WORKING PAST RETIREMENT AGE

At this point, you would probably expect an article about employees looking forward to the end of their career. But in addition to those member stories, we also increasingly hear people say they are not ready to retire at 65. Guy Fransen is one of them. After working in journalism for approximately forty years, he is dreading 1 April 2024.

During his military service, he started reporting on his hometown of Berchem as a correspondent. After working as a freelancer for a couple of years, he was offered a contract at De Nieuwe Gazet, the then Antwerp newspaper which later merged into Het Laatste Nieuws. Afterwards, he worked at pretty much all newspapers and positions. Het Laatste Nieuws, Gazet Van Antwerpen, Het Nieuwsblad, De Standaard: he wrote for all of them. He covered regional and political news, as well as sports. He worked as an employee, regional manager, editor-in-chief and chief of sports. But last year, he decided to take a step back in the hierarchy.

Fransen: “When I turned 63, the editor-in-chief told me I had to retire at 65. I expressed that I wanted to work longer, but was told that was not part of the corporate philosophy. In this context, I decided to resign in advance from my position as chief of sports and spend these last years ‘on the ground’. I have since been working on additional projects, such as “Iedereen Flandrien” (Everyone Flandrien), with which the newspaper aims to get people into sports. I will keep doing that until I’m 65.”

And after that?

Fransen: “That is still unclear. It is possible the newspaper offers me some freelance work. There are other projects in the pipeline in which I am still involved now. But whether I will be next year remains unclear. I don’t hear much about it. Other than that, I’m keeping all options open. Freelancing, teaching, giving communication advice, etc. In recent years, I have given advice to the Anti Poverty Network, to DUO for a JOB, etc. The big guys start an agency, but I like being able to do something for such organisations. Or maybe I’ll do something with the diploma as a bicycle repairman I recently obtained. It could still go either way. In any case, I’ll continue working after April next year. I’m not mentally ready yet to retire.”

“Mick Jagger is 80. Why do I need to stop at 65?”

You could also get into volunteering.

Fransen: “More people have told me that. But I already am volunteering. Every weekend, I go cycling with a boy with a disability. I love it. I’ll continue doing that. But I would like to have a real job in addition to that. Why is that such a problem? The newspaper is still asking me to be involved in new projects. I am not slowing down yet. But from next year, I’ll suddenly be too old. That’s weird, isn’t it? I perfectly understand that not everyone thinks the same. I will not look down on people who want to retire early. I fully understand that decision. For many people, working until retirement age is not easy. Or even impossible. You shouldn’t ask a road worker who got up at 5 a.m. all his career to do heavy work to work longer. Those conditions are completely different from mine. I am lucky to be healthy and to work in a sector in which I could work for a little while longer. A sector in which they are still asking me to be involved in new projects. But from 1 April 2024 onwards, I would suddenly be too old. Everyone is talking about ‘working longer’, but when push comes to shove, it isn’t as easy as it seems. What also bothers me is that the government doesn’t allow me to build up a full pension. To receive a full pension, I need to have worked for 45 years. But I won’t reach that number if I have to retire at 65. Then I will only have worked for 43 years.”

What is your opinion on working longer?

Fransen: “I don’t think we necessarily need to work less. But we should be able to modulate more. Throughout your career, there are times when you need a bit more time to rest. Because we are being stretched more and more, the work never lets up. We are almost constantly working. That isn’t healthy. I have noticed that young people are much better at dealing with this. They attach more importance to a good work-life balance throughout their career. When we started working, there was a lot of unemployment and people were willing to do a lot just to have a permanent contract. These circumstances conditioned us. We did what our employers asked of us out of fear that the lifeline would be cut otherwise. Young people are still working hard. But they pay more attention to balance. And they are right to do so.”

How does your environment react to your decision to want to keep working?

Fransen: “They think I’m crazy. They say: ‘Go and enjoy your life’. But I do. I’m not working 24 hours a day. I do have time for other things besides work. But I also enjoy working. Nobody thinks it’s weird that Bruce Springsteen is still setting Werchter on fire at 73. Mick Jagger is 80. Then my question is: why can’t I continue working?”