By Jim Selman | Bio
Stephanie Chen, a writer for CNN, recently published " No Retirement for These Older Folks, Just Work"
about older workers and the fact that more and more people have to keep
working well beyond their 'retirement age'. For some, this is purely a
function of economic necessity. For others, it is a choice. The piece
included two examples, a 91-year-old postal worker and a 101-year-old
legislative employee who are still going strong. If we're to believe the
predictions from Washington DC, everyone is going to be working longer
as a function of keeping Social Security solvent. The examples in Stephanie Chen's article are exceptions that prove the rule that states[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Fearless Aging
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By Jim Selman | Bio
I think the most common complaints I hear
from folks in corporations these days is that they are ‘just tired’,
have ‘low energy’ or are ‘burned out’. Usually these declarations are
accompanied by a compelling story that there is ‘too much work’ or that
they are pressed to produce without having the resources they need. It
seems people are working in a condition in which they are being
constantly called on to produce more for less. The results: poor morale
(at best), an environment of stress (at worst), breakdowns in people’s
health, lower productivity, and even (in extreme cases) sabotage. But
what do these statements mean? And what can we do to change our
experience at work (or in life) for that matter?[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Health
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 By Jim Selman | Bio
Today is ‘back to work’ for most of us. We’ve
eaten too much, survived another holiday season and are now preparing
for what’s next. This year is different for many throughout the world.
The economy, climate, war and poverty are continuing sources of
suffering. I hear more and more people expressing their fears about the
future and predictions that 2009 will be ‘very tough’. Unfortunately,
if enough people have a pessimistic view of their future, then as I
have said on this blog many times, we are creating a self-fulfilling
reality. We will get what we resist and fear unless and until enough
people create a critical mass to create a different, unpredictable
future.[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Leadership
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I am perplexed by the fact that companies have been laying off older
workers for years as part of various downsizing projects. I understand
the drive to cut costs. Under normal demographic conditions, laying off
older workers would even make some sense from a strictly financial
point of view, since they generally command higher salaries than
younger workers. The fact is, however, that those same companies are
moaning about shortages of qualified people and the difficulties
they’re having in recruiting really good people. They often resort to
paying more for younger workers or having to hire older workers back as
“consultants” at even higher rates of pay than they would receive had
they stayed on the payroll. Moreover, aside from this financial shell game, corporations are often
blind to their real costs in terms of what they lose when they lose
their mature workforce.[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Retirement
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By Shae HaddenBio
I’ve had some further insights since my last post about Balance. No matter what the extent of my commitments, I see ‘balance’ as my
ability to be ‘grounded’ and ‘present’. In each moment, I’m doing what
I’m doing…and just that. Nothing else. The whole idea of ‘balancing
work and life’, as if they are polar opposites, makes no sense to me. Life is everything I experience.[ Read More]
Written by Shae Hadden at Personal Empowerment
Tagged with:
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One thing about being on the road as much as I have been for most of this year is that living in hotel rooms allows you to reflect on many things. For example, you get to examine your values and priorities and whether your transient life style is really a choice or just a kind of habit you’ve developed over the course of your career. I have been a consultant since 1969 and have traveled a lot over the past 28 years. You get some idea of how nutty we road warriors can be when you consider we feel pride when we get to the highest level frequent flyer status or become “Million Milers”. That is kind of like winning a prize for being the best prisoner on the block. I computed once that I have probably spent a total of a year or two of my life in airports or in the air. Don’t misunderstand, I am not ‘crying’ about any of this. I love my work and I even love to travel, although flying used to be a lot more fun before 9/11. Today it is a chore that I accept as part of the price I pay to enjoy the work I do and see the world while serving my multinational clients. What interests me, however, is the question of whether I am really choosing this work lifestyle or whether it is a habit—a way of being in the world that, while easily justified and/or rationalized, is far from ‘normal’ and that takes a toll on me in terms of traveler stress and missed opportunities to develop roots and enjoy the pleasures of home.[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Personal Empowerment
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