In my last post I noted that the AARP ‘Best Employers for Workers Over 50′ program was more than an awards show (see above). AARP has taken the inputs of the applicants and turned them into a ‘best practices’ model for employers that wake up and realize that keeping Boomers in the work force is going to be a key strategic initiative over the next few decades.

The following morning, Molly Selvin reported in the LATimes (link) that Ernst & Young has updated their work on the Aging U.S. Workforce with the 2007 version of that study (link). This is another important study that should provide an additional alert to wake up those managers who are aware but not taking action.

 In fact, E&Y reports an incredible increase in the percent of HR executives that said “retaining key employees to maintain intellectual capital was the human capital issue of most concern” (from 38% in 2006 to 68% in 2007)! Efforts to increase awareness are obviously beginning to get some results.

A new finding (to me, at least) was that the focus in the strategic planning to address the aging workforce issue should be in middle management. This is problematic when “41% of the companies responding say that middle management will be the level most affected by the talent gap, yet 75 percent are focused on monitoring succession at the senior management level.” HR professionals clearly need to refocus their efforts.

Ernst & Young has several key recommendations for those HR managers who decide to tackle this issue. Combine their analysis with the ‘best practices’ noted from the AARP  Best Employers for Workers Over 50 program, and earlier work from The Conference Board and the General Accountability Office, and there is a substantial body of material that can provide significant guidance to those HR professionals who decide to take action in this important area.

Hopefully, we will start to see  a progression from increased awareness to increased action.