For most of us, understanding how to develop and promotesuperior benefits packages for today's age-diverse work force is abit like talking on the phone, texting on our Blackberries, andchecking e-mail on our laptops - all at the same time. In otherwords, it's complicated, requires concentration, and demands thatwe keep track of our various and simultaneous audiences, lest wesend a text to our client that should have gone by e-mail to ourcolleague. The fact is, employers today, along with their HRmanagers, must navigate a complicated work place that is, for thefirst time in American history, comprised of four generations ofworkers. To help them meet the multigenerational challenge, we mustbecome experts at multi-tasking, developing a deep understanding ofthe needs and desires of both younger and older employees, andassembling flexible benefits packages that target multiple goals atonce.

By now, the story of our increasingly age-diverse work force hasbecome clear. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics,the older labor force is projected to grow more than five timesfaster than the overall labor force by 2016. By 2014, nearly athird of the work force will be age 50 or older. In fact, by 2011,baby boomers - or those born between 1946 and 1964 - will make upalmost 40 percent of the country's work force. At the same time,almost seven million members of the "Traditionalists" or World WarII generation - born before 1945 - will still be at work.Generation X-ers, born between 1965 and 1980, will comprise 32percent of the work force by 2014, and members of Generation Y (orthe Millennial Generation), born between 1980 and 2000, will makeup approximately 25 percent.

Facing financial pressures, economic uncertainty, and a desireto remain active and social, people are simply working longer, afact that is radically altering the work place dynamic on a varietyof levels. At the same time, as we all know, employers areconfronting their own financial pressures and economic uncertainty,and as they work to manage and retain employees with very differentgoals, experiences and even values, they are searching for benefitspackages that are viewed as rewarding and helpful by everyone.

The first step in developing benefits for this new work force isto truly understand the unique perspectives of each audience. Whileit is important not to stereotype, there are some basic differences- and similarities - between each generation and their experiencesthat guide their overall perception of what is valuable andnecessary, and what is superfluous and even burdensome. Asemployers look to operate with lean budgets and quality staff, theyare asking benefits mangers to do more to establish perceptiblevalue with less, and so the job of demonstrating knowledge andunderstanding of generational trends is critical for agents andbrokers.

As the largest segment of the employment market today, boomershave been the target of analysis and marketing for some time now,and so as a group their interests and preferences are fairly wellunderstood. A recent AARP study, "Leading a Multigenerational WorkForce," suggests that boomers intend to "revolutionize retirement"by continuing to work well into their golden years, by finding newcareers late in life, and through investment. In general, thisgroup values and expects good benefits, and because they areadvancing in years, they worry about having the right healthinsurance. Many are also taking care of aging parents.

Members of Generation X are, as a rule, more concerned withsalary than benefits. Like the Generation Y-ers who follow them,they are more focused on shorter-term goals than boomers, and tendto expect less from their benefits. As AARP suggests, GenerationX-ers are more self-reliant, and more concerned with gettingresults fast by simplifying processes. They helped revolutionizethe use of technology, and were in turn changed by it.

Members of Generation Y, because of their age and the influenceof the Internet, demand quick results. They expect a great dealfrom their employers, but in general have not made the connectionbetween their employment expectations and their benefits packages.As a group, they seem to view benefits as less valuable and lessconnected to their overall career goals. Generation Y members tendto move jobs frequently, and as AARP writes, "they can notifythousands of their cohorts about which companies match or fallshort of their ideals" with the click of a mouse.

Finally, the smallest segment of the work force is still havinga big impact on organizational decisions. Millions of World War IIgeneration workers are on the job, and their view of benefits wasin many cases shaped in a very different era. They value experienceand reputation, and they are often used to having comprehensivehealth benefits. Given their years, they are worried about healthcare, long-term care and retirement benefits.

Stay tuned to Benefits Selling Weekly for the second installment ofthis series.