Silver Tsunami is a metaphor used to describe population aging. We’re familiar with the problems of shrinking population in places like Japan and Italy. But the Silver Tsunami we’re facing in the US is somewhat different. The Department of Labor estimates the number of white collar professionals over the age of 50 in the US to be 25 million people. But look around your “open-space” office right now. How many people working there are over 50? Where are all the grey-hairs? Were they caught up in the last round of layoffs or were they never hired at your “unicorn” company in the first place? Mark Zuckerberg was famously quoted as saying “young people are just smarter.”

Who is the presidential candidate that is going to take a stand against institutional ageism in the workplace that results in 13% of the adult US population being under-employed? There is an enormous talent pool out there. According to a PWC study, 64% of CEOs have a plan for diversity. Only 6-8% of those plans include age as a criteria. States are starting to implement quotas for the number of women on corporate boards. What about a quotas for intergenerational workplaces?