Guardian readers who responded to a message described their reasons for leaving the workforce in their 50s – some for good, some for now – with many saying the pandemic played a role in their decision. Many reported disenchantment with management or the nature of their work, increasing stress and feeling undervalued, with some saying that living meaningfully or simply was more important than gainful employment. For some respondents, caring for family members was a factor, and while most are not considering returning to the workforce, several people said they may have to because of rising costs in Britain.
“I trade my three-bed terrace for health and personal freedom”
Steve Walker, 51, says teaching was his identity – until he quit to live a happier life. Photo: Steve Walker/Guardian Community Steve Walker, from Rochdale, who turns 52 next week, says he felt respected and fulfilled in his job as head of humanities and history departments at a secondary school. “Teaching was always what I wanted to do, but when I turned 50 I just decided that all my career goals and ambitions had been achieved,” she says. When the pandemic shifted the focus of his work to “choice and responsibility,” he began to feel overwhelmed. “I was suddenly struck by how my life was controlled every second by the tyranny of bells, timetables, exams, terms and deadlines. I felt tired, anxious and depressed.” After being diagnosed with prolonged Covid in March and three months on sick leave, Walker made the decision to step down for good. “This profession was what I was, for almost 30 years. I was surprised at how little the decision affected me, other than the guilt of letting my colleagues and students down in the middle of the year,” he says. “Now, I’m looking forward to having more control over my life. I will not return.” Walker says money is “obviously” a concern, but he and his wife hope to manage by adopting a simpler lifestyle and reducing their “financial footprint.” “We are in the process of selling our oversized three-bed dream house, paying off all our debts and settling into a small cottage in Argyll, Scotland. I’ve secured a role as a volunteer guide at the local museum and plan to rediscover all my neglected hobbies,’ she says.’ “I’ve told my wife I’ll go and stock the shelves in a supermarket if we run out of cash one day. I think I made a difference. But now it’s time to make a difference in my life.”
“At some point I’ll have to earn money again”
Kirsty MacCulloch, 52, says she never thought she would give up her career until she did. Photo: Kirsty MacCulloch/Guardian Community Kirsty MacCulloch, from Surrey, has decided to stop looking for a new job after being made redundant from her position as director of international recruitment in 2020. “Now, I’m busy [sic] and I’m taking some time to figure out what I want to do when I grow up,” says the 52-year-old. “I’m re-reading all my books, volunteering at a community kitchen and charity, tidying up my garden, practicing recipes, catching up on streaming and spending time with family and friends.” Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Financially she is lucky, she says, having saved a lot by not going on vacation for 10 years as she traveled frequently for work. “The only thing that will make me go back to work is an increase in the cost of living. I’m not in a position to receive a pension and even the annual budget I had planned to see me through has been blown away by price rises, so it won’t be enough to see me through to retirement age,” he says. “But I realized that work is not the best, that there are other ways to be rewarded – although five years ago, I never thought I would.”
“There were no flexible jobs I wasn’t overqualified for”
For Deborah, 55, from Gloucestershire, it was mainly the pressure of post childcare, housework and her career that made her give up her part-time job as a copywriter during the pandemic. “Suddenly I no longer had a support system. My now 12 year old was in the house for two years as I shielded myself, the house was a mess when I came home. I was exhausted,” she says. “Now I do about 12 hours a week, freelance.” Deborah says she became emotionally disconnected from her workplace when she stopped commuting to her London office, but she didn’t take the decision to quit lightly. “My partner works, but I don’t like working less and I think I should be able to work how I want – it’s a feminist issue for me. But there is still no such support to meet basic childcare and health needs.” Despite labor shortages in the UK, he has found it impossible to find flexible part-time work in more senior roles, he says. “But overall, I also feel like I want to do more worthwhile things with the rest of my life. I might run as a local councillor, for example. I think the pandemic has made a lot of people rethink their priorities and I just can’t see us as a society going back to being driven by work.”
“I should have done it a decade ago”
Sarah Robinson in her garden, which she rediscovered during three months off. Photo: Sarah Robinson/Guardian Community Sarah Robinson, 50, from Birmingham, used to work as a supplier development engineer in the automotive industry before handing in her notice in early 2021. “It’s basically the best thing I’ve ever done, I should have done it 10 years ago,” he says. “I spent 24 years working in an office and I really liked my job. But once I started working from home and wasn’t sitting in traffic for two hours every day, I realized I didn’t have a good work-life balance. It’s a lockdown cliché, but it happened.” Quitting was easy, he says. “Although financially it was a huge decision – I had a good salary.” Robinson has since started her own gardening business and says she and her partner are doing well financially because of the low overheads. “We’re very lucky, we don’t have a mortgage or kids, so I don’t think I’ll have to get a job again if I don’t want to,” she says. “I’ve cut back on unnecessary things I didn’t really need, but we’ll get by, with some belt-tightening.”
