However, in light of concerns about recession, I can’t help but wonder if the third or so of pages of the book Tamara invests in prescriptive tactics corporations can take to retain their boomer personnel is going to actually fall on receptive ears.

For starters, Tamara’s best case histories come from Europe. She talks about Danish retailer Netto who set up three “oldie” supermarkets where at least half the staff was over fifty. They found that absenteeism went down and customer satisfaction went up. British hardware chain B&Q says “elder worker” stores in Manchester and Exmouth were 18 percent more profitable than its regular outlets. Tamara points to flexible hours, allowing boomers to relocate with the seasons (CVS has a snowbird program in place, for example), working virtually, retraining, valued time for mentoring, building in time for community work and much more, which are terrific ideas—all in keeping with how boomers could be induced to continue to providing their considerable skills, knowledge, energy and experience to the workplace.

But looking towards Europe for clues, once again, I must say I find it perhaps more telling—and chilling—to note what happened to 50+ during the recent economic turndowns in a country like Germany. When I was in Frankfurt last month, as keynoter for the EuroForum Conference on marketing to 50+, there were startlingly few grey hairs in the audience. During that tour, I was able to get inside some top marketing companies. And again, I was struck by the youthfulness of the personnel—even at the top of the organizations.

When I inquired as to where the 50+ had gone, I was told that during their last period of financial setback, the whole lot of them had been let go, for all the obvious reasons: they make the highest salaries, there is ageism, there are younger marketers lusting for their positions and so on.

Erickson makes the excellent point that the boomer mission is incomplete. On the one hand, a competitive streak caused most boomers to jump into the workforce with passion and commitment. “You’ve been enormously hardworking and fantastically productive a generation. Today you still work longer hours than any other generational cohort.”

“The paradox is that you are also the generation most committed as teens to change—although at least in the corporate world, so far, you really haven’t done it. Corporations continue to operate for the most part in ways that are generally consistent with the Traditionalists’ views of how the world should work, with only minimal and episodic nods to Boomer values and preferences. You have not yet created business organizations that are well suited to your needs or those of the generations to follow. An interesting question remains—will this be one of the things Boomers put their stamp on during their next life stage—or will substantive organizational change be left to the X’ers and Y’s?

For a fair test of boomer resolve along these lines, boomers will have to be in a position to be valued and retained, unless they take it up as their forced early retirement hobby. For this to occur, companies will have to understand that there is a loss to the company’s ability to perform if less experienced individuals (at lower salaries) are asked to step in, for short-term savings but at an immediate loss of quality and sophistication.

Germany already has its answer. The 50+ crowd are hard to find. And Erickson’s solution? She admits that while corporations have been slow to adopt boomer-friendly policies, there’s an obvious way to make a start. Buy her book and give it to your boss…if you haven’t already been laid off.

Carol Orsborn