Retiring from ‘University Life’: Critical Reflections on a Retirement Lifestyle Planning Program

While assisting individual workers to prepare or plan for a successful transition to retirement is a key responsibility of human resource (HR) departments, within many large organizations (including universities) preparations related to financial planning are prioritized, with limited evidence of consideration for the lifestyle preparations needed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a series of leisure education-based webinars focused on supporting university employees to engage in lifestyle planning associated with the transition to retirement. In addition to live sessions, a learning management system provided access to discussion boards and resource materials with senior students available to provide individualized assistance. Participants (n = 44 across two implementations) indicated wanting assistance to make retirement fulfilling or rewarding. Participants were very-to-highly satisfied with the sessions, with the most highly valued focused on self-exploration (e.g., considering values, beliefs and strengths to bring into retirement). Participants also valued opportunities to reflect on what aspects of their work life they want to bring with them into retirement, and what they want to leave behind. Although a ‘readiness’ for self-exploration seemed important, opportunities for leisure-related self-reflection and assessment seemed particularly beneficial. Findings are discussed in relation to considering HR departments’ responsibilities to assist university workers to prepare for the retirement transition. Leisure education as a tool for facilitating retirement planning in the university context is warranted. Possibilities for incorporating peer-to-peer education and support—as well as tailored educational sessions—are discussed.