，和政府以及企业团队对话，还参与了美国国家医学院和两党政策中心的项目。他还是2015年白宫老龄化问题会议的与会人。
欧文承认，社会老化会带来财务和健康方面的挑战，但他依然很乐观，认为本次人口结构的变化对我们来说利大于弊（毕竟他的书名为《老龄化的好处》）。他也清楚，大多数领导者都没有认识到这些问题的重要性。“很多人都知道我们正在经历年龄结构的转变，”他指出，“但很少人能认识到这对他们业务的潜在影响，也很少人能预测出新需求，并像应对其他重大颠覆性结构变革一样采取行动。”
欧文给我们敲响了警钟。他在文章中阐释了我们的发展方向，以及企业该如何充分利用年长员工的多种技能和才能。他还提到，公司该如何设计、开发和营销面向快速增长的年长客户人群的创新产品和服务。领导者当前的所作所为无疑将会影响到数百万人。“这不仅仅与提高婴儿潮一代生活水平和机会相关了。”欧文补充道，“这关系到X、Y、Z一代和未来多代人的生活可能或必将发生的改变。”
