John's story

John got in touch to tell us that in his experience, if an employer is supportive of people’s individual needs, and everyone is willing to be flexible, then older people can continue in the workforce for as long as they want even if they have changing physical needs.

“Age has never been a consideration for the roles that I’ve taken,” says John. 

John, 76, lives in Liverpool and works part-time for a large charity which provides social care remotely using technology. He is a former shop steward and community activist and enjoys making a contribution that helps others. 

John joined his current organisation 15 years ago, when he was just three years away from his official state retirement age.  

“In my career I’ve always been able to move on and adapt. I’ve been a mechanic, a bus conductor, and I went to university at 36.  

“In recent years my physical health has declined, and I began to find using stairs in my working day difficult as my mobility lessened. I thought about retiring on medical grounds, but then my employer suggested looking at other roles within the organisation that might suit me. Now I work as a virtual care centre operator, where I have an adapted chair and headphones, and can work shifts that suit my needs. It’s not always a negative story at work for people my age." 

Where I work could be a good model for other organisations. We didn’t have a specific policy in place to support me changing roles, but we were all prepared to be flexible. It’s a good demonstration of what can be achieved to support older workers or people who have changing physical needs. 

“Since then, I’ve found it really satisfying to work with our Inclusion and Equality specialist to introduce new polices in the organisation around retirement, a kind of onboarding process which looks at more flexible options for people if their circumstances change.” 

John isn’t contemplating retiring himself.  

“I want to stay working for the benefit of my wellbeing. It’s good to be in touch with people, and my role allows me to be the voice of people who might be afraid to speak up and be active on behalf of Disabled people."

“I get tired of hearing ‘I think you’re marvellous for a man of your age!’ It’s insulting. It’s nothing to do with your age, it’s what you’re capable of.” 

Learn more about how employers can make their workplaces more age-friendly