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Retired Not Out redefines retirement, helping senior citizens re-enter the job market and add real value to organisations.
Retired Not Out’s mission is to connect seniors with opportunities that make the most of their experience and skills – to allow them to remain productive, feel engaged and unlock value for businesses and communities.
Here in Hong Kong, the social impact community is small but very supportive. There have been lots of people telling us at #impact about Retired Not Out and their charismatic founder Priyanka Gothi, despite the fact that she only launched in June 2017!
Retired Not Out is redefining retirement in Hong Kong
In this episode, you learn about:
- The wide range of job aspirations that Priyanka’s clients have, from modelling to advising startups.
- A great example of the serendipitous moments that can happen at co-working spaces.
- The questions you should ask your parents to start talking about a positive retirement transition.
- The need for self-motivation when you leave the corporate world to become a first-time entrepreneur.
Priyanka Gothi learned first-hand about the problem of age discrimination when her mother retired after teaching for over 30 years and couldn’t find a new job at 60. She wanted to stay active but found that companies weren’t interested in employing seniors. Using her background in digital marketing and brand communications, Priyanka realised that she might be the person to make people think differently about the value seniors could bring to the work environment.
“It’s not constant holidays and margaritas. That’s not how retirement is anymore.”
As Priyanka points out, at 60, you have 30 years of retirement in front of you. In that time period, people want to feel useful and contribute, and not be considered a dependent.
Have you ever asked your parents what they want to be when they grow up? Photo Credit: Retired Not Out
The world has changed. So have seniors.
Life expectancy is increasing rapidly, but the retirement age hasn’t increased much since the earliest retirement legislation was passed in Europe around the turn of the 19th Century. Priyanka chose to start her business here in Hong Kong as it has an ageing population. The obvious jobs for seniors here is manual labour, which doesn’t use any of the skills that older people have spent decades developing.
“It’s a newer generation of retired people.”
The “55-65-year-old” age group is the biggest demographic in the world and Retired Not Out is focused on providing seniors with a choice. They are currently helping 250 people between 50 and 79 find jobs, from full-time placements to flexible voluntary roles. Priyanka believes that today’s seniors have benefitted from continuous learning and media exposure, and are better prepared to rejoin the workforce.
Aspirations don't die. #retirednotout #impactPodcast Share on X
People want to reinvent themselves and learn new skills, but often don’t know what jobs are possible. Retired Not Out began with a platform to match seniors to jobs where companies understand the value that experienced people could bring.
Today, the enterprise operates three pillars, the platform, programmes for skills development, and advisory services to corporates to help their soon-to-be-retired employees plan their next career. Priyanka co-teaches workshops and seminars with senior volunteers to build confidence for those who have been out of the workplace and to upskill on technology and new ways of working.
Retired Not Out Founder Priyanka Gothi is re-writing age as a competitive advantage
What’s next?
Next on the agenda for Retirement Not Out is support for senior entrepreneurship. Hong Kong’s seniors have caught the startup bug too!
Just as important as boosting confidence and changing mindsets of the seniors themselves is getting employers to be more open-minded about the value of senior talent.
Seniors can add value in different ways. Priyanka points out that jobs where experience and a steady hand are needed, like office management and accounting, can be perfect, low-pressure environments for seniors. Similarly, flexible jobs that value years of expertise and extensive networks, like board advisory, are also well suited. Priyanka herself developed her Chinese website with the translation help of a 66-year-old linguist.
You’ve got to trust your instinct. Self-motivation is hugely important. Share on X
Like many social entrepreneurs, Priyanka is driven by the desire to change people’s lives for the better. She has found it gratifying to pursue a social cause instead of just a salary, but it has been a difficult shift in her own mindset. In the early days, she spent a lot of time asking herself, “Am I doing the right thing?” Priyanka hopes that one day, people won’t think about retiring per se, but just change the ways that they contribute to society.
Got some time to give this episode a listen? Scroll all the way up and press play. Then you will also hear what advice she would give her younger self and how she stays sane as a first-time entrepreneur.
Our learnings from this episode. Have something to add? Get in touch with us here!
#impACT – some inspiration to make a change!
- Think about how you can allow the older people in your life to keep contributing and adding value.
- Ask your parents what they want to be when they grow up. Reinvention is possible at any age!
- Priyanka brings a huge bundle of positivity to all of her endeavours. She encourages us all to make the world better by choosing to “live each day as a decent human being – just be a bit more positive every day.”
