The interesting thing about statistics is how they can be used to make or break a point depending not so much on the numbers themselves, but how the numbers get used, and what you need to keep in mind when using them. Take this statistic from the Bureau of Labor Statistics–by 2014, nearly one-third of the total U.S. workforce (32%) will be age 50 or older. This will be a significant increase from 27 percent in 2005.

The interesting thing about this isn’t that the number probably seems high—I certainly thought so–but that this number was derived before the current economic downturn forced most of those planning on retirement to put off those plans another five or 10 years, maybe even forever. An entire generation may actually be working until they die.

According to a study by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), Baby Boomers Envision Retirement II: Survey of Baby Boomers’ Expectations for Retirement (September 2004) eight out of ten Boomers expect to work at least part time in their so-called retirement years. Another interesting statistic, but considering again that this study was completed nearly six years ago, it wouldn’t take a statistician to determine that given the spate of articles about boomers foregoing retirement the number staying on the job is potentially much higher than eight out of 10. For the Gen Xers and Millenials who’ve been itching for the 48 and older elders to leave sooner than later, this new workforce reality is going to “suck.”

When resources are scarce, conflict is sure to arise. There’s already a scarcity of jobs. Compound that with a scarcity of managerial jobs because they’re being held tightly by an entire generation that can’t afford to give them up any time soon, and imagine the conflicts that will ensue.

Employee engagement may be one of the initial aspects to suffer if there’s no chance to move up or move on. Consequently, new reward systems, performance measurement, and even job titles may have to be created to keep multi-generations engaged in something other than backoffice maneuvering for management jobs that will be difficult to come by. More important will be improved management techniques and communication skills that will emphasize and reward collaboration and team work at a time when many employees will be driven by self-interest and preservation.

Five years from now, we can hope for a statistic that proves this out, no matter which way you look at it.

A lot of new thinking on communication measurement (including ROI’s) focuses on measuring the outcomes of communications.  Specifically, did behavior or attitudes change?  In the end, this is what matters, but it doesn’t mean we should abandon other important measurement activities which are still very useful for evaluating the overall effectiveness of a program.

Take a common internal communication practice, the all employee event.  During these meetings the CEO and other executives will review the company’s performance, provide updates on the strategy and usually do some recognition. Pulling these off takes a lot of work. To evaluate the effectiveness, many companies will send out a participant survey to collect data on speakers, venue, overall satisfaction, and possibly ask if it increased their understanding of the strategy.  Often, that feedback will deem the event a success.

However, how many people did this event really reach?  The average attendance rate (live + replay) is typically somewhere between 15-40% of the total employee population of the company. This means the content had no impact on 60-85% of the audience because they didn’t see it!  Knowing this, you can re-evaluate your approach to market, re-design or use a different method to reach those who didn’t attend.

Here’s another example, your CEO creates a great 30 minute video that articulates the company strategy beautifully. Anyone who watches it says they “get it” after viewing the full video.  Mission accomplished… right?

Not so fast. When you review the “hit and view” duration statistics and find that a large group opened the video, but they start to drop off dramatically after 5 minutes. By the end only a small fraction of the users watched the entire video. By measuring the usage, you learn that your videos need to be much shorter to convey the content.

This same rule can be applied to intranet articles, magazines, speeches… really any communication.

The moral is: if it’s not being consumed, then it’s probably not producing the desired outcomes. And you won’t know, if you don’t measure.