Why Longer Careers Need More Ways to Work

A senior expert asked for a year’s leave to travel. His manager refused because the organization’s policy allowed such a long absence only for specific reasons, mostly exceptional personal circumstances. The expert quit, traveled for a year, then returned and asked whether the organization would hire him back. It did—and changed its policy.

The story highlights a choice employers may increasingly face: accommodate a different way of working, or risk losing someone who still wants to contribute. As people live longer, a 100-year life could mean a 60-year career. Across that span, someone’s preferred arrangement may change even as their interest in contributing continues.

Not everyone wants the next promotion or a bigger job. An employee may decline a promotion, a manager may want fewer direct reports, or someone may seek reduced hours or an extended leave. They may still welcome a demanding project or the chance to make an impact.

Employers need more ways for people to keep contributing—not only ways to move up. Making room for different arrangements can help organizations retain experienced employees while allowing careers to change over time.

Redefine Career Progress Beyond Promotions

Career development once tied progress to greater scope: a larger team, a bigger budget or another step up the hierarchy. Careers have since expanded beyond traditional ladders, with people able to move sideways, seek new meaning or learn different skills. But progress is still often associated with taking on more. That can leave out employees who want to contribute without pursuing a bigger job or a more demanding project.

Depending on their circumstances and financial position, employees may value time outside paid work more than the income from another hour worked. After decades of work, someone’s interest in contributing may remain strong even as their idea of a desirable career changes.

Lyndsey Simpson, founder and CEO of 55/Redefined, describes people who want neither retirement nor an 80-hour workweek, but a gradual change in their relationship with work. “They want this tapering over 10, 15 years,” she says. That points to a career glide path rather than a sudden retirement cliff: a sustained change in hours or responsibilities, not simply a temporary exception. Employers that recognize this broader definition of progress can make room for people to keep contributing on different terms.

Make Flexibility Fit Different Life Stages

Flexibility is often framed as working remotely or reducing weekly hours, but longer careers may call for more varied arrangements. Someone may want substantial stretches away from work while remaining willing to contribute intensely between them. A three-day week and a month away address different needs; offering only one may not be enough to retain someone.

The OECD’s 2023 report Retaining Talent at All Ages cites a survey of 3,000 Americans aged 55 and over. Among those no longer working, about 40% said they would return under their previous working conditions, compared with about 60% who would return with a flexible schedule. The willingness to work may remain even when the willingness to resume the same arrangement does not.

Needs can shift at any life stage: caring for a parent may call for a temporary schedule change, while learning a new profession may require a sustained reduction in workload. Someone finishing an intensive project may want a longer break afterward. Flexibility can also mean changing responsibilities, availability or periods of work—not simply where someone works or how many hours they work each week.

Redesign Work Around Experience and AI

Before deciding whether a flexible arrangement is practical, assess an experienced employee’s return on experience: what they contribute beyond the cost of employing them. That may include understanding customers, recognizing recurring problems and helping the organization navigate change. As AI enters the work, experienced employees can also bring the judgment to evaluate its output and know when to push back.

Once employers understand what they would lose, flexibility becomes a business decision. An experienced specialist might take responsibility for defined projects, complex reviews or mentoring without retaining the full scope of a previous job. These roles can preserve valuable expertise and help develop the next generation of colleagues.

Redesign still requires continuity and clear accountability. Employers need to determine how work will be covered and who remains responsible as tasks are redistributed between people and AI. They can also explore organizing those tasks around people working part time, returning after a break or available for only part of the year. This makes room for employees to change how they work while continuing to contribute.