We all know that as baby boomers age, there are more and more older workers in the workplace. But how many centenarians do you have at your workplace? A rather remarkable 101 year-old British bloke has been in the news because he is training for the London Marathon. He has to fit his training in his spare time because he is still employed three days a week at a plumbing firm. On this side of “the pond,” we have our own centenarian workers – meet 101 year-old Ray Jenkins, who was named as America’s Oldest Worker in 2007. This hearty Vermonter has been putting in a 40-hour work week as a maintenance worker on the grounds of the Champlain Valley Exposition.
It’s likely we will hear more stories like this. According to the New England Centenarian Study, “Centenarians are the fastest growing segment of our population. The second fastest is the age group 85+.”
Experts point to loyalty, work ethic, enthusiasm and experience as assets of the older work force. How ready is your workplace for the over-65 generation? The Center on Aging & Work at Boston is a good resource to have in your Rolodex and to check on every now and again to see their latest research. Right now, they are working on State Perspectives, including statistical profiles and The States as Employers Of Choice project. And for another resource, the Aging Workforce News is a blog that links to news and resources for managing the aging workforce.
Curious about whether you’ll one day join the ranks of centenarian workers? You and your employees can take the Living to 100 calculator test (it requires registration at the end) to estimate your longevity. It also offers the following:

  • Personalized feedback for each of your answers
  • A Personalized “To-Do” list for you and your physician
  • A list of things you can do differently and how many years you will add if you do so
  • The option to sign up to take the calculator again so you can keep track of your answers see if your calculated life expectancy gets better or worse.
  • A yearly reminder to take the test again.
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