Some decades ago, I worked for a large American management consulting firm. I was there for close on 10 years and loathed every minute.
The fact that I was the only person in the building who thought it was a good idea to bring in their own standard lamp should have been a clue I was in the wrong job. But the benefits must have outweighed the costs and I learnt a lot. Andrew Jack’s article “Retirement this way” (House & Home, March 8) brought this to mind.
It’s a wonderful article about a terrific idea. With far too many people contemplating their retirement with a mixture of gloom, denial and Cabernet Sauvignon the notion that you could retire to a vibrant community of like-minded people was a ray of sunshine in a darkening world.
Retirement communities connected to universities, particularly campus universities, make a lot of sense. And the US has long pioneered innovative approaches to “eldercare”, eg with AARP (formerly the American Association of Retired Persons), three-tier retirement communities (where residents can move from independent living to nursing care if needed) etc.
It’s tempting to think that such an approach could be a solution to the universities’ financial woes, but this model might not fly in the UK and Europe.
However, the piece also made me think more about “professional friendships”. These appear to me to be increasingly relevant for people approaching retirement. It is a truth universally acknowledged that C-suite leaders approaching retirement must be in need of friends. If this isn’t you, congratulations!
But in my experience, a lot of people come to the end of full-on, full-time work, look around and wonder who their friends really are. But what also fascinates me is the way people’s relationships with colleagues (my own included) change as they leave the workplace. Those people who kept interrupting you and sucking up to the boss in that 8am Tuesday team meeting now turn out to be the people you meet to go round the V&A with.
Jane Maitland
Executive Coach, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK
