Late career and retirement
When we help
THE RETIREMENT TRANSITION COACHING PROGRAM IS EVIDENCE-BASED AND FACILITATED BY LEADING WORKPLACE PSYCHOLOGISTS
Consisting of five hours of individual coaching and the option of a facilitated meeting between the employee and their manager, the program provides the tools and resources proven to maximise transition success.
In line with best practice, the engagement spans the three phases of retirement:
Phase 1: Preparing for retirement (2 hours)
Whether people are approaching their retirement date or finding it hard to set one, we know that planning is key to wellbeing. During the first meeting, the employee will be introduced to the principles of transition success through completing the Transition Guide as well as a personalised Transition Action Plan. Practical strategies to enhance wellbeing in retirement are also discussed at this time and in a follow-up meeting.
Phase 2: Leaving work (1 hour)
Designed to be completed at least two weeks before leaving work, this session is designed to help an employee finish well and make an 'after retirement' plan. You’ll work together to finalise the Transition Action Plan and continue to reflect on your hopes, fears and challenges. At the same time, you’ll implement strategies for wellbeing and start to shift your thinking towards your new role as a happy and healthy retiree.
Phase 3: Adjusting to retirement (2 hours)
These sessions revolve around helping to create and sustain wellbeing in retirement. Unfolding in two phases, the first will take place a month after retirement and assess your initial transition, celebrate early wins and identify any unexpected issues. The second will take place three to six months after your retirement and will discuss your ongoing strategies for transition success.
Retirement by design: Late career to retirement seminars
Prepare employees
Late career is the life-stage from around 50 years where people set goals and make decisions that influence their personal, social, economic and employment situation in preparation for retirement. It is an important stage of life as we make work-related choices that carry us through to a fulfilling retirement.
- Working Well Retiring Well: Moving beyond the traditional financial and physical health considerations, this session explores ways to maximise wellbeing in the lead up to retirement and after you stop working. A number of practical strategies and resources to support the transition will also be discussed.
- Designing Your Late(r) Career:In light of the changing landscape of retirement and the reframing of modern ageing, there is an opportunity for those in their 40s and 50s to intentionally design their late career even when the future is unknown. Aiming to bridge this gap, this session applies Design Thinking principles to planning our late career in a way that is flexible and adaptable and allows us to respond purposefully as things change.
Ageing Workforce Ready
Managing an ageing workforce
People are living longer, healthier lives, which inevitably means that people want to—and need to—work for longer.
Combined with labour shortages issues and the proven benefits of age diversity, it is a workplace necessity to proactively support the wellbeing and engagement of older workers.
While many businesses are starting to recognise the impacts and risks, few appear to have done anything strategic in response and many have no programs in place to address the risks and opportunities.
Upskill your managers
People’s managers play an important role in supporting people to identify their late career goals and navigate their transition to retirement. This series of training modules raises awareness amongst managers and contributes to an organisational culture that values age diversity.
The e-learning complements the facilitator-led core modules. The core modules are supplemented by on ‘online role plays’ that managers can access following the training. These roles plays allow managers to practice difficult conversations in private, and experience how different scenarios may playout.
E-learning
- Introducing ageing workforce: Why it matters and considerations regarding capacity to work
- Capacity to work: Considerations
Core Modules
- Recruitment: Talent and age-diversity
- Capacity to work: Compliance
- Capacity to work: Conversations
- Flexible working: Obligations and opportunities
- Late-career: When retirement is a few years away
- Mental health: Conversations with older workers
- Retirement: Planning the transition
Elective Modules
- Late-career and COVID-19: New perspectives for HR and senior leaders
- Mental health: Conversations with older workers
Maturity of Practice Index (MPI)
Transitioning Well’s MPI offers a unique mix of psychological, legal and business-focused perspectives to help build effective policies and procedures that support ageing and age-diverse workforces.
During our expert review process we partner collaboratively with organisations to identify the most significant points of leverage so that they can invest in the most valuable areas from an ageing workforce ready perspective.
Through our approach employers gain insight into the four pillars of an ageing workforce (i.e. Roadmap, Recruitment, Retention and Retirement). Using this framework we bring together information from a review of internal policies and procedure documents, focus groups and interviews with key stakeholders, and tailored insights form the research literature. The resulting report will include recommendations that allow you to proactively support an ageing workforce.
The MPI process includes:
- Desktop document review.
- Interviews and focus groups.
- Tailored report.
- Presentation of findings to stakeholders.
Thought leadership and resources
We have a variety of digital resources that further support retirement pathways and an ageing workforce—from late career to unretirement.
Our 'white papers' explore topics in more depth. There are fact sheets and worksheets designed for HR, Senior Leaders, Managers and Employees which increase awareness and guide change. In addition, the manager ‘how to’ guides provide prompts on how to have important, and sometimes difficult conversations about late career and retirement.
These resources are freely available at www.awrproject.com.au/resources with three extended thought leadership papers:
- The Age Difference:
How to foster performance and wellbeing in older workers. - Late Career Navigation:
How to make the most of living and working for longer. - Unretirement:
Transition pathways in retirement.
The resources have been developed through funding from WorkSafe Victoria’s WorkWell Mental Health Improvement Fund.
Career Transition Series
Many of us will experience career transitions in our lifetime - whether it is having a baby or a career change, managing a personal crisis, or retiring from the workforce altogether. As an employer or manager, it can be hard to know how best to support someone during these times of career transition.
The Career Transition Series provides workplaces with research-led and practical approaches. It shares the stories of organisations supporting their people through eight key transitions, highlights what has worked and relays lessons for others.
As the population ages, many older workers look forward to their late career and retirement, however each experience can be different and there are a range of mental health risk that employers need to be aware of, and consider in their practices. The Late Career & Retirement transition guide provides valuable guidance for employers of ageing workers.
Developed in partnership with National Mental Health Commission, the series was produced through the National Workplace Initiative after research and consultation highlighted the need for guidance on supporting career transitions.
Team Dynamics Training (PsyCap)
Empower your leaders to best support people through the late career and retirement transitions with team dynamics training.
Together, you can unpack the challenges that present in this life-changing time of transition, and build positive thinking patterns that can challenge and replace deep-seated assumptions and beliefs, and ultimately build team cohesion to ensure sustainable practices across this important life-work transition.
