Is a ‘Flextirement’ Job a Good Fit for You?

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When Michelle Whiffen thinks about retirement, she envisions a path that looks a little different than the road many other people see.

“It’s more appealing for me to ease into retirement as opposed to quitting work completely one day,” says Whiffen, 58, who is director of client services for HireClix, a global recruitment

marketing agency based in Gloucester, Massachusetts. “I still enjoy my job and believe I still have a lot to offer, but rather than working full-time forever, I want to wind down and spend

more time with my family and traveling.”

Whiffen is among a growing number of older workers who are reevaluating their personal goals and opting for “flextirement,” the new buzzword for what previously has been called phased

retirement. Rather than retiring at the age of 62 or older and beginning to claim retirement benefits, these types of plans allow older employees to ease into retirement.

With flextirement, older workers can transition to a part-time schedule, while continuing to receive health and partial retirement benefits. It’s an approach that some older adults might

find more appealing now after working from home and using other hybrid arrangements during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a 2023  AARP Value of Experience survey of adults age 40 and

older, work-life balance is a top priority.

Phased retirement isn’t a new concept, but there are signs it’s an option more employers are willing to offer. One big step came in November 2014, when the federal government announced a

phased retirement option for workers who choose it. Some private employers are following suit, hoping to hold on to experienced workers and recognizing that flexibility can be good for

business. According to a survey of 1,736 global HR executives from consulting firm Mercer LLC, 36 percent of companies now offer phased retirement.

In many cases, the details of a flextirement arrangement — such as how many hours of work per week, remote or in-person, and salary and benefits — are set after conversations between the

worker, their supervisor and the human resources department (when available). The worker usually needs to initiate those discussions because employers can run afoul of age discrimination

policies by suggesting retirement to individual employees.

Another path to flextirement is for a business to create a companywide option that workers can choose to utilize. Neil Costa, founder and CEO of HireClix, is currently working out the

details for a company flextirement plan that would benefit Whiffen and his other employees who are approaching retirement age. With a flextirement option, Costa says Whiffen will be able to

continue mentoring members of her team, while also enjoying the flexibility of a part-time schedule.