Over the weekend I spoke with an owner of a merchandizing warehouse about how he could help his employees better prepare for retirement. He mentioned a large proportion of his workforce is in the age range of 45 to 65.

Retirement Planning Workshops

As an option, I suggested he offer his employees attendance at a retirement planning workshop. I outlined the workshop design:
·   3-hours; 15 – 20 participants
·   Invitations for both employees and their spouses/partners to attend
·   Learning techniques: Lecture, self-completing workbook exercises, group discussions, case studies
·   Participants learn the essential topics for inclusion in a holistic retirement plan (i.e. balanced leisure lifestyle, health & wellbeing strategy, creating a realistic vision, etc.)
·   Result, personal plan to enhance life after work

Feedback

We then talked about the effectiveness of workshops. I shared participant comments:
“What I liked best was spending time thinking about what my retirement may look like and recognizing things I need to get in place to be happy”.
“Terrific course – the best retirement course I’ve taken – highly recommend it!”
“Lots of fun working in groups. Great variety of discussion, brainstorming and creative planning.”
“Workshop was very well done and informative. Wish I had this workshop years ago.”

Average participant rating: 4.6/5.0. Results guaranteed.

Alternatives:

Alternatives to conducting a workshop include:
·   Lunch ‘n learns
·   Provision of books, articles, and online resources (i.e. CANNAV commissioned 10 specialized articles for inclusion in the CANNAV monthly employee newsletter).
·   One-on-one coaching (as a unique offer, The Agency for Co-Operative Housing offered workshop participants one-on-one or partner coaching).

Payoff for Employees and Organization

o  Employees gain a better understanding of retirement needs before crisis occurs.
o  They create a plan to protect their time and money.
o  Discover opportunities that add excitement in the second longest period of life.
o  For the organization, value-added differentiates the firm from others.
o  Demonstrates caring, leadership and corporate social responsibility.
o  Appreciative employees become ambassadors and fans.

For information about workshops and other services designed to assist employees better prepare for retirement, please contact me.
Rick Atkinson, B. Com, MBA, CHRP, CMC, FDFS
RA Retirement Advisors
ramgt75@rogers.com
www.whencaniretire.ca