I’m 61 and Being Forced To Retire, How Do I Share With Others??

It’s unfortunate that in much of today’s workforce, there is a point at which you “age out” of your role. Whether it’s because of the workload, physicality, or other business guidelines, far too many people are being forced to leave their companies based on this premise. 

This is exactly what’s happening with one Redditor posting in r/retirement as they are being “early retired” from their employer due to “budgetary pressures.” Sadly, they were one of many aged 60 or older who were offered packages enabling them to retire early. 

Even though these individuals are willing and able to work, they are now forced to tell their business contacts what is happening and why. 

The Situation

According to this Redditor’s post, these “budgetary pressures” apply to everyone above a certain age in the company. As he turns 61 in a few months, he was unfortunately looped into this bucket of people who would be let go. 

The good news is that this individual finds this to be an opportunity to rest, but they don’t necessarily want to leave the workforce for good. Taking on some short-term contracts in the future is a definite possibility, which is precisely why it would be good to have access to all of their existing contacts.  Of course, the biggest worry for this Redditor is exactly how to tell anyone he wants to stay in contact with that he is leaving. 

One possibility is to tell their contacts on LinkedIn with one big newsfeed message. This could be a risk, though, as their employer hasn’t made any company-wide announcements, and they don’t want to preempt anything. He has told his team and a few close colleagues what is happening, but wants to figure out how to spread this message wider.

How to Spread the Word

It’s completely understandable why this Redditor wants to spread the word about their departure, especially to outside partners and professional contacts. If the original poster wants to set up contracting work in the future, it is necessary to let people know they are a free agent. 

One big red flag is that sending a wide message that you are leaving a company before you have left might be interpreted poorly by the company. This is an idea to follow through on, but not at the risk of any severance package. While it’s hard to say for certain if the company would see any kind of LinkedIn message negatively, it’s not worth taking the risk. 

Instead, it might be a good idea to start sending out emails with personal contact details, like a personal email and a non-work-related phone number they could use to contact you. It’s also smart to grab a list of emails from contacts you might want to contact in the future as part of any contract roles. 

In fact, you might want to email your contacts announcing the formation of your consulting company. This might be a great reason to initiate contact right now, and even if you don’t want to do this for a few more years, he might want to reconsider the timing to strike while the iron is hot. 

This means you should be aware of any non-competes or anything you might sign as part of a retirement package that would prohibit you from engaging with anyone who may have a relationship with your still-current employer. Non-competes are notoriously hard to enforce, and unless you are someone with access to deep-seated inside information, it’s unlikely a company would take action, but it’s still not worth the risk. 

What Else Can Be Done

It would be really helpful for this Redditor to understand exactly what language is used during their early retirement. Is this an actual retirement or a layoff? The difference is very important if unemployment benefits are something to consider. 

Regardless of whether or not the consulting firm idea comes to life right away, it’s okay to take a bit of a break. Even if it’s just for two weeks, a mental health break is likely a great idea to help get through this time in your life. 

This applies to the Redditor and anyone else being laid off, as it is a very challenging period in your life, especially if you have been working somewhere for a long time.

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