Working with a chronic disease

Personal health may be a factor for older workers in deciding when to retire, but it’s not as big a factor as previously thought, according to a new study by the Institute for Work & Health (IWH).

Despite experiencing more pain and fatigue, older workers with arthritis, diabetes or both were no different from their healthy peers based on interviews with 1,500 workers ranging from 50 to 67 years old. Across all groups, respondents planned to retire from their current job around the age of 65. Half expected to keep working part-time up to the age of 66, and one in 10 said they never wanted to stop working. Older workers’ retirement plans were sometimes influenced more by work-related factors—such as the type of work they did and the perceptions they had of their work—than by their health conditions, according to the study.

People who expected to retire at a younger age were less likely to see work as having a positive value. And those with lower career satisfaction were more likely to say they might have to retire sooner than planned. Finances feature in employee decisions around retirement, according to one expert, but they’re not the only thing.

Source: Canadian HR Reporter

Working into retirement?

Some people may need to work into their 70s for financial reasons. Regardless of why someone may want to continue working, there are different ways to go about it.
• Part-time. Transitioning or phasing in to part-time can be a great option to dip your toes into retirement. Not every employer will accommodate, but what have you got to lose by asking? 
• Consultant. More flexible than being an employee. You can set your own hours and rate, and work for other companies as well. However, if your relationship is similar to employment, the CRA may not agree that you are consultant and request payroll deductions.
• New job. What did you enjoy doing when you were younger? There may be some clues you should consider for a retirement position.

Some of the happiest and healthiest retirees I have met are still quite busy in retirement, whether they are in their 50s or 80s. This is one of the most important lessons I have learned during my own career, and something I imagine
as I envision my own retirement.

Source: Financial Post

Hiring older workers

There’s a lot of talk about gender bias, racial bias, and culture bias at work, and each are important for many reasons. But perhaps one of the biggest and most problematic types of bias we face is the bias of age: we often evaluate people based on their age, and this is now becoming a major challenge in the workplace.

Around 10,000 companies were asked, “Is age a competitive advantage or disadvantage in your organization?” Over two-thirds of the companies considered older age a competitive disadvantage. This is consistent with other studies.

In other words, if you are older, you are likely to be considered less capable, less able to adapt or less willing to roll up your sleeves and do something new than your younger peers. Much has been written about this recently because the workforce is aging at a rapid rate. People age 60 and over are projected to outnumber younger workers. 

The myth propagated by the retirement industry is that people over the age of 65 should retire. However, research actually shows that people who stop working often suffer from depression, heart attacks and a general malaise of not having as much life purpose.

Source: Harvard Business Review

The Little Book to Land Your Dream Job

By Billy Clark and Clayton Apgar
It is breezy, a bit fun, encouraging yet honest. Clark and Apgar outline the elements critical to analyzing your professional identity and provide hints on how to pursue your dream job.
Little Book Productions

The 2-Hour Job Search  

By Steve Dalton
Use the latest technology to target potential employers and secure interviews—no matter your experience, education, or network—with these revised and updated tools and recommendations. The 2-Hour Job Search rejects conventional wisdom in favour of a streamlined three-step approach where Dalton shows readers how to select, prioritize and make contact to land that critical first interview.
Ten Speed Press

Reinventing You  

By Dorie Clark
Whether you want to advance faster at your present company, change jobs or make the jump to a new field entirely, the goal is clear: to build on your unique passions, strengths and talents. Consider this your step-by-step road map for the next phase of your career journey that will help you develop a compelling personal brand and ensure that others recognize the powerful contribution you can make. Mixing stories, interviews and examples from Mark Zuckerberg, Al Gore, Tim Ferriss, Seth Godin and others. 
Harvard Business Review Press

Pivot  

By Jenny Blake
What’s next?  When the average job tenure is only four years, roles change constantly and people plateau. But how do you evaluate options and move forward without getting stuck? This book will introduce you to the Pivot Method and show you how to take small, smart steps to move in a new direction—now.
Penguin

Switchers 

By Dawn Graham
Stuck in an unsatisfying job? In the wrong profession? Written by celebrated career coach and psychologist Dr. Dawn Graham, Switchers provides proven strategies that go beyond the basics and tactics tailor-made to ensure your candidacy stands out. 
Amacom

Back to Work During COVID-19

By Canadian Abilities Foundation
A guide to assist with safe return to work during COVID-19 for families and caregivers.
canadianabilities.org/back-to-work/caregivers/

Work and Caregiving: A Balancing Act

By The Ontario Caregiver Organization 
Designed to help you manage the competing needs of work and caregiving while taking care of your health and happiness. It provides practical tools and tips to help you find solutions that could work for you and your employer. You’ ll learn ideas to help you manage caregiving, options for greater flexibility and support at work and tips for talking with your employer about accommodations. It will help you understand the importance of taking care of yourself and your mental health to find better balance in juggling daily life as a caregiver.
Ontariocaregiver.ca/workplace 

The Future of Work

A nine-person interdepartmental team looked at the changing nature of work. Facing a skills gap driven by automation and digital performance metrics, this insightful report sheds light on some of the changes we can expect. It’s an interesting read for those interested in the use of virtual reality and its effect on wages, types of jobs, taxes and labour laws.
Canadabeyond150.ca/reports

How to remain positive during a job search

Q) I am so frustrated. I am eager to find a job in a safe workplace and have applied to countless office clerk positions during the pandemic. Yet, I have received very few invites to job interviews. And when I finally have a job interview, I get rejected! How much more can I take of this? Any suggestions on how to move on?

A) “To succeed in your long-term goal of finding that dream opportunity and getting hired, you need to learn to cope with being turned down. Otherwise, it’s easy to let a momentary setback turn into a major career roadblock,” says Doyle on thebalancecareers.com. It’s also important to recognize that the job market is competitive right now. And sometimes, if you aren’t offered the position because the hiring manager doesn’t think you are a good fit, you are better off. Here are some of my suggestions for approaching these recurring situations:

• Talk to a friend, family member or mentor and share your feelings in a confidential setting. The best person to share this with is someone whom you trust—not your future boss or coworker. Venting can help sometimes to get over the anger and frustration but shortly thereafter, it’s important to move on. Consider mindfulness workshops and other stress-relieving activities to help you cope.

• Don’t burn your bridges. Don’t share anything negative or react emotionally at the job interview or after rejection. You never know if you might want to apply to the organization again in the future. More often than not, you will never know the truth about why you were turned down. And I’ve known cases when the same manager came back to the candidate at a later date with a job offer!!!

• Follow up the rejection with an email. This is a proactive way that might open the door with the hiring manager to consider you for other positions with the organization.

• Improve your job search skills. These turn downs happen to everyone at all levels. It’s what you do next that counts. Use this opportunity to continue to learn and get feedback on your techniques. This could include practicing your interviewing skills, revising your resume or cover letter, increasing your social media presence and professional networking as well as keeping busy with your hobbies and acquiring new skills. 

• Stay involved. Consider participating in employment centres that are operating virtual employment support services for persons with disabilities during and after COVID-19.

• Ask for “constructive criticism” on your application. Although this rarely happens, sometimes an employer will offer valuable feedback on your candidacy including your resume and cover letter as well as how you did during the job interview. It doesn’t hurt to ask—but remember, this is their choice.

• Don’t give up. Keep the momentum of your job search up even if you are waiting to hear back about jobs you’ve applied for! Never stop. Continue looking until you have a serious job offer in writing that you have accepted! 

Joanna Samuels, MEd, is an adult educator with an expertise in career/job coaching and community/business partnership building.