Because of Baby Boomers Exodus from Work World, Design Your Own Post-Retirement Job

There's now a huge outflux of Baby Boomers and those a bit older who are leaving the corporate and institutional world, leaving it bereft of high-level expertise, experienced employees, and people with a super-responsible work ethic. Michael Jalbert, president of the recruitment firm, MRINetwork, said "It's not just a matter of the job functions they perform,but the impact their loss can have on the foundation and culture of their companies." The US Census reports that 7,918 people turned 60 daily in 2006. That's a lot of people thinking of leaving the work world.

What opportunities does this demographic trend provide for the Baby Boomer generation? You can design your own post-retirement position with your company and, very likely, with other companies either by telecommuting or approaching companies based in locations you'd rather live in.

Perhaps you haven't saved and invested wisely enough to provide the kind of carefree retirement that you had hoped for. Maybe you've already retired and realize you miss the challenge and stimulation of your work. Maybe you want to change your work style so that you are not commuting hours to an office, but would prefer to work on your own schedule and send  your products into the office by email or FAX.

You are in a wonderful position to parlay your many years of experience into just the kind of job you've fantasized about. Because of the threat of a brain and experience drain on companies and institutions, they are going to be ever more eager to accommodate to your wishes for flex-time, benefits, and job-sharing.

A report released last week by The Center on Aging and Work at Boston College, however, finds that only 12% of companies it surveyed have planned for this exodus. It's up to you, as  a person anticipating retirement, to apprise your employer of the impact on its future and how your needs can mesh with theirs.  Contribute your experiences with negotiating a new work plan with your employer. I'd love to hear what's worked and what has not.