IntroductionWhere will they come from? This is a question facing organizations and businesses across the United States as they ponder where the next wave of workers will emerge. Organizations' recruitment and retention strategies have been put to the test to find replacements for a generation of employees on the brink of retirement. This generation, the Baby Boomers, is a generation that numbers 76 to 78 million people (Stendardi, 2005), a staggering number when compared to a 2009 Department of Labor figure of a civilian employed workforce of 140 million workers . The impending retirement of Boomers, sometimes called the “demographic tidal wave,” will challenge organizations and human resources departments to develop programs and policies to address labor shortages. One of the strategies that has attracted the most attention is the idea of ​​phased retirement. Organizations have turned to the concept of phased retirement to delay the loss of critical employees, ensure the transition of critical skills and knowledge, reduce recruitment and retention costs, and help close the workforce gap. Normally, phased retirement is an informal ad hoc program that has different definitions and meanings. Let's examine the essence of the strategy and how it can be implemented at Princeton University. The essence of phased retirement Phased retirement, as a legal concept, is not defined. It's not because it's a completely new phenomenon that's sweeping through human resources departments nationwide. In fact, the idea of ​​phased retirement has been around since at least the 1950s. Originally called rehiring, subcontracting, or consulting, phased retirement is a strategy that has been around for decades, albeit with a different purpose. ...... middle of paper ......RETIREMENT.htmlPurcell, P.J. (2003). Older workers: Recent trends in employment and retirement. Journal of Deferred Compensation, 8(3), 30. Retrieved May 16, 2010, from ABI/INFORM Global.Rappaport, A. (2009). Phased retirement: an important part of the evolution of the pension scene. Benefits Quarterly, 25(2), 38. Retrieved May 15, 2010, from ABI/INFORM Global.Sheaks, C. (2007). The state of phased retirement: Facts, figures and policies. Generations, 31(1), 57-62. Retrieved June 11, 2010, from http://www.asaging.org/publications/dbase/GEN/Gen.31_1.Sheaks.pdfStendardi, E. J. (2005). Using phased retirement to make baby boomer retirement work. Humanomics, 21(1/2), 48. Retrieved May 16, 2010, from ABI/INFORM Global.UCF Human Resources. (2010, April 27). Retrieved May 23, 2010, from http://www.hr.ucf.edu/web/benefits/retirement.shtml#retire1c2