Working Retired

(From A Journey KBU)

There are only a few magic numbers in American civic life. You can vote (and get drafted) at age 18. You can drink at 21. You can become president at 35. You can retire at 65.

But on that last one-do Americans really want to? Now that so many Americans are living healthfully until 85, fewer and fewer actually retire at 65. Today there are 5 million people 65 or older in the U.S. labor force, almost twice what there were in the early 1980s. And that number is about to explode.

Some people are working past 65 because they have to: Health care costs are rising, and Social Security payments-at an average of about $1,000 a month - don't cover what they used to. But the bigger trend in Senior Work is the fact that Americans love - and now that we're living longer, we want to work longer too. We just can't get enough. My friend and mentor Harold Burson, the co-founder of the global PR firm Burson Marsteller, where I am CEO, just turned 86, and comes to work every day, bursting with ideas.

On average, Americans work over 1,800 hours per year, substantially more than most workers around the world. Although we get fewer vacation days per year than other Western countries (13 days, compared to 28 in the UK, and 37 in France), we let more than twice as many go unused. And really, what's a vacation to us these days without our BlackBerry? In 2006, almost a quarter of us (23%) checked our work e-mail and voice mail while away-up from just 16% in 2005. A lot of us love to work.

In fact, the impulse to work is so basic that the Fourth Commandment is to take off one day a week. Not working for a day is right up there with not murdering, not committing adultery, and not stealing. We tend to assume that most people want off-waiting all week for the Friday afternoon whistle so they can stream out of work. To be sure, many jobs are terrible - even life-threatening - and people reasonably can't wait to get home. But as work overall has become more managerial, consulting, and software-oriented - and as manufacturing jobs have been on the decline - a lot of people have changed their attitude toward work, and the number of workaholics has skyrocketed. How many times have you heard the old saying that no one ever lay on his deathbed wishing he had spent more time at the office? And yet, a lot of people are doing just that. The sandwich generation is going to be in for a shock when they call their 70-year-old parents at the office and find they are just too busy to babysit their grandkids.

Add to America's general obsession with work the fact that it is now the baby boomer generation who is nearing 65, and it becomes clear that the traditional idea of  "retirement" - with its gold watch, rocking chair, and golf course - is just about ready for retirement itself.

Boomers reinvented youth in the 1960s and economic success in the 1980s; they are not to do their senior years by someone else's formula. According to a 2005 survey by Merrill Lynch, more than 3 in 4 boomers say they have no intention of seeking a traditional retirement. Rather they look ahead to their 20 more years  (when Social Security was created in 1935, a 65-year-old could expect just 13 more years) and they say Bring It On. Some want to keep their health insurance, or have enough funds for the extra years - but more of the boomers surveyed said they wanted to keep working in order to stay mentally and physically active and to stay connected to people.

Microtrends - the small forces behind tomorrow's big changes" Mark J. Penn (2007) Hachette Book Group

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Exercise
 
1. What do the magic numbers of 18, 21, 35 and 65 represent in American civic life?
These numbers are the age levels at which Americans are allowed to vote (age 18), to drink (age 21), to become the president (age 35) and to retire (age 65).
 
2. Why do some people work past 65?
A portion of the American population who aged 65 and above still working because they need to pay the health care costs which are soaring, while the Social Security payments are not enough for them. Moreover, they work as they love working, and this is further encouraged by their ability to live longer.
 
3. What does the phrase "bursting with ideas" when he comes to work at the age of 86 implies about Mr. Harold Burson?
From the phrase above, it can be concluded that Mr Harold Burson is still strong and healthy - both physically and mentally. As an octogenarian, he is still able to go to work and come out with new ideas and plans. This suggests that his ability to work does not depend on his age.
 
4. Give examples to show that American employees are workaholics by choice?
Americans work more than 1,800 hours annually, considerably more than most workers around the world. According to a statistic, more and more people check their work e-mail and voice mail while away - 16% in 2005 but 23% in 2006. Besides that, a survey by Merrill Lynch also indicates that more than 3 in 4 boomers do not intend to retire at the age of 65, but look ahead to their 20 more years.
 
5. What is the tone of the writer when he mentions that "not working for a day is right up there with not murdering, not committing adultery and not stealing"?
It seems like the writer gives this statement in a solemn voice. To him, taking a day off - the Fourth Commandment - is as important as other Commandments: "Do not murder", "Do not commit adultery." and "Do not steal.".
 
6. What example is given to show that the grandparents of the present generation do not fit with the traditional stereotypical image of grandparents in the past?
In the past, when people became grandparents, they had already retired, hence they had more time in home and they could take care of their grandchildren. On contrary, grandparents nowadays are still working even after their retirement age. Consequently, they are so busy with work until it is almost impossible for them to babysit their grandchildren.
 
7. Explain in your own words the sentence "it becomes clear that the traditional idea of "retirement" - with its gold watch, rocking chair, and golf course - is just about ready for retirement itself.".
In my opinion, the writer wants to convey the message that the traditional concept of "retirement" is being forgotten and abandoned. Gold watch, rocking chair, golf course...all these physical weatlh is no longer a benchmark which indicate the time when one should retire. In this new yet modern era, they work when they live longer mainly in order to stay mentally and physically active as well as to stay connected to other people, but not to earn more.