Senior Spotlight: Defining The Great Reflection

What people want out of work and out of life has changed – here’s how.

This week’s brand-new Senior Spotlight topic comes to us from AARP, based on the read ‘Older Americans Are Rethinking Work and Life’ published just a few weeks ago. While the pandemic originally spurred the ‘Great Resignation’ and led to many older workers transitioning out of the workforce and retiring early, many of those individuals are now reconsidering if that move was the right one – and what to do next.

As AARP summarizes, “high inflation and scary investment losses recently have sliced into retirement savings, pushing some older people back into employment.” In other situations, however, older Americans missed having a purpose, connecting with others, and contributing to society. With the labor shortage and need for older workers to keep working, a new trend has emerged: the Great Reflection.

Jeffrey Cole, Director of the University of Southern California’s Center for the Digital Future, defines it as ”[A] time of reflection is about our mental health as much as our financial health. It’s about focusing on the quality of our relationships and experiences and pursuing our passions.”

What this looks like in reality is that those retirees who are choosing to re-engage in the workforce are approaching it differently. This may mean:

- Moving closer and gaining employment closer to family & friends

- Pursuing positions that include education & training as part of personal growth

- Working part-time to allow time for leisure, hobbies, and travel

- Seeking employers that consider overall well-being and advocate work/life balance

- Requesting flexible work hours and remote opportunities

While our purpose in sharing this information is to inspire you to reflect on what you want in life, retirement and beyond and how to make it happen, AARP is also taking steps from an advocacy perspective.

Their ‘Living, Learning and Earning Longer (LLEL)’ initiative is a collaboration with employers “to help them identify and implement promising policies and business practices, with a focus on recruiting, retaining and investing in a multigenerational workforce.” You can read more about that initiative here.

No matter how you choose to embrace longevity, we hope you take every opportunity to make it meaningful and make it yours. Life is too short not to!

Warmest regards,

Bobbi

Bobbi Decker
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