I’m not ready to Retire
“Great party, Jackie,” Katie said. “How many birthday celebrations have we thrown at this office? It seems like we’ve cleaned up this break room a thousand times.”
“Could be, if you count all the celebrations we’ve coordinated the last twenty years. Baby showers, wedding showers, service anniversaries. Not to mention retirement parties.” Jackie said as her smile transformed into a playful pout.
“Please, don’t mention retirement. I know I’m not ready to retire yet. I don’t care what HR has to say about it. If they approach me again this year to take the voluntary package, I may flip my Jaclyn Smith wig.” Katie’s eyes blaze with fire as she tosses trash in the can.
“Okay, calm down, Katie. I know how you feel about it, and believe me, so does Kelly in HR,” Jackie chuckled.
“What do you mean?” she asked over her shoulder as she washed her hands.
Jackie joined her at the sink and gave her a hip bump, gesturing her to scoot over. “I just mean, last year when Kelly approached some of us with the early retirement package, I couldn’t help but overhear the…how shall I say…passionate discussion you two were having when it was your turn. Remember, you two were in the conference room right behind my cube.”
“Frankly, I felt insulted that they thought I’d be interested in taking early retirement at 52 years old. I had no idea I was even on their radar. When I think retirement, I think 65 at the earliest, you know?” Katie’s voice softened as she laid her head on Jackie’s shoulder.
“I know, me too. But you can’t take it personally. It’s just a business practice. Mr. Jamison’s advisers encouraged him to offer the early retirement packages to a select group to help offset costs.”
“I know how it works.” Katie stiffened in defiance. “They want to cut costs by encouraging the older employees who have reached their salary ceiling out the door to bring in young people right out of school whom they can train and start at the bottom of the pay-scale. I get it and it stinks for those of us who are loyal long-timers.”
“What stinks?” Kelly Snowden, the HR Director, placed her coffee mug on the counter. On the mug was an image that read ‘You don’t have to be crazy to work here — we’ll train you.’
Jackie and Katie both started laughing after reading Kelly’s mug. “Oh, nothing really, I was just venting. But your mug there is hilarious and kinda relates to my vent. Anyway, you gals have a great weekend. I’m off now to go to my yoga class.” She winked at Jackie and said, “we old chicks need to stay flexible.” Before walking out the door, she turned towards Jackie and Kelly, placed her hands in prayer position, bowed her head slightly and said “Namaste.”
Times — They are a changing
Early on Monday morning Katie prepared the conference room for the weekly staff meeting. People strolled in the room, in their own little worlds, either heads down texting or heads tilted to shoulders talking on their mobile phones. There was no exchange of pleasantries as they made their way in.
“Good morning, how is everyone? Katie said to no one in particular. She got a head nod and two waves in response. Nothing from the rest of the staff members. She realized that they had about 15 minutes before the boss arrived. “Okay then, perhaps I’ll have another coffee.”
As Katie poured, Charlie Campbell walked up behind her to do the same. “How are you doin’, Miss Kate?” Charlie had been working at JT Industries just a few years longer than she.
“Charlie, hi there. I’m doing fine, sir. And, how are you this Monday morning?”
“Oh, well you know.” Charlie offered a mischievous grin. “Not too bad as far as Monday mornings go. Let’s see how the day progresses.” He poured his coffee, then turned to lean against the counter. Katie did the same.
They watched the group sitting at the conference table. Each staffer completely absorbed in their personal devices, texting, surfing, or preparing slide decks. Katie nudged him with her elbow and said, “When did we stop talking to each other at these staff meetings, Charlie? Look at these folks. They’re all siloed, each in their own little world.”
“Sad, isn’t it.” Charlie said. “We used to get to know each other in these forums. We’d learn about each other’s families and where we go on vacations. I blame it on technology. Look at’em. Every single one engrossed in their little device. Not five years ago, we’d all be chattin’ up a storm while we waited for the meeting to begin.”
Katie sighed heavily. “So true. No one is social anymore. Well, in person anyway. There’s lots of social activity going on in their little devices. There’s Facebook now. Instagram, Tweeter and I don’t know what else.”
Charlie chuckled, “I think you mean Twitter. But, I getcha. Remember how we used to meet people when we were young? Church. Nowadays, people swipe right. Or, is it left? I don’t know. I’m just thankful I still have the gift of gab, because I’m not all that keen to tweet to stay engaged with my friends and neighbors.”
“Well, one thing’s for sure,” Katie added. “We do need to learn all this technology, or we’ll be tossed aside. Ah, here’s the boss. Chat with you later, Charlie.”
It Takes A Village
Katie and Jackie walked outside during the lunch hour to get some fresh air and sunshine. “Let’s kick it up a notch and get our heart pumping.” Jackie’s face lit up as she challenged her friend playfully. “Come on, get those arms movin’.”
After a mile, Kate and Jackie approached some park benches and decided to take a break. “Well, as I live and breathe.” Katie noticed an old friend sitting alone. “Patty O’Reilly. I haven’t seen you in ages. How are you, these days?” She sat next to her old friend, took her hand, and added with a laugh, “What’s in the bag, hon? Got some lunch for the office crew?”
Patty offered a weak smile. “No, this is some of my personal belongings from my desk. I just got laid off from my job, Katie. Can you believe it?”
“What? No. Oh, Patty, I am so sorry. Wait, haven’t you been employed at HSC for 15 years or so?” Katie’s face paled in reaction to Patty’s shocking news.
“I’ve been sitting on this bench all morning, Katie,” Patty admitted. “I just don’t know what I’m going to do. I have a little money saved up, but not enough to retire comfortably. I’m terrified to think about looking for a new job at my age. I don’t even know how to start. How is a widowed 55-year-old woman supposed to compete with the younger crowd fresh out of college?” Patty’s eyes glimmered with tears she explained her plight.
“Patty, this is my friend Jackie. She and I work together.”
“Hi Patty, I’m so sorry,” Jackie said. “Listen, I know someone who can help you. He’s a recruiter that my sister-in-law works with. I’d be happy to get you two connected. I know he could prepare you for a job search.”
“Really?” Patty said with hope. “That would be fantastic. I could sure use the help. Thanks so much.” Patty stood and hugged Jackie then Katie. “I can’t believe you guys ran into me today. Seriously, I’ve been sitting here on this bench, depressed. Thank you, sincerely.”
Katie took Patty’s hands and pulled her in close. “Listen here, you. I remember you being a force to reckon with. Don’t let this setback take you down. It’s merely a hurdle. A test.”
“I used to be pretty good at tests.” Patty said with a sparkle in her eyes.
“That’s right, a test that you can pass with excellence. All you need to do is study. And we have good study partner, right Jackie?”
Jackie stepped closer and placed her hands on both Katie and Patty’s. “You’ve got this, girl. Don’t sweat it. I’ll get you introduced and all you need to do is freshen up your resume, attend some networking events and start promoting yourself. After you make some new connections, you’ll have a new job in no time.”
Stepping Out of Comfort Levels and Continued Learning
Katie, Patty and Jackie started meeting regularly for lunch. One afternoon, Patty shared some of her experiences. “Guys, I’m amazed at all that I’m learning. Earlier this week, I attended a workshop that had a great speaker. She talked about finding success when stepping out of our comfort zones. She had sessions on empowerment and taught us strategic techniques in promoting ourselves. Specifically, she was referring to people in our age group who need to challenge ourselves and learn new things.”
Katie said, “Makes sense to me. Most importantly because the competition in the workforce is fierce. Having to find a job at my age is something I do not want to think about.”
Jackie added, “Personal growth is important, no matter what age. We can’t be professionally stagnant.”
Patty looked at her watch and said, “2 o’clock, oh my. I need to run, girls. I’m attending another workshop this afternoon. This speaker promotes herself as being on a mission to help individuals become exceptional communicators.”
Katie smiled broadly. “I am so proud of you, Patty. You’re already an expert in finance and business management. But, look at you putting yourself out there expanding your knowledge and having fun in the process.”
“Can you believe it, Katie?” Patty said. I’m amazed at the connections I’m making. I’m feeling more confident every day. I’m creating a brand new me!”
Boomers Aren’t the Only Ones Dealing with Ageism
While Katie paid the check for lunch, Jackie’s sister-in-law walked into the restaurant. “Hey there, Tammy, how are you?” Jackie greeted her warmly. “We were just having lunch with Patty, the gal I hooked up with your recruiter colleague. She’s doing so well. Please send our thanks to him.”
Tammy said, “That’s great news. Adam’s a wonderful coach. He’s been helping a lot of folks maneuver this tough job market.”
Katie joined in. “I used to be fearful of the thought of having to look for a new job at my age and competing with young people right out of college. But, now that I have connections, the thought isn’t as frightening.”
Tammy said, “You know, it might surprise you both to learn that young people just joining the job market, are also dealing with difficulties, quite similarly to our age group.”
“Really?” replied Katie. “That is surprising. They’re the trainable. The recently educated, the techies. How is it that the young generation can be having difficulties?”
“Well, not only are they having trouble finding jobs that match their degrees, they’re losing roles to people with years of experience.”
Perplexed, Katie said, “I had no idea ageism could be a double-edged sword. I’ve only been looking at it from the baby boomer perspective. Thanks for opening my eyes to the breadth of the issue.”
“You’re welcome, Katie,” Tammy said. “The key for any age group is to keep current on technology, network heavily and think about how to sell yourself even while gainfully employed. We always want to leave good impressions. You never know when hiring managers may be scouting for new employees. Impressions are like files to hiring managers. Bad ones go directly into the ‘round file.’ Adam teaches that we should always behave like we’re being interviewed, especially on social media.”
“That makes sense,” Katie replied. “I could get laid off just like Patty did and need to be ready to market myself. And, a bad reputation could kill my chances of impressing hiring managers. Or, conversely my reputation can make me a worker that managers want to hire. I want to be the latter.”
“You’ve got it,” Tammy said.
“We have to prepare ourselves because, you just never know what the future holds.” After lunch, Katie arrived her office brimming with confidence. She realized that people of all ages dealt with challenges in the workplace.
And, that the key to handling any challenge is to be prepared and to have a positive mindset. With that, she could handle anything.
