An Unthinkable Late Life Lay Off - Rita Fromholt

Rita Fromholt is lifelong seeker of environmental and social justice, animal and nature lover, from the heart of the Coastal Temperate Rainforest on Vancouver Island, Canada.

The unthinkable happened to me in early January. Like many thousands of people in our shifting economic reality of over and under-employment, I was laid off from my job with no warning. After five and half years with a mission-driven company that I loved and invested a lot of my savings into, I was tossed into the jobless ranks. I felt shocked, hurt, angry as all hell, and knocked to my core.

I now find myself unemployed at sixty-one and unable to retire financially. Frankly, I don't feel done with the workforce yet. Retiring at this age for me feels incomplete. I am not ready to get out of the game for at least five more years or longer, but what's next?

I was aware the company was having some financial challenges and that there was the possibility that some employees would be let go. I considered that I might be one of them. Still, I told myself that my demonstrated commitment to the company and ability to wear many hats would secure my position. Evidently, the company's leadership did not value those attributes, and I was unceremoniously dropped on the cutting room floor with no warning.

It was devastating. Not only am I hurt, but built into the whole experience are feelings of shame and failure. Despite reassurances that I did nothing wrong and was given a glowing letter of reference, to be made redundant implies that you are not considered to hold any value. Despite your best efforts, your services are no longer required.

I still have yet to tell many people that I lost my job because while logically, I know that most people get laid off through no fault of their own, I am still worried that people will think I am incompetent and failed to meet my employer's expectations.

We live in a culture that values what we do for work as a critical aspect of our identities. When you meet them, the first thing people ask is, "What do you do?" and heaven forbid you reply, "I currently don't DO anything"!

All my deep insecurities of not being worthy, not being good enough, not smart enough, and being too old have all come screaming to the surface. I have to work every day to beat them back and remind myself of all that I have accomplished and learned in my life. And I know I still have much to be grateful for, including supportive friends and a little help from Employment Insurance! I am not homeless, and I won't starve. Still, I am experiencing a significant life transition I was unprepared for.

Ageism in the Workplace is a Growing Concern

While I don't know why my company's executive team decided to lay me off, I have no doubt that my age played a role in their decision.

We hear a lot about discrimination in the workplace – against ethnic minorities, women, and the LGBTQ2+ community. But ageism is another issue we have to contend with as more and more people like me, over fifty, are choosing to stay in the workforce longer, and many are forgoing retirement until well past sixty-five.

Only two of us, out of about thirty-five employees, were laid off in early January, and we both also happened to be two of the oldest employees. He and I are both senior generalists who performed many different functions in the small but rapidly growing organization. We were also two of the original employees and arguably two of the biggest champions of the company's environmental and social mission. But our situation is certainly not unique.

The fact is that 40% of people will be laid off at least once in their lifetimes, and thousands of workers have been laid off just in the past few months in what some call the white-collar recession. High-profile large employers like Amazon have laid off over 20,000 workers since November, and Disney recently announced 7,000 layoffs.

Many smaller firms and organizations are also struggling to bounce back in a post-COVID, inflation-ridden, rapidly shifting global economy. While layoffs are hard on everyone, they are especially tough on older workers like me, who may have been in the same job for many years, their technical skills may not be as up to date, and their financial commitments higher.

Older workers are also more vulnerable to layoffs in tough economic times because they are often paid more (although I doubt that was the case for me) and are perceived to be replaceable with young people willing to work for much less. But what are the actual, long-term costs of these short-sighted practices?

The New Workplace

Failing to create and nurture a multi-generational workplace is not only a form of discrimination, it also results in an insecure workplace. Employers lose critical institutional memory, and younger workers suffer by not having any mentorship or support from people with much more experience.

Research from the World Economic Forum found that "Older workers can boost firm productivity, not only through their own experience and know-how but also by enhancing team performance via age and skill complementariness between younger and older workers." Older workers are generally more loyal and stay longer than young workers, and they possess essential soft skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, positive thinking, and reasoning.

Besides, everyone knows that diversity creates resiliency. This applies as much in nature as it does within organizations of people. Hiring only younger specialists, working in silos, often remotely, is a short-sighted and risky proposition for employees and their employers.

The 2023 Job Market

Job experts advise that after a layoff, you should take some time for yourself to re-evaluate your expectations and think carefully about what you want to do with the rest of your life. Don't rush into another job, they say. For me, this means allowing some time not only for self-reflection, but also for healing from the trauma of being unexpectedly forced into a major life change.

However, I can't afford not to be working again soon, both financially and emotionally. So off I venture into the 2023 post-COVID, inflation-weary job market. There is a perception that there are a lot of jobs out there, but for someone at my stage of life, the opportunities are much more limited. And research shows that there are many more barriers in general for older workers trying to re-enter the job market.

While I have a bachelor's degree with first-class honors from a prominent Canadian university, I do not have a Masters or Ph.D. degree. What I do have, is an abundance of work and life experience. I am a mature, competent, experienced generalist, but no job descriptions request these qualifications.

I can build a beautiful website, balance the books, manage your political campaign, perform a greenhouse inventory, recruit great staff, host a fabulous event, and write an engaging newsletter – and do them all in one day!

To be honest, I am also very particular about who I work with. I have a history of working for mission-driven and impact-focused companies and organizations, mainly in the areas of social and environmental justice. To work for anyone who does not share my values is an appalling prospect for me. Frankly, most people looking at my resume who do not share my values would likely not come near me anyways. This is certainly a limiting factor as well.

I have been advised by some to try and disguise my age on my resume. Is the important work I did twenty years ago or more not relevant - work where I gained invaluable experience and acquired critical soft skills I carry with me today? Those experiences make up who I am, and what I learned in some of those jobs I still use today. I prefer that my resume read more like a story rather than a list of particular positions organized by place and date ranges. Alas, that is not what employers are asking for.

My expectations may be unrealistic, and I should be willing to take whatever comes along. Perhaps I should more seriously consider living off the rental income I can generate from my condo, plus continue living with a friend will enable me to work for less while still doing something meaningful that matches my interests and skills.

Finding Plan B and the Courage to Stay the Course

I also confess that the thought of starting a new position with an entirely new group of people and dynamics, feels quite terrifying. On the other hand, when I am feeling optimistic, I feel ready to take on the world. While younger folks may have current knowledge, I have the wisdom of someone entering elderhood. That wisdom only comes through life experience.

I may be on more of a course correction, rather than an ending or a beginning, with my path merely bending in a different direction than I had previously planned. One of my favorite spiritual teachers says that obstacles in life are not IN the way; they ARE the way. If we choose, they can be seen as our most excellent teachers.

This is in the process of unfolding before me, on a journey with no fixed destination. Now when people ask me what I do, I say I am "in-between opportunities."

Does it all happen for a reason? I choose to think it does. I had been wondering if I really wanted to stay with that employer till my retirement anyways, and it seems like the universe has spoken and kicked me in the butt to find my courage and embrace my next adventure.

And I hope to meet some of my Sole Sisters along the path! In the meantime if you have any ideas or stories about later in life reinvention I would love to hear them in the comments.

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Rita Fromholt is an experienced communications, marketing and project management specialist across many sectors including social enterprise, public and non-profit. My passions are focused on environmental and social programs and projects, including those related to social and climate justice, all with a focus on innovation.

My diverse and evolving professional background includes extensive expertise in communications, marketing, innovative program development, strategic planning, public outreach, event planning, operations and financial management.

I have a BA (first class honors) in Communications from Simon Fraser University, a certificate in Web Design and Digital Marketing and a diploma in Accounting Technology

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