Longevity’s Impact on Workforce Education

 

Is an organization responsible for educating its workforce? CHCI recently conducted a roundtable conversation to answer this question, discussing the “Three Stages of Work” model and current job requirements. 

First, let’s review the “Three Stages of Work” model: 

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• Education 
• Work 
• Retirement 

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This model states that in general, humans get an education until their 20’s, work for approximately 40 years, and then retire at age 65. This made sense when Bismarck introduced the concept of the old age pension, because half of the European population died by the age of 45. Yet, due to advances in healthcare, our lifespan is much longer than 45 years now; if you want to extrapolate numbers, state pension ages in high-income countries should now be 103. 

With increasing costs and pensions becoming unsustainable, many people need to continue working to support their lifestyle. A third of seniors will work well past the retirement age of 65 or won’t retire at all. Therefore, people will likely work into their 70’s. If that’s the case, then will an education received at 20 years old serve for 50 years? Likely not, especially with the rapid pace of technology advances. 

“If we are going to work until later in our lives, there’s a very real need for employers and employees to urgently discover new ways of distributing time that breaks away from the linear. What’s to stop us from dipping into retirement time earlier and repurpose that time for, say, education and training? Because living to 100 and working to 75 in the era of digital disruption and technological innovation, will mean prioritizing learning. There is no doubt that as the impact of machines on work gathers pace, there will be a constant need to reskill, upskill and acquire new knowledge.” 

- Lynda Gratton, Author, The 100 Year Life 

Therefore, we will move from the three-stage model to a five-stage model of work: 

• Education 
• Work
• Education 
• Work 
• Retire 

To support this five-stage model of life, federal and state governments are incentivizing education for seniors. States such as Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, South Caroline, and Wyoming are offering free college tuition for those over 60 years old. If US states are preparing for this shift in workforce education, what is the responsibility of organizations? 

In addition to the five-stage work model, there is another issue that organizations have to consider. Less than two-thirds of U.S. college students graduate within six years. Since the beginning of the Covid pandemic, job postings for entry-level positions that require a bachelor’s degree have fallen by 45% — pointing to employers who want candidates with more skills and experience. So current job descriptions need to be reconsidered. Does every job candidate need a two or four year college degree? Or is it time to redesign job descriptions in a way that reflects the five-stage work model? 

How organizations are changing the mold 

 

Many technical roles required by organizations demand specialized technical and soft skills, not four-year degrees. They fall into the category of “new collar” jobs. 

To keep up with these changes, organizations are looking at new ways to attract top talent by offering technology apprenticeships as a way for entry level talent to jumpstart their careers post high school. For example, HCL Technologies is offering a unique program that mirrors best practices in technology apprenticeships, including the benefit of debt-free education. It provides full pay and benefits, with careers in software development and testing, digital and cloud services, infrastructure delivery, and engineering. 

An increasing number of young people simply don’t have the financial means to go to college, with the divide growing even more during COVID. If they do have a college degree, they often don’t have the means to re-educate themselves in the middle of their career. An apprenticeship program offers equitable access and deepens corporate relationships within a community. Apprenticeships are opening doors to people who have been previously underrepresented in hiring; they represent an area of untapped growth for businesses that bring them onboard. 

What role is your organization playing to support the five-stage model of work? What apprenticeship challenges and opportunities exist in your organization? 

Let’s share experiences. Leave a comment below, send me an email, or find me on Twitter. 

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Imposter Syndrome

 

 Do you think that your work must be 100% perfect, 100% of the time? Or that you haven’t truly earned your position? Does your confidence take a plunge when you suffer a setback? 

You are not alone. 70% of the U.S. population has experienced this feeling, which is known as impostor syndrome. 

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, impostor syndrome is commonly understood as a false and sometimes crippling belief that one’s successes are the product of luck or fraud, rather than skill. 

Now that we understand what imposter syndrome is, let’s review the five types of imposter syndrome: 

1. 1. The Perfectionist: The perfectionists set exceedingly high goals for themselves. When they fail to accomplish that goal, they experience self-doubt and worry about measuring up. Success for them is rarely satisfying because they think could’ve done even better. 

2. One way to manage the Perfectionists is to remind them that mistakes are a part of the process and progress is more important than perfection. 

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3. 2. The Superwoman/Man: The Superwomen/men are addicted to the accolades and validation of working, rather than the actual work itself. This constant workload potentially harms their mental health, as well as their working relationships. 

4. One approach to managing Superwomen/men is to help them find their own internal validation and reframe failures as learning opportunities. 

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5. 3. The Natural Genius: Natural Geniuses judge their competence based on the ease and speed of doing a task, rather than the efforts involved. They feel ashamed if they take a long time to master something because they believe they should get things right the first time. 

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6. The Natural Genius needs help seeing that success is made of many small steps over time. Remind them to celebrate the small accomplishments which are a part of the bigger goal. 

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7. 4. The Soloist: Soloists feel that asking for help reveals their faults so prove their worth by refusing assistance. 

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8. One antidote is asking Soloists to work in team environments, showing them that each team member has a unique set of skills to learn from. 

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9. 5. The Expert: The Experts measure their competence on the basis of “what” and “how much” they know or can do. They believe they will never have enough knowledge and will eventually be exposed as inexperienced and lacking skills. 

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10. The Experts benefit from realizing that no one knows every answer and there is always more to learn. 

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Organizational Role in Imposter Syndrome 

We’ve discussed the individual aspects of imposter syndrome. How does organizational culture contribute to imposter syndrome? 

Organizational norms and behaviors can add to imposter syndrome. Some examples include working environments where praise is never given and leaders expect perfection, so employees feel that they constantly need to prove themselves. Another example is employee favoritism. 

Here are a few tips to handle imposter syndrome in your organization: 

• Keep reminding team members that they are competent enough for the roles assigned to them. 
• Avoid comparisons between team members and focus on the values each team member brings to the team. 
• Shift the focus from performing to learning and reframe failure as a learning opportunity. 

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Instead of hiding behind the fears of failure, we all need to face them, overcome them, and learn from them. The best way to defeat the imposter syndrome is to change the workplace environment. 

How often have you encountered imposter syndrome? How were you able to move forward? Share your thoughts and leave your comments below, send us an email, or find us on Twitter. 

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