The right to a dream retirement

The good old Daily Mail has done itself proud again with an article entitled Women pay price of retirement at 66 in Osborne’s sneaky pension age hike.

Let’s disregard the issue of whether Mr Osborne’s decision does or does not represent “a sneaky hike” bearing in mind that the previous Labour government had already decided to increase women’s pension age gradually from 60 to 65 between 2010 and 2020, and to 66 between 2024 and 2026.

The complaint against this article is that it, as so many others, confuses the issues of retirement and pension provision.  It states:

“Campaigners and experts said it was grossly unfair that those who have worked hard all their lives will have to struggle on… when they had hoped to be enjoying dreams of retirement.”

Two elements in that statement represent the crux of the issue: “will have to struggle on” and “dreams of retirement”.

First of all, retirement means stopping work – whether or not that work is for your long-term employer, or other work that you do after that.  No one can force you to keep working; if you have the means to support yourself financially you can stop working, i.e. retire, whenever you like.  And now that the government is abolishing Default Retirement Age, most people can now continue to work as long as they like if they have a job.

State pension provision relates to the age at which those who have worked are entitled to receive a fairly derisory amount from the government in the form of a pension. Until recently, women could start receiving their state pension – currently worth £97.65 a week – at the age of 60.

The article quite rightly states that although not everybody will have to keep on working, millions of women won’t have a choice because they simply cannot afford to retire before their state pension starts to pay out. But it’s pushing the bounds of credulity to suggest that a situation of living on £97.65 could equate to “dreams of retirement”.

What is really meant by this statement is illustrated by the case studies of two women included in the article – one of whom is 58 and the other 54 – who will now retire at different ages. Both women have a company pension but say they need the money from their state pension before they can afford to retire.

One will have to work longer before qualifying for the state pension, delaying plans “to indulge a passion for scuba diving”. Meanwhile, the other, who will still retire at 62 “intends to spend as much time as possible playing golf, especially on foreign holidays”.  These are “dreams of retirement”. 

All well and good – and good luck to them. But one has to question the role of the state pension in supporting these dreams. And the idiocy of suggesting that for people such as this delaying the receipt of a state pension is somehow “a cruel blow”. If these ladies were to rein in their aspirations they could probably – like millions of others –afford to retire right now.  You pays your money – you takes your choice.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1322696/Women-pay-price-retirement-66.html#ixzz134WGqN9l

 

The health benefits of work

The Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (AFOEM) of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians has developed a position statement entitled ‘Realising the Health Benefits of Work’.

In her foreword to the associated policy document, Dame Carol Black, National Director for Health and Work, UK states:

“For most people work is good for their health and their wellbeing and loss of work, whether because of impaired health or for other reasons, is generally harmful. The results of worklessness are plain to see: loss of self esteem, standing and identity within the community besides, of course, a halt to material progress, social participation and fulfillment. But that is not all…Health, both physical health and mental health, soon become impaired”.

Whilst the overall premise of the report is that people need to return to work more speedily following periods of ill-health or injury, the main message that loss of work is harmful resonates strongly with the position of older people who are no longer working due to redundancy or an inability to find a job.

The message must also apply, to a considerable degree, to those who have retired.

We need to remember this in the ongoing arguments about whether older or younger people “deserve” to have jobs. The underlying proposition is clear: for people of all ages to retain good physical and mental health, they need to have a key purpose and meaningful social interaction – needs that are best met by some sort of work, whether paid or voluntary. Resources should be focused on creating work, rather than allocated to treating the problems created due to lack of it.

For further information, see: http://afom.racp.edu.au/page/media-and-news/realising-the-health-benefits-of-work

 

We’re not giving “all our love” this week, Michael McIntyre

Just at a time when the new Equality Act is being implemented and a major new report has been published by the EHRC, it was sad (and rather sinister) to see Andrew Lawrence’s act on Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow last Saturday. We are regular devotees of this show and the comedians it highlights but not, I am afraid, Andrew Lawrence.

Irrespective of whether one finds his particular style very funny, the ending of his performance with an impassioned rant about “old people” was distasteful and unhelpful, even possibly hateful. If one had substituted some aspect of “race”, “religion”, “disability” or “gender” for “age” his tirade would, no doubt, have been seen as totally unacceptable. It had that same uncomfortable feel as Joel Grey’s “Master of Ceremonies” persona in Cabaret. Be very afraid if this is a taste of things to come. Overreaction? Maybe?

His act finished with the following exhortation towards old people,

“You won’t die!

When will you die?

Why can’t you just die?”

To view his performance on You Tube click below. The particular piece referred to comes after about six and a half minutes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7Ns3Q5P_1k

 

 

 

Another step in the right direction

We have written many times before about the need for people to open their eyes to the huge potential of older workers playing their full part in the work environment – just one such arena being the case for apprenticeships to be seen as open to all ages and not just the young. 

And so it is with a loud round of applause that we report a huge increase in the number of over 50s undertaking apprenticeships, a doubling of the numbers from 2007/8 to 2008/9, and now standing at significantly over 5000. Of these, 400 are in their 60s and 13 in their 70s, the oldest being 76. (These figures have recently been obtained from the Skills Funding Agency by Age UK and TAEN.)

As  Age UK charity director Michelle Mitchell said: “It’s great to see so many 50-plus workers snap up the opportunity to upgrade their skills or make a fresh start with their careers through an apprenticeship.

“This 5000-strong army of silver apprentices is a refreshing sight which defies the stereotype that older people are reluctant to learn new skills and sends a clear message that age is no barrier to what people can achieve.”

(Shame about the use of the term “silver apprentices”)

The messages are clear:

• Older people are keen to seize opportunities, given the chance. 
• Older workers are capable of learning new skills and are happy to do so.
• Older people do have ambitions and horizons stretching out well into the future.
• Those employers who are willing to embrace these notions are to be warmly congratulated.

For more, see The National Apprenticeship Scheme http://www.apprenticeships.org.uk

 

 

 

Old age – new approaches

What is the future of retirement? It used to be a time when people were “too old to work, too young to die”. But now 68% of Britons expect to work past retirement age while one in 10 believe they will never be able to afford to give up work. As the default retirement age is abolished and the state pension age recedes what does the future hold for people now in their forties, fifties and sixties?

This was the focus of an excellent seminar held by NESTA earlier this week showcasing – in the main – the views of Marc Freedman, the US author and campaigner, who founded the Experience Corps and the Purpose Prize (an award for entrepreneurs over the age of 60).

Key points, which echoed many of the things we have been saying for some time, included:

• That a new generation now exists in between the middle aged and the truly old
• That work is, for many, something to aspire to (especially in later life) rather than a burden
• That “careers” need restructuring to allow career breaks and changes right throughout the working life
• That people need to be challenged and supported by their employers early on, to consider what they will do in terms of working in later life, for example, new careers, retraining, entrepreneurship.
• That education and development should continue across the lifespan
• That older people are just as able and inherently innovative as their younger colleagues
• That the huge, largely untapped value in older workers needs to be better utilised for the good of society as a whole.

There was plenty more. BT’s Caroline Waters also spoke – giving examples of what is already being achieved within that workplace and exhorting other employers to think more imaginatively about what can be done in terms of enabling their workforce at all ages – rather than focusing on what can’t.

 

Following hot on the heels of the equally inspiring Working Families conference last week, this makes one feel that, at last, there may be some green shoots of hope for older people.

Working Families: The business case for older workers

Congratulations to Working Families for their hugely interesting and engaging conference last week: 50+: Understanding, engaging and developing your older workforce. We were delighted to be counted amongst the speakers who, in a packed and thought-provoking day, addressed a range of practical issues relating to the continuing employment of older workers.

Key messages included the need for employers to develop a strong business case for employing older people with a fascinating keynote speech from Jez Langhorn, UK HR Director, McDonald’s Restaurants on the path that had led them to their understanding of the value of older workers for their business. The basic message was that employers need to think creatively and imaginatively and put some effort into looking at their business processes in a different way – a point that was echoed by Carol Sergeant, Chief Risk Officer at Lloyds Banking Group in her presentation about maximising the potential of older workers and the links to risk, and competitiveness.

These messages were underlined by Georgina Churchlow, Senior Reward Consultant at Haygroup who spoke about the increasing importance of good performance management right across the business.

The overall result was, for once, some really encouraging messages about the role and value of older workers and the fact that, within business, the issues surrounding them are not insurmountable and can actually bring about significant and wide-ranging, measurable, bottom-line benefits for the business as a whole and employees of all ages (there was some particularly encouraging input about intergenerational working).

Heaven knows how long it will take to get these messages through to them, but many business leaders who are currently complaining about the abolition of the default retirement age would benefit from taking note.

For more about “Working Families”visit http://www.workingfamilies.org.uk/