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The Working Supervisor's Support Kit is a collection of information and tools to help working supervisors do a better job. It's based on what Wally's learned in over twenty years of supervisory skills training.

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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ran an article on Sunday with the headline: "Older workers: Once trashed, now treasured." Here's a key excerpt.

"The U.S. Government Accountability Office says 50 percent of today's work force will be gone within five to 10 years. It's estimated that half of the 3.2 million leading-edge baby boomers who turn 62 this year will take early retirement."

It's definitely a fact that the Boomers are aging and approaching traditional retirement age. And it's a fact that some of them will retire and some won't. It will be a choice for some of the ones who stay and a necessity for others. The catch is that we don't know how many will opt for each choice or exactly when they will do so.

It makes sense that the federal government would be out front on this issue (as opposed to many others) because the federal workforce is, on average, five years older than the private sector workforce. Suddenly, they think it's important to keep some of those Boomers around.

When Boomers head for the door, they take their knowledge with them. They also take their relationships. An accounting clerk who's worked in the same place for years has developed a rich network of contacts for problem solving.

There are two basic strategies for dealing with potential knowledge loss from Boomer retirements. You can keep them and their knowledge or you can capture their knowledge. Neither one is simple.

Keeping them and their knowledge only sounds easy. Many Boomers may not want to stay. And many of the ones who are willing to stay are likely to need some special considerations.

Make it possible for them to stay and draw the pension they've earned. Help them with a flexible schedule where they can move the time they work around to meet their needs. Make sure equipment is easy to use in spite of the physical problems that often accompany aging. You may have to re-draw legal documents or re-negotiate labor agreements.

Capturing their knowledge isn't that straightforward, either. Technology can do some of this but less than Knowledge Management consultants promise. And you'll need another process to capture the social networks your Boomers use for problem solving. Mentoring younger workers is a good solution if you use Boomers who are willing and capable of handling the assignment.

You can also do things to make either of those two strategies irrelevant. Business process re-design can eliminate the need for some knowledge. Replace equipment that requires close and knowledgeable attention or maintenance. Use computers and expert systems to aid some routine decision making.

You won't meet the challenge of Boomer retirements with a single strategy or a single solution. You'll need to integrate the best of your HR solutions, technology solutions and business process solutions. And you'll need to implement those solutions while you deal with Gen-Xers who've been waiting for the Boomers to go so they could move up.

For a more detailed discussion of this issue, request a copy of my free wite paper, "Meeting the Challenges of the Boomer Brain Drain: An integrated approach."

Wally's Working Supervisor's Support Kit is a collection of information and tools to help working supervisors do a better job. It's based on what Wally's learned in over twenty years of supervisory skills training. Click here to check it out.

Request your free copy of "Meeting the Challenges of the Boomer Brain Drain: An integrated approach."

Wally Bock has helped people learn to be great bosses for more than a quarter century. His latest book, Performance Talk: The One-on-One Part of Leadership, makes learning key leadership principles almost effortless by teaching through a story and providing lists of resources for further growth.

Click here to find out more about Wally's coaching services.

For weekly tips and resources pointers, check our Wally Bock's Three Star Leadership Letter.

Click here to find out more about having Wally speak to your company or convention.