Nowadays retirement doesn’t have the notion of permanence that it once did.

When people think about retiring and stepping away from the workforce, they often think of it as a forever decision. And so it’s not quite one they’re ready to make, either financially, socially, or emotionally.

Whether from past experience or lack of confidence, we seem to mentally view stepping away as an irreversible step. We don’t envision ourselves ever coming back to employment. Witness all the commercials about the financial aspects – which highlight the fact that you need to get to “your number” of dollars before you call it a career!

You leave work and love the downtime but you’re not getting calls or messages, you don’t feel the purpose, and, yes, the money is nice too. But it’s getting back in the game that might feel best.

Even with hybrid or remote work, there’s also a social interaction component too that fills a void. Exchanging ideas with co-workers and vendors keeps our minds active.

Many ‘pandemic retirees’ who’ve stepped away from the workplace for a variety of reasons, may find yet another variety of reasons to return to work in just a year or two.

Certainly, people are seeking a break – or at least a pause – after 25, 30, or even 40+ years of active employment.

But remember the theme of my blog, it’s a ‘phased’ retirement. You might leave the workplace and rejoin it again several times in the coming years.

It’s not a permanent decision!

And, like working-from-home, it’s more acceptable now than ever before to do just that.