How can you help clients find a sense of purpose in retirement?

Leaving behind a strong professional identity upon retirement often leaves a real void. We tend to think of only personal strengths and values in planning retirement life, and not so much one’s now unexpressed work values. That can be limiting. For example, for someone who enjoyed decades of gratification from successfully leading teams, transitioning to life without leading others might feel very unfulfilling. Exploring values must consider both personal and work contexts to uncover opportunities for building satisfaction in retirement.

Volunteering can be a great source of connection in retirement, but this is best achieved when actual duties link to or express work values that have fewer outlets for expression once retired. For example, someone who enjoyed a challenging career as an entrepreneur may not find gratification handing out snacks at charity events. By contrast, a former working nurse might find it very fulfilling to volunteer as a veterinary tech in an animal shelter or a hospice. Assessments like the Strong Interest Inventory are great tools to expand awareness of ideas and possibilities for new and engaging pursuits.

In my experience it’s crucial that clients gain peace of mind in transitioning to retirement before they consider this. Using three buckets strategy, ensuring they understand how simplistic yet powerful this is can help engage & empower them for the next part of their journey.

For many employees their sense of identity or affinity can be tied to their career. It is important for people approaching this time in the life to recognise this and to make small steps to widen their network or community through hobbies, pursuits or, I have found the most popular, to be a volunteer for something that is important to them. Creating a community or support network can be very helpful and important for some and for others they take to retirement like a duck to water and for good reason, they likely have spent a lifetime creating these lasting connections outside of their career.

Social connections in retirement are a key predictor of retirement happiness; a person's relationships with family, friends, and community help determine how happy retirement will be. Don't forget the first two categories as a source of support! These relationships assume a much larger role post-retirement, and they should be a focus in the planning lead-up to retirement as well. Understandably, work connections tend to assume a much smaller role post-retirement. Overall, retirement will not magically fix broken relationships, but time can. Starting earlier to expand and deepen social connections that will continue post-retirement will make the retirement transition smoother.

It's important to note here that retirement is not a monolithic timeframe. In fact, retirement can be divided into 3 distinct periods largely driven by age and health - the 'Go Go' years, the 'Slow Go' years, and the 'No Go' years. Purpose and happiness will fluctuate as retirees move through these different phases, which is okay. Regular check-ins and a willingness to be flexible with changing needs can help make the journey both more realistic and more enjoyable.

Understanding the very well-documented phases of retirement adjustment researched by Robert Atchley can help one understand what to expect. The honeymoon phase generally comes to an end after initial travel and leisure pursuits are no longer a novelty. Boredom and a feeling of purposeless is nearly universal, known as the disenchantment phase. Understanding these phases in advance can help one plan for them strategically to soften their negative effects to achieve a more gratifying transition.