If you’re about to retire, have you ever taken the time to think about some of the potential challenges associated with the process of disengagement from work? And have you stopped to consider how you will replace the feelings of satisfaction, importance, usefulness, companionship and productivity that you previously obtained from your work?
Think about the following for a moment:
1. Why does my mum still do her ironing on Sundays, as she always did when she was working, even though she’s been retired for over 10 years?
2. Why do my mum and stepfather do their supermarket shopping every Monday morning when they could shop any day?
3. Why do my in-laws go out for lunch every Wednesday, when, as retired people, they could go out for lunch any day of the week?
And the answer is…
Because even though they are retired, they still feel the need to have a sense of purpose, order, structure, continuity, productivity and time management - all things that they previously obtained from their work.
We often don’t realise that work provides us with much more than just a pay cheque. For example, what about companionship and socialization? At our retirement party, when everyone is telling us how much we will be missed and promising to keep in touch and meet up regularly, we don’t realise that a couple of months down the line, many of our colleagues will have moved on with their lives and the phone calls and invitations we were expecting, don’t always materialise. How are you going to make new friends and replace the support and companionship of your colleagues? Is this something that you need to address now?
For some people, the thought of changing from full-time work to full-time retirement can be very unsettling and it may be desirable for them to attempt to ease their transition into retirement by arranging (in advance of their retirement date) to work on a part-time basis for a while. If you have made the decision to retire completely, it may be a good idea to arrange a holiday or vacation which starts on the first day of your retirement. That way, you can bridge the gap between full-time work and full-time retirement and the change does not feel so abrupt. At the same time, you will have the added pleasure in knowing that you don’t have to go back to work when you get back from vacation.
Other things to consider when planning a satisfactory disengagement from work are:
• How will you add structure and a sense of purpose to your days?
• How will you continue to obtain a sense of achievement and a ‘job well done’?
• How important has your work been to your sense of identity?
If I were to ask you the question ‘Who are you?’, what would your answer would be? If your answer starts with ‘I’m a (job title)’ (you fill in the blank), this could be an indication that your sense of identity is closely associated with your work. There is nothing wrong with this - we often get a sense of pride, prestige and importance from our achievements and the status we obtained from our work, however, you may need to consider what the implications of this might be for you in retirement.
In fact, whilst we are on the subject of disengagement from work, do you even want to retire at all? I found an article on the BBC website which claims that 70% of the population say that they want to continue working in retirement. However, they don’t want to work full-time - they prefer part-time, flexi-time or even a whole new career. Coincidentally, I came across this article on the day that I had started a new poll on an on-line business networking group that I belong to. The poll was entitled: ‘What do you want to do when you hit the traditional age for retirement?’ and, by the end of the first afternoon, 10 people had responded with 7 of them stating that they wanted to continue working (again, this figure of 70%). Only 1 of the 10 wanted to have a traditional ‘rest and relaxation’ retirement and, in fact, there is much evidence nowadays to suggest that the happiest and healthiest retirees are the ones who continue to work in some capacity.
So, what about you? Do you really want to be retired? Are you feeling that you are being pushed out of your employment, when, in fact, you believe you have a few years left in you yet and would prefer to carry on working in some capacity? What can you do to remedy that situation? What form will that work take and how much time do you want to devote to it? Have you always wanted to start a business? Or write a book? Maybe you have a hankering to do voluntary service overseas? What do you need to do TODAY to put the wheels in motion?
Take some time to work out what you want from a job - how many hours do you want to work? Do you have a preference for working mornings, afternoons or evenings? How far would you be prepared to travel? Could you negotiate with your employer to return to work, possibly as a part-timer or to cover during vacations and periods of absence? How about taking a seasonal job? Some employers are even adopting a ‘retiree-on-call’ programme to bring back retired employees on a contract basis as demand requires. Tell colleagues and friends that you are in the market and see what comes up for you. If money is not a problem, why not consider some sort of voluntary work to get you out of the house, meeting new people and providing some challenges for you? You may be retiring but the possibilities for keeping busy, productive and stimulated - as well as earning some extra cash - are endless.
And finally, think about the skills, attitudes and behaviours that you used (and needed) to succeed in the workplace. How are they different from the ones you need to succeed at home? Are you struggling with that? Do you have a tendency to treat your partner either as a subordinate or your superior? Will you be the one who cooks all the meals and does all the cleaning, despite the fact that you will both be retired? Or maybe you’re the one who lets your partner make all the meals and do all the cleaning? Is that fair? Have you ever asked your partner how they feel about that situation and whether they would prefer a more equitable division of the household chores?
I’m sure you will agree that some of these are provocative questions that can feel quite uncomfortable, but then again, consider the implications of leaving these questions unasked and unanswered…
Ann Harrison is a certified retirement coach, 2young2retire facilitator, pre-retirement trainer and author of The Retirement Detox Programme: 40 Days to Get Your Retirement Back on Track. For regular retirement-related news updates, visit her blog at http://www.contemporaryretirement.typepad.com/ or catch up with her via her website: http://www.ContemporaryRetirementCoaching.com
Tags: disengaging from work, retirement, retiring
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