"Would You Still Work Even If You Didn't Have To?"

By Mark Swartz

In a recent global Monster poll people were asked, “Would you still work if you didn’t have to?” 60% answered yes, they’d want to stay employed.

That figure is in line with what we know about actual behaviour of lottery winners and people who take early retirement. Turns out there’s much more to a job than salary and perks. Even so, why not just quit and go on permanent vacation?

Reasons People Continue to Work

Sigmund Freud, the father of psychiatry, has said the keys to fulfillment are love and work (in German: lieben and arbeiten). Among the most common reasons for staying employed when it’s optional are to:

• Keep active and not get bored
• Have a comfortable routine plus a socially acceptable place to go to weekdays
• Preserve the bond with colleagues and be part of an ongoing community
• Stay challenged by striving for greater achievement
• Maintain a sense of purpose and contribution
• Keeping it real (e.g. not letting money change someone’s already contented life)

Holding Onto Job Identity

There’s another force influencing the decision to keep working or not. The longer someone has been employed, the more their own identity gets linked to how they make a living. Who they work for, and what they do, becomes a part of their self-image.

For those who leave an occupation, it can be rough dealing with job identity loss. There may be a reduced sense of prestige and purpose. That discomfort can be deferred by continuing to work.

Who Is Most Likely to Stay Working?

Statistics on lottery winners are quite revealing. You might think all Lotto Max grand prize recipients chuck their job forever. The ads showing people cruising on yachts or living at the cottage are darned persuasive.

Put aside that up to 70% of lottery winners blow their dough within seven years. A key study – Work Centrality and Post-Award Behavior of Lottery Winners – showed which people tend to keep working.

Predictably those who identify strongly with their career are reluctant to walk away. More men fall into this category than woman, which highlights the values our society holds dear. Age is also a factor. Those closest to retirement are most inclined to leave the workforce. This despite there being many rewarding ways to extend a career beyond retirement.

Continuing to Work But Having Control

So many surveys show that workplace stress causes dissatisfaction. The hassles of having to be on the clock. Putting up with backstabbing colleagues and incompetent bosses.

However “The source of work-related stress is not the income-generating activity; it is doing this activity without control." That’s according to Dr. Paula Caligiuri, author of Get a Life, Not a Job.

“The beauty of having sufficient money to retire is that you can pick and choose the work you do,” she adds. Many people in this situation do take time to enjoy the good life. A portion then chooses to volunteer, start their own venture or charity, become philanthropists, or go back to having a job (though not necessarily full-time).

Barriers to Staying Employed When It’s Optional

For those who return to traditional employment, it may not be a smooth transition. Things can change once the pressure to earn a living disappears.

The returnee may want to work only on passion projects, not mundane stuff. That can generate friction with co-workers and supervisors. The same can happen if the person takes too much vacation or refuses to work overtime while others toil away.

What About the Other 40%?

Not everyone who can afford to retire goes back to work. There is something to be said for a life of relaxation or indulging in hobbies, travel or other personal pursuits.

Usually a bit of adjustment is required. It can help to create a revised personal mission, vision and values statement. This new direction may not include a lot of arbeiten. Hopefully, however, a healthy dose of lieben is involved.