{"id":1795,"date":"2023-05-12T11:42:43","date_gmt":"2023-05-12T10:42:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bartolomefreire.es\/satisfaccion-laboral-y-transito-a-la-jubilacion\/"},"modified":"2023-10-05T13:00:45","modified_gmt":"2023-10-05T12:00:45","slug":"job-satisfaction-and-transitioning-into-retirement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bartolomefreire.es\/en\/job-satisfaction-and-transitioning-into-retirement\/","title":{"rendered":"JOB SATISFACTION AND TRANSITIONING INTO RETIREMENT"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s evident that the working role doesn\u2019t mean the same thing for everyone<\/strong>: it is a true calling for some, a means of generating income for many, and pure drudgery for some. At one extreme are those for whom their job is the central core of their identity and who experience retirement as an important rupture in the continuity of their lives. At the other, there are those who wish to break away from a heavy or conflictive obligation and take the opportunity to close this chapter of their personal history as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

In my study on retirement, from the book La Jubilaci\u00f3n, una nueva oportunidad<\/em> (2017, LIDeditorial), I found that among those who retired at the mandatory age and the ones who postponed their retirement date, men with higher levels of academic education<\/strong> and who stated that they\u2019d held management positions that favored their professional development perdominated. Mention of problems encountered was lower, and those who reported being satisfied with their work experience were higher.<\/p>\n

From this perspective, it\u2019s understandable that they waited until they reached the mandatory retirement age or postponed their retirement when possible. Some also found ways to keep using their professional skills after retirement. One businessman interviewed spoke of his retirement as follows: “Nothing I do is work. I do what I really enjoy doing and since I don’t know how to do anything else, I come in every morning and stay all day!<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n

However, not everyone who occupied a stimulating, well-paid or rewarding position waited until the official retirement age<\/strong> or tried to extend their professional practice. There were also those who took early retirement with the intention of broadening their horizons in the new life stage.<\/p>\n

Decisions that also depend on the work environment<\/h3>\n

There is another important consideration that appeared in the study above: the personal reward of working doesn\u2019t depend only on a professional, social or economic relevance<\/strong>, but also on whether a job itself or the work environment enhances the worker’s potential and satisfies needs that are important to them. I met people who\u2019d had a basic job, whose full dedication to work had been an important source of encouragement and self-esteem. They also delayed retirement and continued their occupations when offered the opportunity to do so.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, I found that lower academic and occupational levels, the absence of personal gratification and the existence of labor conflicts contributed to voluntary early retirement<\/strong>. One of my interviewees put it this way: “Having a grueling job is what made me long for retirement the most. It consumed the best hours of my day and most of my energy. When I got home I was completely drained”.<\/p>\n

Job dissatisfaction may have been ongoing, or due to fatigue<\/strong>, loss of motivation or maladjustment at the end of the journey. Those who fail to adapt to change may feel obsolete or become displaced by younger or more technologically advanced colleagues. How companies respond to the changes older employees experience may or may not contribute to how they adapt to them.<\/p>\n

Women and early retirement<\/h3>\n

More women than men took voluntary early retirement and did so for different reasons<\/strong>. The main ones were related to the type of work and a desire to reclaim the focus of their lives after years of dedication to meeting others people\u2019s needs. For the men and women I interviewed, a different relevance of the work role also influenced their different access to retirement, with the percentage of voluntary early retirements being doubled for women. I suspect that this fact is now changing and that many young women, who today devote the same time and energy to their training and subsequent career development as their male colleagues, will wish in the future to keep occupations in which they feel personally fulfilled.<\/p>\n

In other words, there is a correlation between the degree of job satisfaction or the type of work performed and the predisposition to retire or take early retirement<\/strong>. However, like any human decision, the willingness to move into retirement is multilayered and there are other reasons that drive the desire to retire, such as having plans to start delayed life changes or relying on a steady source of income, self-sufficient children and a good relationship with one’s partner. There are also apprehensions associated with this important transition which may contribute to delaying it, such as a fear of feeling lonely, empty or worthless.<\/p>\n

In conclusion, I\u2019d like to say that leaving work at a mandatory set age does not take into account the diversity of states, physical and mental, of people of the same age. In the face of so much variety, it would be advisable to establish the transition to retirement as a more flexible process. We should take into account individual health and the demands of the job<\/strong> and allow workers to participate, with their preferences, in when and how they take this step.<\/p>\n

References<\/h3>\n

Text published in 65ymas.com: Satisfacci\u00f3n laboral y tr\u00e1nsito a la jubilaci\u00f3n<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s evident that the working role doesn\u2019t mean the same thing for everyone: it is a true calling for some, a means of generating income for many, and pure drudgery for some. At one extreme are those for whom their job is the central core of their identity and who experience retirement as an important rupture in the continuity of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1752,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n