The most interesting and thought provoking lines from a recent BBC report on attitudes to retirement was this:

“One of the most revealing parts of the research came when they ask retiree’s how they described themselves…they will usually say I’m a retired librarian or I’m a retired educator…they will still have that profession tacking onto who they are”

Converse to the anger around retirement ages going up year on year (of which there is a lot of criticism, justifiably), many retiree’s in this recent report found there was a deeper identity crisis at the heart of retirement – namely, that they don’t want to be “seen as yesterday’s news”, or “left out to pasture”.

As recruiters, we know that, as the baby boomer generation grow into retirement, an overwhelming amount of skill will be leaving the work place, especially in highly technical roles in manufacturing, finance, public service, health care and science.

Work and working environments are integral not only to your own financial security, but are often the way modern adults  explore and develop friendships, engage with culture and discover new things – be they learning simple new skills or exploring a totally new career path.

As recruiters, we cannot afford to let the aging population feel unvalued and we regularly communicate to clients, especially our service clients, that being flexible for older workers around families, retirement or health is vital if they want to grow as a company: they can’t afford not to be, considering the wealth of knowledge they have and, as proven in the report, how much they still want to work.

Read the full BBC report here – www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-48882195