Retirement Life Archives – Unretirement Project

5 Unretirement Skills That Everyone Needs

June 6, 2018 by Sharlyn Lauby Leave a Comment

I was reading an article in Workforce Magazine titled, “Meeting the New Faces Who are Shaping Employee Retirement”. It’s an interesting read you might want to check out. My takeaway from the article is that employees thinking about a phased retirement strategy need to start thinking about the skills that they will need to make this transition. So, I decided to come up with a list.

This list isn’t just for individuals. Organizations looking to build a phased retirement strategy and encourage employees to transition from full-time to part-time could use this list to develop a training program that will help employees get those skills.

Financial wellness: Let’s face it, money is a consideration when we’re talking about any employee transitioning from full-time to part-time. Budgeting is an important skill. In addition, there are opportunities to educate workers on retirement programs, government programs, and the timing of benefits so employees maximize their earning potential.

Time management: One of the reasons that organizations are becoming more open to phased retirement strategies is because they need employees. Which means they need productive workers. Employees need to be prepared to be productive in a part-time status. That involves managing your time well. If employees haven’t had to worry about deadlines and project plans for a while, it might be time to get some training in that area.

Wellness and well-being: Another moment of reality we must face is that as we get older, we must think about our health. Possibly more than we did when we were younger. Both organizations and individuals should think about the opportunities available to educate about being proactive with our health – exercise, nutrition, mindfulness, etc. We will be able to work longer if we’re physically and mentally capable.

Technology: You knew technology would be on the list. But I’m not talking about “how to learn Facebook” type of technology, although that’s important. Employees considering phased retirement could be asked (or make the request) to do remote work. This means employees need to know about computer security, basic troubleshooting, logging into networks, etc.

Mentoring: Employees need to be realistic and realize that at some point they won’t be working anymore. And that the organization would like for your knowledge to be passed along to another worker. One way to do that is through a mentoring relationship. But being a good mentor takes some skills – good communication, patience, etc. It would be a win for everyone to teach employees how to be good mentors.

Phased retirement strategies – whether they’re initiated by the organization or the individual – need preparation. They will be successful because employees are prepared for the reduced income, schedule change, new responsibilities, and more. Learning and development programs can help employees get ready.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby in Las Vegas, NV

Retirement: Should We Focus on Age or Finances

May 30, 2018 by Sharlyn Lauby 2 Comments

I ran across a very interesting CareerBuilder survey recently which indicated that 53 percent of workers age 60+ are postponing retirement. Four in 10 workers (40%) said they don’t anticipate retiring until age 70 or older.

At first glance, I thought this could be very good news. Employees might feel engaged in their work and feel no need to retire. Organizations could be thrilled that workers with skills and knowledge are staying in the workforce and they aren’t facing labor shortages. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the reason that CareerBuilder cited in their survey.

The survey said that workers were postponing retirement because they were unsure about how much money they needed to retire. When asked how much money workers think they’ll need to save in order to retire, they said:

Honestly, I wasn’t very surprised by these numbers. According to the latest findings from the Federal Reserve, nearly half of Americans don’t have enough cash on hand to cover a $400 emergency. If that information is true, then it’s not surprising that people don’t know how much money they need to retire.

Even if we’re relying on Social Security (and many of us are), it’s important to start working on our financial plan for retirement. The CareerBuilder survey said that only 1 in 4 workers contribute to a 401(k) or retirement type plan. Again, how will we know what it takes to retire if we aren’t saving?

It also raises the question; how will we know when we are ready to retire? Is it when we turn a certain age OR when we have the money? More importantly, what will we do if the answer isn’t in our control. For example, what if our physical health requires us to “retire” before we have our financial plan in place?

I’m not sure that I have all the answers. But I do know these are questions that we have to start asking ourselves. How will we know when we’re ready to retire? What’s the measurement? And once you determine that, do you have a plan in place to get there?

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby in the Wynwood District of Miami, FL

More Individuals Are Choosing Freelancing in Semi-Retirement

May 23, 2018 by Sharlyn Lauby 3 Comments

I ran across an article recently on LinkedIn talking about the latest statistics for the gig economy. It’s worth checking out. My takeaway from the article is that an increasing number of Baby Boomers in senior level roles are opting into freelancing or consulting as a transition to their semi-retirement.

Think about it. Instead of going from a regular full-time job to retirement, individuals are making several smaller moves toward retirement. Full-time job TO full-time freelancer TO semi-retirement THEN unretirement AND retirement.

The good news is that I believe organizations are very open to this type of new career transition plan. Granted, it’s very different from what they’ve done in the past. And, it will probably involve some sort of trial and error in terms of getting the conversations right with employees and coordination in making it happen. Nonetheless, I think with the challenges that companies are having in finding and keeping talent, it makes a lot of sense.

But for individuals looking at the next decade of their careers, it means they need to think differently too. It’s a big enough decision going from full-time to retired. Now, we’re talking about several small moves, all of which need some level of planning.

We should start thinking about career transitions earlier. You can’t just flip a switch and become a freelancer or consultant. It’s true that you would have the knowledge and skills to do the work. And it’s pretty easy to set up a home office. The part of freelancing and consulting that takes time is building a network. So, if consulting is in your future, you must start building the marketing plan.

Lifelong learning has never been more important. When you become a freelancer or consultant, you are in charge of everything. If you’re used to calling the technology department every time your computer goes on the fritz or having someone proofread all of your communications, those things go away when you leave Corporate America. Sure – you can hire someone to help you but that can get pricey.

It will be necessary to financially plan for these transitions as well. Freelancing can be terrific in terms of having time to travel, pursuing a hobby, or spending time with family. On the other hand, freelancing means you’re responsible for all of your income, including benefits like healthcare and vacation. So, moving to a lifestyle where you have more control also means you’ll want to make sure you can afford it.

One of the ways that individuals can transition toward their retirement lifestyle is by spending some time as a freelancer or consultant. Organizations seem to be very willing to consider these arrangements. But it needs to work for everyone. Companies want individuals with knowledge and skills. Individuals want flexibility and fair compensation.

To make this successful, both companies and individuals will need to start planning earlier and communicating more often.

The Time to Set Retirement Expectations is NOW

May 9, 2018 by Sharlyn Lauby Leave a Comment

There’s a statistic from Pew Research that says 10,000 people a day are turning of retirement age. That doesn’t mean they all leave the workforce at that time, but that they’re eligible for “retirement benefits”. And organizations need to get ready for what’s being termed a “silver tsunami” of older workers leaving the workforce.

This should be a concern to companies. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, 68 percent of employers are having challenges finding qualified talent. Companies need employees to grow and deliver a return-on-investment (ROI) to stakeholders (whether those are internal or external).

Over the last decade, many Baby Boomers lost a piece of their retirement nest egg due to the Great Recession. Many have recouped those losses or learned to live without. At some point, they will decide they need to retire. Meanwhile, organizations cut back on employee benefits and investments (like training) so workers are behind in skills development.

The reason I’m bringing this up is because I believe all of these factors: an aging workforce, the Great Recession, lack of companies making training and development investments, etc. has created a bit of a retirement crisis. Do workers have the resources to retire? Do companies have plans in place to handle the exodus? For a long while, I thought I was the only person thinking about this and then I received my latest issue of Workforce Magazine. The entire issue was dedicated to the retirement challenge.

Yes, an HR magazine totally focused on retirement. One of the articles that caught my eye was “Remodeling Retirement for the 21^stCentury”.

This tells me that companies have a lot of work to do. If they want to keep older workers around longer, they need to become more supportive. Companies need to make training and development a priority, so workers feel they can successfully do the job (and don’t feel like they’re being left behind). They need to set expectations about what (if anything) they will do as an employer to support the transition from full-time to retirement.

Employees also have an obligation. They need to be open to change, including learning new skills to stay relevant in the workplace. They need to understand their benefits, so they can properly leverage them. I can’t tell you how many times employees didn’t read or attend benefits meetings and then were upset to learn that their benefits weren’t what they expected. Employees also need to communicate with the company their retirement plans so management can support them.

I can’t deny that over the past few decades an increasing number of employers haven’t thought about retirement. They’ve eliminated retirement benefits and told employees that they’re on their own. Well, it’s time for organizations to refocus. I’m not saying that companies need to go implement the old retirement pension, but they do need to set expectations with employees – of all ages. And they need to keep in mind that older workers might be positioned to give them 5-7 years (or longer!) of fabulous work.

Employees at every age are thinking about their retirement and what’s it going to look like. If people and organizations don’t start setting expectations, everyone will be disappointed.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby near Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, HI

Think About Retirement Lifestyle and Programs Separately

May 2, 2018 by Sharlyn Lauby 1 Comment

Just in case you missed it, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared 65 years of age to still be “young”. Frankly, it’s not a surprise. People are living longer.

But it also reminded me that we have to draw a distinction between retirement age for government or company retirement programs and our age for living a retirement lifestyle. As an HR professional, I understand the need for retirement plans to have ages in them. Organizations need that for compliance, consistency, etc. But just because a person qualifies for a retirement benefit at age 65 doesn’t mean they can no longer contribute in the workplace.

This is one of the reasons that the concept of unretirement is so important. Yes, we need to work toward have the security to support ourselves and we need to be conscious of how retirement programs work. But we also need to realize that hitting the age of eligibility for retirement programs should be viewed as a benchmark, not a finality.

Unless of course, you want it to be some sort of “I’m XX years old and now I’m going to retire.” And there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, you can decide that you want to start living the retirement lifestyle when you’re 55 or 50 or even younger. It does mean that you might have to wait a few years before you reach the eligibility age for retirement programs, but that can be okay if you plan and prepare for it.

If you’re going to think of retirement plans and lifestyle as two separate things, here are a few things to keep in mind.

It’s never too soon to start thinking about what you want your retirement lifestyle to look like. Sure, this makes sense in terms of your finances, and those things you want to do (like travel, hobbies, etc.) Buthave you given any thought to an encore career and the skills you might need to start working on now?

Share your plans with family and friends. You don’t need to do this all at the same time but, at some point, you have to tell your family what you’d like to do (and when). They need to buy into this. Especially if they thought your retirement meant you were going to spend more time with them.

Think about how to introduce the subject with your employer. Another conversation you don’t have to have right away, but it does need to happen, is talking with your boss. Your company might be thinking you plan on hanging around longer (or leaving sooner). Open, honest dialogue is necessary for a smooth transition.

As I start to talk with more business professionals about this blog, I’m a little surprised at both the Millennials who are already thinking about their retirement future AND the Boomers who aren’t. While you don’t have to take action right away, it does take some time to develop an opinion on these matters. We all have to develop our own unretirement plan because nobody can do it for us.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby somewhere on 7-Mile Bridge heading to Key West, FL

Is It Safe to Use Social Media for Marketing in Unretirement

April 11, 2018 by Keith Lauby 2 Comments

By now, we’ve all seen the articles about Facebook and their use of user information. It has caused a number of users to delete their accounts. Some brands are doing the same. So, I thought it would be a good time to talk briefly about online privacy and social media.

Over the years, social media has become an integral part of our lives. We engage with family and friends on Facebook or our business associates on LinkedIn. Or we monitor trending stories and its entertaining commentary on Twitter. The question people are asking – is our information safe?

Recently, I wrote about using Facebook to help with marketing in unretirement. For years, I’ve used Facebook for my marketing and I will continue to do so, simply because there are more advantages than disadvantages – as long as you’re smart about it.

First of all, know and understand your privacy settings. Every social media site has them. I recommend spending some dedicated time getting to know how every type of social post is handled. Can everyone see it? Only friends? With Facebook, you can start by seeing how others view your page. Click on your profile and, in the bottom right corner of your cover image there are three dots – that’s an extended menu. Click on it and select “View as . . . “.

The difference may be subtle, but you will notice a prompt to send yourself a friend request and an “Add Friend” button. You’re on the right page! From here, carefully read over your Intro box. Does it have the right information? Is it sharing information you don’t want to share here? Any changes in your information can be made using the “About” tab (be sure to quickly click on your profile again first to get back to interacting as you). You should select each heading listed on the left side of your profile and make any edits in the field as needed.

After you confirm your information is correct, it’s time to focus on your privacy settings. On the far right at the top of your Facebook page is a down arrow. Click that and select “Settings” from the drop-down menu. Select “Privacy” on the left to confirm your settings and edit them as needed. After that, select Timeline and Tagging on the left. That will give you a breakdown of your posting types and who can see them. From here, you can select “Edit” for each type of Facebook action and select who can see them from the drop-down menu.

Every social platform has their own version of a privacy setup. Get to know them! In fact, it’s a good idea to schedule an annual social media audit because sites tend to fine-tune their settings over time.

Social media is, and will continue to be, a major force in shaping our communities and culture. It offers vast opportunities! So, don’t be afraid to take advantage of everything it has to offer. Be smart and be aware. And, above all, be safe. It’s really not that hard to do.

Fitness Matters in Unretirement So Get Creative

March 21, 2018 by Keith Lauby Leave a Comment

Our pursuit of fitness changes over time. It’s not that we stop pursuing it – we can’t. But rather, how we do it and the tools we use to get there evolves as we age. And when you work for yourself, you may have to get creative where your fitness is concerned.

Please understand, I’m not a medical or fitness professional. But I am a business pro who is always looking for ways to keep healthy and fit. Ways that align with a hectic schedule. When I worked in corporate offices, some of my daily activity was walking to meetings, warehouses, and a variety of other workplaces. Now that I work in a home office, I’m looking for a different solution to help me keep active.

After reading that the Deskcise Pro from FlexiSpot won a 2018 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Innovation Award, I jumped at the chance to give it a test drive. The Deskcise Pro combines a standing desk and exercise bike in one compact piece of equipment. It has a very small footprint, so it doesn’t get in the way in my small office and it easily rolls wherever I want it. But don’t worry, it won’t roll around as you’re using it because it has an innovative feature that locks the wheels when you’re pedaling.

I’ve always believed that accessibility was the key to consistent use of any exercise equipment. It becomes even more important as we age. After waking up one morning with a stiff neck, I just used a spring lever on the Deskcise Pro to raise up the desk so it’s a little more comfortable to read on my laptop. You can also move the desktop a little closer just as easily. When my legs a little sore from too much yardwork, a dial on the Deskcise Pro main console lets me dial in just the right amount of resistance. And a screen allows me to track speed, distance, calories, odometer and revolutions per minute (RPMs).

Even if you don’t want to pedal, you can still be active. A spring lever adjustment can quickly convert your bike into a standing desk. Let’s face it, you I won’t have an excuse not to keep active anymore! And that’s important to me when I’m working from a home office.

Working in unretirement can bring a few challenges and fitness can be one of them. If you’re looking to keep up your activity in a home office, but don’t want to invest in a lot of different equipment or lose work time at the gym, consider checking out the Deskcise Pro. It’s a simple but creative solution that offers a lot of flexibility.