Jan Hively (Janet M Hively, PhD)
In 1994, the organizational consultant William Bridges predicted the end of jobs as the way of organizing work. Almost 20 years later, it鈥檚 looking like he might have been right. Now, half of working Americans are earning income from sources other than traditional jobs鈥攁s freelancers, consultants, contingency workers, independent contractors, and temps.
Bridges predicted that labor-saving technologies would eliminate the jobs of full-time employees who fulfill strictly prescribed duties for unvarying pay during regular hours. He saw that such traditional jobs are a rigid solution to an elastic problem in a fast-moving economy. Employers focused on cutting costs are not going to hire full-time employees when the work that needs to be done doesn鈥檛 require full-time attention. Already they have laid off most of the middle managers who once were needed to supervise employees.
Bridges wrote: 鈥淣o longer the best way to organize work, the traditional job is becoming a social artifact. Its decline creates unfamiliar risks鈥攁nd rich opportunities.鈥� These opportunities are obvious both to employers and to experienced workers with highly developed skills. For example, a worker can perform a specialized task for a number of companies on contracts that do not require the service on a full-time, permanent basis.
An opportunity for Baby Boomers
Older workers who are creative and entrepreneurial are taking advantage of this shift in the labor market, seizing it as an opportunity to work past retirement age without being tied to a nine-to-five schedule. The Baby Boom generation has received the gift of 20 active, healthy years added to the middle of the life span, thanks to nutrition, exercise, and the medical miracles of the last century. Over the years since Bridges talked about the end of jobs, the share of workers planning to continue employment past the age of 65 has quadrupled, from 10 percent to 40 percent. The shift is due, in part, to the workers鈥� need for income with the shrinking of savings accounts and pension plans. Many Boomers, however, also seek personal satisfaction, choosing to forge new careers in fields that interest them or work for causes that they believe in.
Technology and longevity have given Boomers choices that did not exist previously. New ways of doing work have also given seniors the flexibility to take charge of their work schedule, work environment, and work focus. Experienced workers of any age who use current technologies and stay informed about market trends should be able to match their skills to opportunities for meaningful paid work. Professionals in their late sixties and seventies have the advantage, however, when it comes to coping with the insecurity of contract employment, because this cohort is more likely to have health care coverage and some pension savings as a cushion between contracts.
Safety in 鈥渇lexicurity鈥�
Both employers and workers benefit from the flexibility of labor contracts written to meet changing needs. But employers and workers also must contend with the insecurity that is inherent in the contract system. Workers juggling contracts can swing between overload and famine, while employers may lose production capacity as they search for qualified workers in a competitive market.
For the past several years, the European Union has been advocating 鈥溾��: an integrated strategy for enhancing both flexibility and security in the labor market. Flexicurity attempts to reconcile an employer鈥檚 need for a flexible workforce with a worker鈥檚 need for protection from long periods of unemployment. Denmark, in particular, has emphasized flexicurity principles in its labor market policies and social security system. These principles emphasize flexible and reliable contractual arrangements and comprehensive lifelong learning strategies.
In his bestselling book, Managing Transitions:聽Making the Most of Change聽(third edition, 2013), Bridges talked about three stages in the psychological process of adapting to change:
- letting go of the past
- the 鈥渘eutral zone,鈥� where the past is gone but the new isn鈥檛 fully present
- making a new beginning
We鈥檝e made a new beginning in adapting to the end of jobs, but the transition is hard. The challenge before us is to come up with a system that prepares and protects both employers and workers.*
*Older workers who want to live and work smart will find useful information in these two books:
- Life Planning Network. (2012).聽Live Smart after 50!: The Experts鈥� Guide to Life Planning for Uncertain Times. Boston, MA: Life Planning Network.
- Marci Alboher. (2013).聽The Encore Career Handbook: How to Make a Living and a Difference in the Second Half of Life. New York: Workman Publishing.