Late last year, WorldatWork, Corporate Voices for Working Families, and Buck Consultants conducted an Internet survey on the aging workforce called The Real Talent Debate: Will Aging Boomers Deplete the Workforce? Nearly 500 organizations contributed responses on the significance of baby boomers retiring from the workforce. The findings are interesting in the seemingly deep sense of denial combined with a significant feeling of potential risk. Here is the odd combination of conflicting results:

• Only 42% think the issue is significant with 60% saying there is no associated business risk. Yet 62% believe that cost increases resulting from the loss of an aging workforce are highly significant and 87% believe the aging workforce’s knowledge preservation is important. When does an issue become really significant or important? After the fact?
• 93% believe aging workers want to remain in the workforce due to financial reasons. But 80% have not bothered to survey their aging workforce about their intentions. So how do they know?
• 52% see the loss of senior leadership as the greatest risk in the loss of mature workers. However, more than 50% do not proactively recruit mature workers. When will they decide to do something about it?

Confused? We think this report underlines the potential disconnect between perceptions and reality. Only proactive efforts inside your organization with structured talent processes and metrics will provide the answers you need to proceed with succession plans and talent depth charting.

Just because it won’t happen for five years doesn’t mean it should take your organization that long to figure it out.