We were all born with the potential of a life’s Purpose within us. Our actual Purpose may change during different periods of our lives, but we are all capable of having one. Oftentimes people confuse their Livelihood or their Job as their Purpose, and it might be, but it might not. Often their Purpose may not be the job itself, but rather the effects that their job may create. And what happens when we lose the avenue for what we feel is our Purpose?
Your Purpose is something that gives you a sense of satisfaction at your core. In addition, with Purpose, there is an outward connection to someone, something, or the world in general. For some people, they understand their livelihood is certainly not their hobby or their passion; but they are confused and think it is their Purpose. Now, perhaps their job may be both their livelihood and their Purpose in life. That is certainly a possibility. But oftentimes it is not the job itself that is their Purpose, but the joy they feel being a provider for their family or the connection that they feel after completing a “job well done” that defines their actual Purpose. The care and the financial security they can give those they love, or the effects that their work may create is their true Purpose, not the actual day to day job itself. They find an identity in those roles and often, when that identity is lost as in the case of retirement, people may enter a period of feeling lost or s go soul searching. Their feelings of Purpose ended when their job ended, and they may feel hollow and may not understand how to replace it. They may not understand why they feel the way they do. After all, they have reached a goal that they have probably been striving towards for years. They had dreamed about leisurely days with no work-related responsibilities; then once that day arrives, they feel like a cork being tossed around an ocean with no true direction. The problem may lie in the fact that their Life Purpose has disappeared, and they now will have to discover their new Purpose.
A couple of years ago, the Social Security Department had noticed a trend. They conducted a study and found that men that retire at age 62 have a 20% higher likelihood of death than the general population. However, retiring early for women causes no increase in mortality rates. [1]Similarly, A study of Shell Oil employees found that those who retired at 55 and lived to be 65 died 37% sooner than those that retire at 65. And in general, people who retire at 55 are 89% more likely to die within ten years than those that retire at 65.[2] Why?
It is arguable that men are more inclined to identify themselves by the work they do or as a family provider or even may self-identify by their level of success in their chosen career path. If they can retire early, then chances are good that they experienced higher levels of work life success in their chosen field and may have a strong identity aligned with their role. When they retire, that identity is lost. Their Purpose- being a wage earner, being successful, supporting others- is gone. They may feel lost, depressed, or anxious and they do not understand why.
A lack of Purpose has been linked to an increase in heart disease, depression, and anxiety among other things. Maybe a simple solution to the emotional crisis that retirement may cause lies in Employee Education. New employees must go through an on-boarding process; so, wouldn’t it make sense that a soon to be retiring employee takes part in an off-boarding process that will emotionally equip them with the tools they need for their new life phase? Transition the employee out by providing coaching, education, and emotional guidance. Allow them to transition into their next Life Purpose phase and help them to understand not just the financial and physical but also the emotional adjustments that will need to be made. This simple solution could be the greatest benefit a company may ever bestow on a loyal employee.
[1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, “Survival After an Early Retirement,” S G Haynes, A J McMichael, H A Tyroler
[2] https://www.elderguru.com, “Why Do Retirees Die Soon After Retirement?”