After a 40-year career as a manager in well-known financial institutions, Ginette retired… to work better part time! Like her, many retirees decide to stay active in the labour market.
On Boulevard des Laurentides in Laval, Ginette is beaming as she is busy advising customers of the Au féminin boutique. This former manager in the field of banking security does not have the profile of a traditional retiree. For the past 3 years she has worked one or two days a week in this store, for the pleasure of staying abreast of women’s fashions and “staying active”. This career woman, who has held important functions in the past, could have had a well-earned quiet retirement. “No question,” she tells us. She would far rather continue being useful. And most importantly, she does it because she is very enthusiastic about her part-time job.
“I needed a real break at the beginning of my retirement, however,” she admits. The first year, she did like all of her recently retired colleagues and took time for herself. Rest, travel, leisure: nothing else interested her. But gradually an idea she had long cherished reappeared in her thoughts. For years, she had her eye on this boutique at the corner of her street. Attracted by this family business and its neighbourhood clientele, she had for a long time imagined herself with a part-time job there.
“It’s a nearby shop, where the welcome is very warm and where I knew I could learn about fashion without being subject to the high level of stress I had in my previous duties,” she explains. “I also thought that the light part-time schedule would be perfect for staying active without accumulating fatigue like I did in my previous professional life.”
Another benefit is that she could finally walk to work, without having to deal with rush hour.
The shop owner did not hesitate very long before hiring her. With her experience, her interpersonal skills, her keen interest in fashion, her flexibility and enthusiasm as a young retiree, Ginette is, so to speak, an ideal employee. “The situation is really fair for both of us,” Ginette adds. “My boss is offering me the perfect job for my retirement situation. And for her, I am a more stable part-time employee than the others. I also intend to stay on the job for a long time, as long as it is physically possible!”
For Ginette, there is no more performance anxiety. Being retired part time lets her be particularly happy at work.