It’s long been a key feature of the postwar American dream: hardworking Americans look forward to trading their 9-5 jobs for leisure activities somewhere around age 65—until now. Unlike the several generational cohorts before them, baby boomers have not embraced traditional retirement with open arms. Now, more and more people entering retirement age are finding they aren’t ready to leave the workforce entirely.
As with all demographic trends, the reasons for this are complex and vary from person to person. However, one factor may be medical advancements that allow people to feel physically and mentally healthier for longer than their parents and grandparents did. So might the fact that as people reach retirement age, they’re finding the money they’d saved for decades won’t provide the lifestyle they want for very long. It could also be that the idea of “death by retirement” has caught on; people who retire earlier tend to also die earlier, according to some studies.
Company leaders are (rightly) preoccupied with the buzzy concept of “corporate culture” these days. While highly-funded tech companies provide splashy benefits packages, it can be tough for smaller organizations or companies in traditional industries to even think of how to compete.
But it turns out that wild getaway parties and beer taps aren’t the key to a healthy, thriving company culture. Your employees (particularly millennials and the newly-graduating Generation Z) aren’t looking for what you can give them; they’re looking for how they can help give back.
That’s why one of the strongest ways to improve your engagement and retention rates is also one of the simplest: providing volunteer opportunities in the workplace.
The Ban the Box movement is a grassroots effort aimed at changing hiring practices that make it difficult for previously-convicted persons to get jobs after time in prison. The movement’s stated purpose is to encourage employers to hire the most qualified candidate for a job, regardless of whether or not they have prior convictions.
