So… apparently, I’m 65.
Yes. Sixty-five.
And apparently, that means I’m supposed to retire.
Now, I don’t know who decided that 65 was the magic number, but I have a question…
Why?
What exactly happens at midnight on your 65th birthday? Do you wake up and suddenly think, “Well, that’s it. Time to put the slippers on and start watching daytime television.” Because I’m afraid I have some bad news.
I’m not ready.
I’m not ready to be buried yet. I’ve still got things I want to do. I’ve still got ideas — admittedly, some of them are terrible — but I’ve got them. And I’ve still got a few mistakes left to make.
The problem with retirement at 65 is that we’re treating age like an expiry date. But we’re living longer.
And, more importantly, we’re often still capable of contributing, learning, leading, creating and, yes, occasionally getting in everybody else’s way.
I’ve spent most of my working life in hospitality and I’ve learned something very simple:
Experience matters.
You can teach someone the theory. You can teach them the systems. You can teach them the technology.
But you can’t download 40 years of experience into someone’s brain.
And that’s what happens when you tell people at 65:
“Thanks very much. You’re finished.”
We throw away an enormous amount of knowledge.
Now, I’m not suggesting we all have to work until we’re 90. God forbid.
I’m suggesting that 65 shouldn’t be a cliff edge. I am staying on a good bit longer and I plan to enjoy my retirement whilst I am able to walk and have in depth conversations about Padel, Politics and become even more verbose and boring than I already am!
If you want to retire at 65 — fantastic. Go fishing. Play golf. Travel. Sit in the garden and shout at the neighbours. Whatever makes you happy.
But if you want to keep working, keep creating, keep mentoring, keep earning…
Why shouldn’t you?
Maybe retirement shouldn’t be an age. Maybe it should be a choice.
As I said, I’ve just turned 65 and frankly…
I haven’t finished annoying people yet.
by Stephen Hickmore (old codger)
Stephen is a hospitality professional from Johannesburg South Africa. His career started with THF hotels in the UK and subsequently with the Southern Sun Hotel group in Johannesburg. Stephen’s first steps into entrepreneurship was Hickmore Recruitment / CareerMap, a leading supplier of Senior and Exec recruitment services. Stephen was a founder of Pple Hospitality (formerly HSC) the largest Hospitality Industry full-service outsourced staffing company in South Africa. In March 2020 Stephen became a director and owner of the Swiss Hotel School South Africa, which is now his full time passion.
SHS – Institute of Hospitality Management
SHS – Institute of Culinary Arts
Stephen writes for a number of publications on food and hospitality industry matters, trends and opinions. He also hosts a Podcast on Spotify “Hospitality Insight with The SilverFox”
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