Hello from a new blogger

Hi

I just wanted to introduce myself as a new blogger. I run a consultancy - in my prime - which advises employers on all aspects of age management and age diversity. As I’m also interested in self-employment and women at work my posts are likely to be diverse too.  On a personal level I’m also carrying out PhD research at Cranfield University into motivation for career progression in older managers, in other words what keeps older people engaged and working longer when pay rises and promotion are no longer enough? 

There’s a lot in the news currently about abolishing the Default Retirement Age and of course the new Equality legislation is on the horizon. My concern is that we all need to understand and respond to some of the broader issues behind all this and don’t just see it as a box-ticking exercise, so no doubt you’ll be seeing quite a bit of comment from me on this as things unfold.

One of the most interesting things about my field of work is that everyone, one day, will get older so the issues are relevant to everyone at some level. Big changes brought about by increasing longevity, longer working lives, social change and ever more complicated financial issues mean that we all need to look ahead, much earlier, to consider what we want the rest of our lives to look like and to take responsibility for making it happen. It’s no longer all about employment, then retirement and a pension, and nothing else – fortunately today’s options can be much more exciting.

So - watch this space…