Return to Work After Retirement

Kalista · 02-03-2008, 04:37 PM

Donald Sayner considers himself lucky. At 69, he's working because he wants to, not because he needs to. For many older workers today, this isn't the case. Rising healthcare costs, inadequate financial planning and rising living expenses are a few of the many reasons why people are working longer.

As someone who retired and then rejoined the workforce, Sayner, a career counselor, understands the mental anguish, depression and frustration older workers who expected to retire may feel. That's why he started Jobs in Transition, a job club for retirement-age professionals still in the workforce. The workshops are offered through St. Paul-based Quality Career Services, an organization that offers job advice, counseling and networking opportunities for job seekers.

"A lot of people heading into their golden years are unable to live the life they thought they would be able to," says Sayner. "This is forcing would-be retirees to deal with an entire set of life challenges they aren't prepared to face.

Follow a New Career Path

Sayner encourages job seekers to reconsider early passions they may not have pursued for one reason or another. He says finding a job or career path instead of just a paycheck can be the key to workplace happiness at this stage of life.

"Sometimes searching for work in the field you spent your life trying to earn a living [in] just isn't going to work out," says Sayner. "Don't get into a rut where you believe you are too old to change direction. Now can be the best time to look at a new career, to do something you always dreamed of doing.

Melanie Keveles, a certified business coach who has helped older workers find passion and meaning in their current jobs or new careers, often follows the theories discussed in The Three Boxes of Life and How to Get Out of Them by Richard Bolles.

In the late '70s, Bolles predicted we would outgrow the idea that there were three stages (or three boxes) in our lifespan -– the learning stage, the work stage and the retirement stage. Bolles suggested that we were moving into a time when those stages would merge, and we would experience lifelong learning, work and play.

"For those people who for whatever reasons find themselves having to go back to work during what they had dreamed would be the stage in the life that they would be retired or playing only, it helps to recognize that such a leisure-only phase is just not always practical anymore," says Keveles.

Get Motivated to Go Back to Work

Keveles admits it's hard for retirement-age workers to get motivated for work when they feel underappreciated or that they are not contributing in a meaningful way while their peers enjoy retirement. But it's important to make the most of the situation, Keveles says. The first step is overcoming the mental barriers. Keveles suggests that by becoming receptive to the idea that working can coexist with learning and playing as you age, you might find that working again can:

Provide an opportunity to find meaning and accomplish things that are compatible with your values.

Give you a reason to get up in the morning and a community in which to operate. Isolation can be deadly as you age. Help keep your mind and body active.

Give younger people an opportunity to get to know more older people, thereby fighting stereotypes that suggest we lose our usefulness, creativity, imagination and productivity as we age.

Keep you engaged. Examples of people working into their 60s, 70s, 80s and even 90s have shown us that people who work into these later decades often outlive those who fully retire.

shel90 · 02-03-2008, 05:39 PM

My grandpa who is in his 70s is still working and he is happy. He works part time though.

sara1981 · 02-03-2008, 06:07 PM

my grandma got retires at 58 years old when my grandma leaving State Farm Insurance as Secretary and im really love her works very much when i was little girls visit her workers,boss what so friendly people.Its so young ages.

My dad got retires very early at ages 52 years old when my dad leaves his jobs of SBC known as Southwestern Bell Telephone Co,Inc. dues his doctor's orders to rest lots! i wanted my dad kept jobs at SBC but i cant blame his doctors! because he had heart valet surgery last summer 2004.

mostly old people always leaving jobs dues old ages if boss wanted leave at ages 65 years old or still more ages that choice.

SxyPorkie · 02-03-2008, 07:00 PM

I am 63 yrs old widow... I am working with Domestic Violence for the Deaf on part time basis... I love it... it is challenge...Plus try to help the victims...

moonflower · 02-03-2008, 08:36 PM

my dad is 70 and still working as professor at the university near my home

Reba · 07-21-2009, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Economy keeping older workers on job
By Diane Stafford
McClatchy Newspapers
Monday, July 20, 2009

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The recession is keeping some older workers on the job beyond the time they intended to retire.

In some industries, such as nursing, that's a good thing — it's helping to ease worker shortages.

In other workplaces, the lack of turnover is keeping younger workers from landing jobs.

Whatever the cause or ripple effect, two-thirds of Americans age 55 to 64 are in the work force, the highest participation rate among that age group since the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics began keeping track in 1948.

"Had the economy been stable, I wouldn't have given it a second thought," said Rick Wright, 60, an information technology worker for the city of Kansas City, who was eligible to retire but decided to stay on the job.

"I'm no economic genius, but I'm afraid of inflation when they pump all this recovery money into the economy. I'll have a good retirement wage, but even then, I have to be careful."

Examples of similar deferred retirements show up across the nation.

In the Johnson County (Kan.) Blue Valley School District, where 30 to 40 teachers typically retire each year, this year's retirees numbered in the 20s, said Jim Payne, executive director of human resources.

In Sacramento, Calif., Anette Smith-Dohring, workforce development manager for the Sutter Health system, said some of its nurse-shortage problems had eased this year because many of its 60-and-older nurses were not retiring as expected.

United Airlines spokeswoman Megan McCarthy said last month that the airline needed to furlough more flight attendants than expected because of markedly lower-than-expected retirements and resignations.

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants said 35 percent of its financial-planning professionals' clients said they were postponing leaving the work force because of the economy.

The institute said two-thirds of the clients who said they would delay retirement expect to work an additional five years.

"What this suggests is that 70 is the new 65," institute Vice President James Metzler said in connection with the report's release.

David Baxter, senior vice president at the market analysis company Age Wave, oversaw execution this year of a report, "Retirement at the Tipping Point: The Year That Changed Everything."

The report, based on interviews in March with 2,082 workers, reinforced the workforce trend charted by the Labor Department.

"In the current recession," Baxter said, "the labor force participation rates have significantly accelerated, meaning more people in this age group are staying in the labor force rather than retiring."

Ten years ago, 59 percent of the 55-to-64 age group was in the civilian work force.

In May this year, the percentage had jumped to 65.6, with 1.6 percentage points of that growth occurring just since May 2008.

Among workers 65 and older, the labor force participation rate has grown even more precipitously.

In May 1999, their participation rate was 12.5 percent; in May 2008, 16.6 percent; and in May 2009, 17.2 percent.

The dramatic statistical changes in the last 12 months help point fingers at the recession as a cause.

Melinda Dixon, a financial adviser with Edward Jones in Lenexa, said she frequently has heard clients say, "I guess I'm just going to keep working."

"The primary concern is about when they'll be able to retire because their portfolios, their whole net worth is down," Dixon said. "People are afraid."

It should be noted that choosing to remain on the job has not been an option for thousands of older workers who have been let go in staff cuts.

Those who were jettisoned from the work force have fueled an estimated 25 percent increase in new claims for Social Security early retirement benefits, according to the agency's chief actuary, Stephen Goss.

Mercer, a national benefits administration company, offered a reason why many older workers were staying put. It analyzed its defined contribution retirement account data and found that since the end of 2007 until May, participants 55 and older had an average account balance loss of 16 percent.

"Near-retirees face a huge challenge in accumulating adequate savings for retirement in the midst of recent economic volatility," said the Mercer report.

Economy keeping older workers on job - The Post and Courier

I will probably work until I'm forced to quit.

02-03-2008, 04:37 PM	#1 (permalink)
Kalista Premium Member Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 7,795	Return to Work After Retirement Donald Sayner considers himself lucky. At 69, he's working because he wants to, not because he needs to. For many older workers today, this isn't the case. Rising healthcare costs, inadequate financial planning and rising living expenses are a few of the many reasons why people are working longer. As someone who retired and then rejoined the workforce, Sayner, a career counselor, understands the mental anguish, depression and frustration older workers who expected to retire may feel. That's why he started Jobs in Transition, a job club for retirement-age professionals still in the workforce. The workshops are offered through St. Paul-based Quality Career Services, an organization that offers job advice, counseling and networking opportunities for job seekers. "A lot of people heading into their golden years are unable to live the life they thought they would be able to," says Sayner. "This is forcing would-be retirees to deal with an entire set of life challenges they aren't prepared to face. Follow a New Career Path Sayner encourages job seekers to reconsider early passions they may not have pursued for one reason or another. He says finding a job or career path instead of just a paycheck can be the key to workplace happiness at this stage of life. "Sometimes searching for work in the field you spent your life trying to earn a living [in] just isn't going to work out," says Sayner. "Don't get into a rut where you believe you are too old to change direction. Now can be the best time to look at a new career, to do something you always dreamed of doing. Melanie Keveles, a certified business coach who has helped older workers find passion and meaning in their current jobs or new careers, often follows the theories discussed in The Three Boxes of Life and How to Get Out of Them by Richard Bolles. In the late '70s, Bolles predicted we would outgrow the idea that there were three stages (or three boxes) in our lifespan -– the learning stage, the work stage and the retirement stage. Bolles suggested that we were moving into a time when those stages would merge, and we would experience lifelong learning, work and play. "For those people who for whatever reasons find themselves having to go back to work during what they had dreamed would be the stage in the life that they would be retired or playing only, it helps to recognize that such a leisure-only phase is just not always practical anymore," says Keveles. Get Motivated to Go Back to Work Keveles admits it's hard for retirement-age workers to get motivated for work when they feel underappreciated or that they are not contributing in a meaningful way while their peers enjoy retirement. But it's important to make the most of the situation, Keveles says. The first step is overcoming the mental barriers. Keveles suggests that by becoming receptive to the idea that working can coexist with learning and playing as you age, you might find that working again can: Provide an opportunity to find meaning and accomplish things that are compatible with your values. Give you a reason to get up in the morning and a community in which to operate. Isolation can be deadly as you age. Help keep your mind and body active. Give younger people an opportunity to get to know more older people, thereby fighting stereotypes that suggest we lose our usefulness, creativity, imagination and productivity as we age. Keep you engaged. Examples of people working into their 60s, 70s, 80s and even 90s have shown us that people who work into these later decades often outlive those who fully retire. __________________

02-03-2008, 05:39 PM	#2 (permalink)
shel90 In a pink and black world Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: In the land of the free Posts: 24,014 Blog Entries: 3	My grandpa who is in his 70s is still working and he is happy. He works part time though. __________________ Shel~ "A child educated only at school is an uneducated child." -George Santayana

02-03-2008, 06:07 PM	#3 (permalink)
sara1981 Pandy the Beagle Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: North Little Rock,Ar Posts: 4,821	my grandma got retires at 58 years old when my grandma leaving State Farm Insurance as Secretary and im really love her works very much when i was little girls visit her workers,boss what so friendly people.Its so young ages. My dad got retires very early at ages 52 years old when my dad leaves his jobs of SBC known as Southwestern Bell Telephone Co,Inc. dues his doctor's orders to rest lots! i wanted my dad kept jobs at SBC but i cant blame his doctors! because he had heart valet surgery last summer 2004. mostly old people always leaving jobs dues old ages if boss wanted leave at ages 65 years old or still more ages that choice. __________________ WWE Dave Batista

02-03-2008, 07:00 PM	#4 (permalink)
SxyPorkie SxyPorkie Join Date: May 2006 Location: Southern California Posts: 3,095	I am 63 yrs old widow... I am working with Domestic Violence for the Deaf on part time basis... I love it... it is challenge...Plus try to help the victims... __________________ Life Goes On!!

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Today
Deafness	Sponsored Links __________________ This advertising will not be shown in this way to registered members. Register your free account today and become a member on AllDeaf.com

02-03-2008, 08:36 PM	#5 (permalink)
moonflower winter is on the way jeez Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Washtenaw County, Michigan Posts: 5,742	my dad is 70 and still working as professor at the university near my home