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For many, un-retiring has rewards

Posted on 19. Oct, 2005 by Bill in Employment News

For many, un-retiring has rewards

After working for 35 years as a teacher in public schools, Ellie Lyons works in kitchen at the private Shaker Road School in Concord. She is among a growing number of seniors who opt to return to work after they retire.

Eight months after he retired, Ken Chenette reached a conclusion that’s becoming more common for older Americans: To make ends meet, he’d have to mix the leisure of his later years with part-time work.

Chenette, 72, found a job easily. The State Hospital needed help in the laundry room a few days a week, and Chenette had worked there full time as a younger man.

But other seniors encounter dead ends when they try to re-enter the work force after retirement, illness or losing a spouse. As a result, staffing agencies, state programs and other organizations are shifting their services to meet the needs of an aging work force.

For some retirees, part-time work is a way to skirt boredom and preserve skills they’ve spent a lifetime honing. For others, like Chenette, it’s a financial necessity.

“I realized that between Social Security and my state retirement, it wasn’t quite enough,” said Chenette, who retired again two years ago when his wife began to receive her pension.

He hopes he won’t have to return to work again, but he says he might need another job if something unexpected comes up.

A recent study by the AARP found that roughly 70 percent of Americans plan to work after retiring or never retire. However, workers nearing retirement hope for jobs that will allow them to set their own schedule, reduce their hours or take sabbaticals to travel and spend time with their families. Employment experts say catering to these needs will become crucial as baby boomers reach their 60s.

“A lot of folks are wrapped up in their jobs, that’s their identity,” said Sharon Stephens, who runs AARP’s senior employment office in Manchester. “You take their jobs away, and they lose their identity. With some, it’s a genuine need. They didn’t plan well, or with prices going up, they need to get part-time jobs.”

The bulk of Stephens’s clients are low-income seniors who qualify for federally subsidized, part-time work. But she refers older workers from all economic backgrounds to temp agencies and companies looking for experienced help. Retirees have found jobs as office staff, warehouse workers and security guards.

“We have employers call up and say, ‘We want seniors’ because of their work ethics, the fact that they understand they have to show up to work. They’re pleasant, they’re not as competitive,” Stephens said.

While many companies hire older workers by happenstance, others are actively seeking retirees. CoWorx Staffing, a New Jersey-based company with offices in New Hampshire, hopes to target people in 55-plus housing developments to find older workers looking for extra cash and a way to stay involved in the work force.

“As the (demographic) shift happens, we have to think of things that are important to that group of people,” said Rachel Makarewicz, the company’s national recruitment manager.

Flexible schedules might be more important to workers than health benefits or a credit union, she said. And retirees should be treated differently than 20-somethings fresh out of college.

“Someone’s who’s been in the workplace 20 or 30 years expects to be respected for the skills and experience they have,” she said.

Older workers may offer polished office manners and decades of experience, but they sometimes need help updating their resumes and learning computer skills. They also may be less willing to take entry-level jobs.

“It’s a different twist to it,” said Lillian Picard, director of the Bedford-based temp agency Bancroft Staffing. “You can’t just be a receptionist and answer phones anymore. But without computer skills, you can’t go too far without that.”

Nancy Boyer, who’s 61 and lives in Manchester, took a computer class a few years ago, but it wasn’t her thing. After her divorce, she used the AARP to find jobs that didn’t require high-tech skills. She’s worked in the gift shop at Concord Hospital and at a dry cleaners. These days, she’s a part-time home health care aide and was recently named AARP’s Older Worker of the Year

“It’s funny, I just don’t feel old,”she said.

Elli Lyons of Concord didn’t expect to work again when she retired from teaching after 35 years. But after two years, she was bored silly.

“I just decided, ‘I need a job,’”said Lyons, 66. “I just need to be out, to be with people.”

Lyons didn’t need a staff agency to find work because the local schools offer plenty of part-time work. For the last eight years, she’s worked in the lunch room at Shaker Road School. Children are still a part of her day, but she shoulders far less responsibility.

“It’s nice to work, too,” she said. “I don’t have to worry about money as much, it allows me to do more if I choose to.”

Of course, some folks are bucking the trend. Alvin Witham, 64, has been working on construction sites for 37 years. As a younger man, he performed heavy lifting. Now, he drives trucks. Witham hopes to keep working until he’s spent four decades on the job, which would put him just shy of 70 years old.

“I think I’m going to stay to this as long as I can,” he said. “Then maybe do a little traveling.”

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