Working after retirement is sometimes a necessity, sometimes a search for meaning. The psychological side of going back to work and how to keep a balance.
On the day you handed in your retirement application, your colleagues cut a cake, presented you with a plaque and said, "Now enjoy yourself." Six months later you are on the night shift in the security booth of a housing complex; or you are working part-time in the sector where you were a manager for years, in the team of a manager twenty years younger than you. For some, this is a necessity: the pension is not enough to cover rent, bills and medication. For others, it is a way of escaping the weight of empty days at home and still feeling useful. Often the two are intertwined. Working after retirement is an increasingly common experience in Turkey; but the complicated feelings it brings, namely pride and resentment, relief and fatigue, are rarely talked about. In this article we look at the psychological aspects of returning to working life after retirement, the difficulties that may arise during this period and how you can maintain a healthy balance.
Working After Retirement: Between Necessity and Meaning
The motivations of people who start working again after retirement usually fall under two main headings; but in real life the two are rarely completely separate.
Necessity: The high cost of living, rent increases, the wish to support children or grandchildren, loan debts and health expenses push many retirees to look for work again. In this case working is not a choice but a requirement, and it can bring with it the resentment of "I worked all those years and I still have to work."
Meaning: Some retirees want to work again less out of financial need than because their days are empty, they feel useless and their social circle has shrunk. For them, work means routine, identity and contact with people.
In most people, these two motivations are intertwined. A retiree who needs extra income may, after starting work, also come to value the routine and human relationships the job provides. Or someone who returned to work in search of meaning may notice that the money they earn eases their budget. Seeing your own motivation clearly makes it easier to decide which job suits you and how much you want to work.
The Faces of Working After Retirement in Turkey
In Turkey, a significant proportion of those who carry on working after retiring are people who retired at a fairly early age. For someone who retires in their forties or fifties, retirement is not really the end of working life but a stopover. With the recent reform for people who had been held back by the retirement age requirement (known in Turkey as EYT), many of those who retired also chose, or were compelled, to continue working.
The jobs retirees turn to are very varied: security guard work, managing housing complexes and apartment buildings, part-time work in accounting offices, consultancy in their former sector, a small shop, driving a staff or school shuttle bus, private tutoring, courier work. Some of these jobs are connected to the person's previous experience; others are a completely new field.
The social security side of working while retired, contribution deductions and the rules on this matter can change from time to time. So before starting a job, getting up-to-date information from the Social Security Institution (SGK) or from a specialist helps prevent uncertainty and anxiety later on.
For women retirees, the picture is often even more layered. A woman who retires and then starts work again takes on her responsibilities at work on the one hand, and housework, care of grandchildren and sometimes care of her elderly parents on the other. Being caught between the expectation "You're retired now, so you'll look after the grandchildren" and the reality "The pension isn't enough, you need to work" can turn this period into a time of new burdens rather than rest.
Psychological Challenges Faced by People Working After Retirement
Loss of status and a shaken identity
Someone who worked for years as a deputy head teacher at a school, a foreman at a factory or a branch manager at a bank may find a job in a very different position after retirement. Let's say you worked as a section head at a public institution for thirty years, and after retiring you started work as an attendant in a shopping centre car park. One day a former colleague drives up to the booth and is surprised to see you. What you feel at that moment is not just embarrassment, but a questioning of who you are. Yet the work you do is not a measure of your labour or your worth; choosing to do that work is a sign of taking responsibility and holding on to life.
Age discrimination and the feeling of being invisible
Age limits in job listings, questions in interviews such as "Won't this job be too tiring for you?" or younger colleagues' jokes hinting at technology can lead an older employee to feel worthless or unwanted. We have discussed older employees' experiences in the workplace in more detail in our article on older workers.
Working with a younger manager
For someone who managed a team for years, taking instructions from a manager the age of their own child can be hard. This sometimes leads to silent resentment, and sometimes to open conflict. What matters here is being able to accept the limits of your new role while knowing the value of your experience.
The body's limits
Long shifts, night work or hours on one's feet that were easily managed when younger can tire the body much more in later life. Retirees working out of necessity often ignore this fatigue and put their health second.
In such situations, fatigue doesn't stay in the body alone; it carries over into home life as impatience, forgetfulness and tension. A retiree coming back from a night shift and being unable to sleep during the day also lowers the quality of the time they spend with their spouse and grandchildren. It is important to see fatigue not as a sign of weakness but as a message from the body that needs to be taken into account.
Never stopping: escaping the void by working
Some retirees throw themselves quickly into a new job so as not to face the void that retirement brings. At first glance this may look like healthy adjustment; but the person may be trying to leave behind what they lost with retirement, namely their former identity, colleagues and habits, without ever grieving for them. When the new job becomes tiring after a while, or comes to an end, the postponed sense of emptiness can return more powerfully. Carrying on working is not bad; what matters is being able to recognise whether it is an escape or a conscious choice.
Reactions from those around you
Remarks such as "You've retired, now sit down and rest" or "Don't your children look after you?" can make a retiree who has to work feel ashamed. Sometimes the spouse and children don't support this decision either; and sometimes they become overly dependent on the retiree's income.
It is not the job you do, but how you treat yourself while doing it, that determines the psychological weight of this period.
The Sides of Working Again That Are Good for Mental Health
Working after retirement does not only bring challenges. In the right conditions, work can be an important resource that protects mental health.
- Daily routine: Getting up at a set time in the morning, getting dressed and going somewhere reduces the sense of emptiness often experienced in the early stages of retirement.
- Social contact: Colleagues, customers and the people you meet during the day provide natural protection against loneliness.
- Feeling useful: Producing something, finding a solution to a problem and passing on knowledge nourish a person's sense of worth.
- Mental vitality: Learning new things, solving problems and thinking in an organised way keep the mind active.
- Financial relief: Extra income can ease money worries, having a positive effect on sleep and family relationships.
What the work means to the person determines how strongly these positive effects are felt. We have discussed ways of finding meaning in work in our article on meaning at work.
A Balanced Path for Those Who Want to Work After Retirement
Ask yourself honest questions
Why do I want to work? How much income do I need? How many hours a week can I work? What kinds of work is my body suited to? The answers to these questions help you decide both your choice of job and your limits.
If possible, choose flexible and part-time work
A full-time, intensive job can completely remove the opportunities for rest and time with family that retirement can offer you. Part-time or project-based work leaves room for both income and rest.
Use your experience in new ways
Options such as consultancy in your former sector, career mentoring for young people, teaching your own craft or taking on the work of an association make your accumulated experience valuable and can reduce the feeling of lost status.
Try to accept your new role
In your new job, you may no longer be a manager but a member of the team. Seeing this change not as a defeat but as a different phase makes it easier to build healthier relationships with younger employees. When sharing your experience, adopting the attitude of someone who guides when asked, rather than someone who gives advice, also softens relationships in the workplace.
Listen to your body's signals
Don't neglect regular health check-ups. In jobs that involve night shifts, heavy lifting or standing for long periods, set clear limits on what your body can do and talk to your employer.
Review your decision at regular intervals
When you start working after retirement, you don't have to see this decision as a lifelong commitment. Every six months or once a year, assess what the job is giving you, what it is taking from you and how your body feels. As circumstances change, reducing your working hours or moving to a different job is also an option.
Talk to your family
Discuss your decision to work openly with your spouse and children. Consider together how this decision will affect roles within the family, the sharing of housework and the time you spend together.
When Should You Seek Professional Support?
Getting support from a professional may be helpful in the following situations:
- The anger and resentment of having to work affecting your daily life and relationships
- Loss of status at work leading to intense shame, worthlessness or withdrawal
- Not finding work, or being let go, creating deep hopelessness
- Sleep problems, constant fatigue and low mood lasting for weeks
- Anxiety preventing you from going to job interviews or functioning at work
During this process, individual therapy can offer a space both to regulate your emotions and to adapt to the changes this new period brings.
How Is Working Life After Retirement Addressed in Therapy?
In therapy, the first step is to understand the needs and feelings behind the person's decision to work. With someone working out of necessity, the work may focus on anger, resentment and the sense of fairness; with someone working in search of meaning, on identity, worth and the void after retirement.
In cognitive behavioural therapy, thoughts such as "This job is beneath me", "I'm no use for anything any more" or "Young people look down on me" are examined and a more balanced perspective is developed. The shame created by loss of status is addressed so that the person can define their worth not only by their title, but by their relationships, experience and character.
Work on values also has an important place in this period. The person recognising what matters to them, for example supporting their family, staying productive or passing on their knowledge, can give new meaning to the work they do and the effort they put in. Where needed, practical skills for balancing work and rest, setting boundaries and managing stress are also practised.
Frequently Asked Questions
I find it hard to work with a much younger manager. Is this normal?
Yes, this is a very understandable difficulty, especially for someone who worked in a management position for years. Focusing less on your manager's age and more on how you can work together can help. Choosing suitable moments to share your experience and accepting the difference in roles make the relationship easier.
My children say "You've retired, stop working", but I want to work. What should I do?
Your children's reaction usually comes from worry about your health or a wish to protect you. Explaining to them what work means to you, what it adds to your life and how you will protect your limits can ease their worries. The decision is ultimately yours; but having your family's support makes the process easier.
Is it a good idea to return to my former workplace as a consultant after retiring?
This option can be a good way of making use of your experience and working in a familiar environment. But it is important to clarify in advance the difference between your former role and your new one: you are no longer a decision-maker but a consultant. If this boundary is discussed from the start, the process goes much more smoothly for both you and your former team.
Is working after retirement good for mental health?
In the right conditions, meaning a job that does not strain your body and gives you meaning and social contact, working can support mental health. But working purely out of necessity, in harsh conditions and without leaving time for rest, can increase fatigue and anxiety. What matters is that the work is sustainable for you.
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Eda Erkan Alapala
Klinik Psikolog. İstanbul Kent Üniversitesi Klinik Psikoloji Tezli Yüksek Lisans mezunu; bilişsel davranışçı terapi, çocuk merkezli oyun terapisi ve çocuk-ergen psikoterapisi alanlarında eğitimlerini tamamlamıştır.
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