Quality of work affects questions of retirement
(Wednesday July 27th, 2005)

There has not been a year in Cheryl Paige's six years as a Toronto elementary school principal when there has not been some sort of labour disruption. Occasionally, in a roomful of 30 children, "there are times when it's hard," she concedes. "But there are times when it is glorious, absolutely glorious, and you remind yourself why you are here."

In a profession where the average retirement age is 55, Ms. Paige is pushing 60, passionate about her work and going full tilt. During a stiflingly hot day this week, Ms. Paige was in her office at Joyce Public School, supervising summer school and preparing for a delegation of teachers visiting from Shanghai to learn about an innovative program created by Ms. Paige and her staff to teach children mathematics through music.

Professionals such as Ms. Paige, whose passion transcends the difficulties of the job, often delay retirement "for the simple reason that they enjoy their work," according to a Statistics Canada study on the factors that influence the retirement decisions of managers, professionals and technical employees.

"On the other hand, many workers who feel stressed and dissatisfied with their job may feel they cannot retire too soon."

Managers and professionals with high levels of job strain -- brought on by heavy workload, conflicting demands, time constraints and lack of control over their work -- are far more likely to retire early than those with low job strain, Statscan researchers Grant Schellenberg and Martin Turcotte report.

And once these high-level employees have lost their mojo, it is not easy for them to get it back -- particularly in the final stages of their careers, experts say.

Money is, naturally, the prime consideration when people decide whether to opt for early retirement; they need to calculate whether they can afford to pack it in, Mr. Schellenberg says. To read more, click here.

Source: Virginia Galt, The Globe & Mail