Motives of retirement-aged workers and the importance of doing, being, becoming, and belonging: A systematic review of qualitative studies

ABSTRACT

Background: Although extended work activity is often associated with active and healthy ageing, it meets with a polarized response. Studying workers’ lived experience may provide important insights into their motives for working beyond typical retirement age. Objective: This systematic review aims to explore why people who could retire continue to work and applies the dimensions of doing, being, becoming, and belonging to describe prolonged participation in work. Methods: Our search strategy followed the guidelines of the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (CRD, 2009). Original studies were identified from databases CINAHL, Web of Science, Business Source Premier, ERIC, and ProQuest. Data were analyzed from the perspective of doing, being, becoming, belonging. A thematic synthesis was applied to summarize key motives. Results: Eleven qualitative studies met the inclusion criteria and achieved the quality criteria of the The Qualitative Assessment Research Instrument. Eight motives were identified that were associated with extrinsic and intrinsic motivational factors. Health was a theme of salience and was both a prerequisite for work and an important motivator in itself. The dimensions of doing, being, becoming, belonging emerged in the description of workers’ motives and formed an interwoven selection of motives that included achievement, positive relationships, helping others, and enjoying work. Conclusion: Retirement-aged workers appear to be a poorly represented population in the scientific literature on work motives. The main findings indicate that workers who prolong labour activity experience work as much more than the act of ‘doing’ or acquiring additional financial resources. This urges us to include the dimensions of ‘being, becoming, belonging’ into contemporary age management.

背景：虽然工作活动延长通常与积极和健康的变老相关，但它会遇到两极分化的反应。研究工人的生活经历可能会为他们在典型退休年龄后工作的动机提供重要的见解。目的：本系统评价旨在探讨为什么可以退休的人会继续工作，并应用做、存在、成为和归属的维度来描述工作参与延长。方法：我们的搜索策略遵循审查与传播中心的指导方针(CRD, 2009)。初始研究得自数据库 CINAHL、Web of Science、Business Source Premier、ERIC 和 ProQuest。从做、存在、成为、归属的角度分析数据。应用主题综合来总结关键动机。结果：11 项定性研究符合纳入标准，并符合定性评估研究工具的质量标准。确定了与外在和内在动机因素相关的八种动机。健康是一个突出的主题，它既是工作的先决条件，本身也是一个重要的动力。做、存在、成为、归属等维度出现在对工人动机的描述中，并形成了一个相互交织的动机选择，包括成就、积极的人际关系、帮助他人和享受工作。结论：在关于工作动机的科学文献中，退休年龄工人似乎是一个代表得不够的人群。主要研究结果表明，延长劳动活动的工人比“做”或获得额外经济资源的行为工作得更多。这促使我们将“存在、成为、归属”的维度纳入当代年龄管理。

Contexte : Bien que l'activité professionnelle prolongée soit souvent associée à un vieillissement actif et sain, elle suscite des réactions polarisées. L'étude de l'expérience vécue des travailleurs peut fournir des informations importantes sur les raisons qui les poussent à travailler au-delà de l'âge typique de la retraite. Objectif : Cette revue systématique vise à explorer les raisons pour lesquelles les personnes qui pourraient prendre leur retraite continuent à travailler et applique les dimensions de faire, être, devenir et appartenir pour décrire la participation prolongée au travail. Méthodes : Notre stratégie de recherche a suivi les directives du Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (CRD, 2009). Des études originales ont été identifiées dans les bases de données CINAHL, Web of Science, Business Source Premier, ERIC et ProQuest. Les données ont été analysées du point de vue du faire, de l'être, du devenir et de l’appartenir. Une synthèse thématique a été appliquée pour résumer les principaux motifs. Résultats : Onze études qualitatives ont satisfait aux critères d'inclusion et aux critères de qualité du Qualitative Assessment Research Instrument. Huit motifs ont été identifiés, associés à des facteurs de motivation extrinsèques et intrinsèques. La santé était un thème saillant et constituait à la fois une condition préalable au travail et un important facteur de motivation en soi. Les dimensions du faire, de l'être, du devenir et de l'appartenir sont apparues dans la description des motifs des travailleurs et ont formé une sélection de motifs entrelacés comprenant l’accomplissement, les relations positives, l'aide aux autres et le plaisir du travail. Conclusion : Les travailleurs à l'âge de la retraite semblent être une population peu représentée dans la littérature scientifique sur les motifs de travail. Les principaux résultats indiquent que les travailleurs qui prolongent leur activité professionnelle considèrent que le travail est bien plus que l'acte de "faire" ou que l’acquisition de ressources financières supplémentaires. Cela nous incite à inclure les dimensions "être, devenir, appartenir" dans la gestion contemporaine des âges.

Antecedentes: aunque la prolongación de la actividad laboral a menudo se asocia con un envejecimiento activo y saludable, genera una respuesta polarizada. El estudio de las vivencias experimentadas por trabajadores puede aportar importantes conocimientos sobre sus motivos para trabajar más allá de la edad típica de jubilación. Objetivo: aplicando las dimensiones de hacer, ser, llegar a ser y pertenecer para describir la participación prolongada en el trabajo, esta revisión sistemática pretende explorar por qué las personas que podrían jubilarse a determinada edad siguen trabajando. Métodos: nuestra estrategia de búsqueda siguió las directrices del Centro de Revisión y Difusión (CRD, 2009). Se identificaron estudios originales en varias bases de datos: CINAHL, Web of Science, Business Source Premier, ERIC y ProQuest. Los datos encontrados se analizaron desde la perspectiva del hacer, ser, llegar a ser y pertenecer, aplicándose una síntesis temática para resumir los motivos clave. Resultados: once estudios cualitativos cumplieron los criterios de inclusión y de calidad establecidos por el Instrumento de Investigación de Evaluación Cualitativa. En estos se identificaron ocho temas asociados a factores motivacionales extrínsecos e intrínsecos. Un tema destacado fue la salud, que operó, a la vez, como un prerrequisito para el trabajo y como un importante motivador en sí mismo. En la descripción de los motivos de los trabajadores se identificaron las dimensiones de hacer, ser, llegar a ser y pertenecer, las cuales formaron un entramado de motivos que incluía el logro, las relaciones positivas, la ayuda a los demás y el disfrute del trabajo. Conclusión: los trabajadores en edad de jubilarse parecen ser una población poco representada en la literatura científica sobre los motivos laborales. Los principales hallazgos indican que los trabajadores que prolongan la actividad laboral experimentan el trabajo como algo que va mucho más allá del acto de “hacer” o adquirir recursos financieros adicionales. Esto insta a incluir las dimensiones de ser, llegar a ser, pertenecer en la gestión contemporánea de la edad.

KEYWORDS:

• Occupational science
• Active ageing
• Healthy ageing
• Incentives
• Work activity

MOTS-CLÉS:

• Science de l’occupation
• vieillissement actif
• vieillissement en bonne santé
• incitatifs
• science de l’occupation
• activité professionnelle

The rise in the old-age dependency ratio has led countries around the world to encourage prolonged work participation (Arnott & Casscells, 2003; Bovenberg, 2003; Chand, 2018; Eurostat, 2020; Heylen & Van de Kerckhove, 2019). To promote work past typical retirement age and alleviate the pressure on public finances, older workers and their employers are offered various incentives, mostly in the form of financial benefits (Heylen & Van de Kerckhove, 2019). Other common strategies include raising the official retirement age and lowering the pension for early exit from the labour market (Krekula & Vickerstaff, 2020). Furthermore, extended work participation has often been associated with the concepts of ‘active ageing’, ‘productive ageing’ and ‘successful ageing’, underpinning a narrative about older people remaining professionally active for as long as possible (Del Barrio et al., 2018; Ehni et al., 2018). Since these concepts imply and locate a certain responsibility for continuous participation with the individual, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently replaced ‘active ageing’ with ‘healthy ageing’. This conceptual change recognizes the role of society and environmental factors in enabling older people to remain active in a way they value (Rudnicka et al., 2020).

Research has demonstrated the benefits of prolonged work participation on multiple levels, including increased independence, preserved routines, better health, and financial stability (Cole & Hollis-Sawyer, 2020; Wolverson & Hunt, 2015). On the other hand, ageism and negative stereotypes towards older workers remain widespread, limiting their opportunities in the labour market (Čič & Žižek, 2017; Cole & Hollis-Sawyer, 2020; Fasbender & Wang, 2017; Finkelstein et al., 2015; Harris et al., 2018; Posthuma & Campion, 2009). Intergenerational tensions, expressed in the opinion that older workers should step back in favour of the younger generation, are also not uncommon (Björklund Carlstedt et al., 2018) and can intensify in the event of an economic crisis when older workers are more likely to be forced into early retirement due to high unemployment rates (Coile & Levine, 2011; Phillipson, 2019). People who reach the statutory retirement age might, therefore, face an inner conflict when deciding to postpone retirement, juxtaposing their motives and personal preferences against prejudice and societal expectations.

The age at which people get access to a full pension and could arguably become more inclined to withdraw from the labour market differs significantly between countries, ranging from 58 to 67 years in most member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), with an average of 63.5 years for women and 64.2 years for men (OECD, 2019). There appear to be significant differences in the employees’ intentions to continue working past typical retirement age. For instance, in Malta, less than 3% of women would like to work for as long as possible. In contrast, more than 40% of men would do so in Latvia and Estonia (Eurofound, 2017). Furthermore, workers’ opinion about what age they would like to work until often does not match the statutory pension age in that country. In the Nordic countries, where the statutory retirement age is one of the highest in the world, the workers would like to retire on average a year earlier than stipulated. More incongruency has been detected in Cyprus, Greece, Slovenia, and Poland, where workers would like to work between 5 and 7 years less than required (Eurofound, 2017).

While the phenomenon of extended working life is complex, policies and initiatives have often focused on workers’ chronological age and health, as well as the economic consequences of early exit from the labor market, somewhat neglecting other aspects of people’s lived experience and the context of their work-related decisions (Nilsson, 2016). Moreover, policymakers may overlook the fact that retirement-aged workers are a very heterogenous group, whose decisions are driven by different motives. For instance, some choose to continue working because they enjoy it, while others are forced to work beyond retirement due to economic hardship or caregiving responsibilities (Newton & Ottley, 2020). Little attention has also been given to higher-level motives and motivational self-transcendence that may develop late in one’s career (Henning et al., 2019), with current focus primarily on the financial sustainability (which should not be ignored). An in-depth understanding of an individual’s motives is needed if workers are to be supported and empowered in their decisions to continue working past typical retirement age, creating a meaningful approach as opposed to applying a standardized, one-size-fits-all tactic (Flynn, 2010; Kooij et al., 2008; Nilsson, 2016, 2020).

It has been argued that achieving full understanding of people’s purposeful and meaningful engagement in everyday occupations requires acknowledgement of the dimensions of doing, being, becoming, and belonging, and their interrelatedness with occupation and experience as described within occupational science (Hitch et al., 2014; Wilcock, 2006). Doing is the visible quality of an occupation that can usually be observed, being links with people’s sense of self and how they experience an occupation, becoming is a process of growth that encompasses development through engagement in occupation, and belonging describes people’s interpersonal relationships and sense of sharing their occupations and their meaning with others (Hitch et al., 2014; Hitch & Pepin, 2021; Wilcock, 2006). These dimensions are usually explored through a qualitative approach that considers the existence of multiple realities and looks at people’s understanding and interpretation of daily reality (Creswell & Poth, 2017).

The aim of our study was to synthesize qualitative studies that have described the motives of retirement-aged workers from their own perspective. For this study, retirement-aged workers were defined as people who met the statutory retirement age applicable in their respective country contexts and continued to work even though they are entitled to a pension (state or private) or superannuation. The utilized definition of retirement was chosen because it includes the economic perspective of retirement, and views retirement as a life cycle event that typically involves a pension that (to some extent) replaces an income from employment (Maestas & Zissimopoulos, 2010). However, monetary aspects can also be the motive behind extended working life due to incongruency between salary and pension (Cole & Hollis-Sawyer, 2020). Receiving pension/retirement income and not participating in the labour force are only two possible measures of retirement. There are several other operationalizations of retirement, including reduction in hours worked, exit from one’s main employer, change of career later in life, and self-assessed retirement (Denton & Spencer, 2009). The research questions connected with our systematic review were: 1) Why do retirement-aged workers continue working? and 2) How are motives for prolonged work participation related to the dimensions of doing, being, becoming, belonging? A preliminary search for previous literature reviews on the topic aligning to the same concepts was conducted and no other sources were identified that specifically explored the workers’ perspective.

Methods

Search methods

The guidelines of the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (CRD, 2009) were used to conduct a qualitative systematic literature review, which has been described as a “method for integrating or comparing the findings from qualitative studies. It looks for ‘themes’ or ‘constructs’ that lie in or across individual qualitative studies” (Grant & Booth, 2009, p. 94). In January and February 2021, we searched five databases relevant to the phenomenon of the study. Since our topic requires a multidisciplinary approach, the databases reflected different perspectives, namely healthcare (CINAHL), social sciences (ProQuest), economy and management (Business Source Premier) and education (ERIC). Web of Science was also used as a general multidisciplinary database.

The keywords chosen for the search reflected the three main concepts: retirement-aged worker, motive, worker’s perspective. The search included multiple term synonyms of the main search keyword groups using Boolean operators (AND, OR) and wildcards (Table 1). Although we were interested specifically in retirement-aged workers, we also included keywords connected to the words ‘older worker’ and ‘bridge worker’, such as senior worker, older employee, and bridge job. This decision was made after the initial search revealed that some studies did not make a clear distinction between these expressions and could use the term older worker or bridge worker (and related words) to refer to retirement-aged employees. With regard to the concept ‘motive’, we identified most frequently recurring key terms related to this concept, such as reward and incentive. Finally, the search strategy for ‘worker’s perspective’ was based on the knowledge that people’s perspectives are usually represented in qualitative articles studying people’s experience; therefore, search terms related to qualitative methodology and experience were chosen. We adopted a comprehensive search strategy in order not to miss relevant articles.

Table 1. Keywords used in the search strategy

Search keywords group 1: “older worker*” OR “senior worker*” OR “retirement-aged worker*” OR “aging workforce” OR “silver workforce” OR “aging employee*” OR “bridge employ*” OR “bridge job*” OR “employment of older worker*” OR “worker* over 60” OR “delay* retirement” OR “older employee*”

Search keywords group 2: motive* OR incentive* OR motivation* OR reward* OR reason*

Search keywords group 3: experience* OR perception* OR narrative* OR perspective* OR ethnography OR story* OR “qualitative research” OR “qualitative method*” OR “qualitative design”

Inclusion and exclusion criteria followed the PICO review protocol for qualitative studies (participants, phenomena of interest, context, type of studies) (Munn et al., 2018) and are presented in Table 2. In most cases, we were able to establish from the study if the article met the inclusion criteria. For one study, we contacted the authors to clarify the characteristics of the sample and local regulations. Since we wanted to access data from original qualitative research, gray literature was not included. There was no year limitation for the publications. In total, we identified 361 studies after duplicates were removed and the filters for language and type of publication (i.e., article) were applied. The search strategy was documented for every database and presented in the search matrix (available on request). Search results were saved in a reference management software Zotero for identification of duplicates and further analysis.

Table 2. Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Criteria	Inclusion	Exclusion
Participants	Workers who meet the minimal retirement age applicable in their specific location and stay officially employed although they are entitled to a pension (state or public) or superannuation	People of retirement age who work in unpaid jobs (e.g., voluntary work, unpaid care work, household chores) or in unrecorded and unregulated jobs that are not taxed (i.e., informal or grey economy)
Phenomena of interest	The workers’ internal and external motives related to working beyond typical retirement age	Motives for activities that are not connected with work. Perspective of people other than workers (e.g., employers, family members, state agencies)
Context	All occupational categories; public and private sector; international context	-
Study design	Original qualitative studies	Systematic reviews, quantitative studies, non-peer reviewed studies
Language	English	Other than English

All original studies were first screened by title (n = 361). In this way, 200 studies were excluded. The abstracts of the remaining 161 articles were read and carefully examined against the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Many of these articles did not fit the purpose of our study from a methodological or content perspective and were therefore excluded (n = 138). Twenty-three articles remained and were read in full. Nine articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis. In addition, the references in the original studies selected for inclusion were searched manually to identify additional sources relevant to the review (CRD, 2009). Two sources were found in this way, bringing the total number of articles to 11 (see Figure 1 for search strategy and inclusion). The search was repeated in June 2021 and limited to publications from year 2021; however, we did not identify any new studies that would meet the inclusion criteria.

Figure 1. Search strategy

Methodological quality assessment

The original studies chosen for the review (n = 11) were screened using the critical appraisal tool for qualitative studies developed by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI), also known as The Qualitative Assessment Research Instrument (QUARI) (JBI, 2014). QUARI consists of 10 evaluation criteria that are applied to each article to provide a score. We decided that studies achieving less than half of the quality criteria would be excluded from the review in order to sustain best quality in evidence chosen for systematic review analysis (CRD, 2009). However, all selected articles achieved a score of 6 out of 10 or higher, therefore, none were excluded due to methodological weaknesses.

Data extraction and synthesis

All selected articles were added to the data matrix that collated and summarized the results according to the research questions and included the following items: Author(s) and Year, Objective, Participants, Context, and Key Findings. The findings were analyzed from the perspective of doing, being, becoming, belonging and any presence of these concepts was noted for each article (Table 3).

Table 3. Data matrix from selected articles

Author/year	Objective	Participants	Key findings	Context	Concepts Doing-Being-Becoming- Belonging	Quality assessment (QARI)
Bratun & Zurc, 2020	Explore internal and external motives of people who continue working after they fulfil the retirement criteria	Interviews. 9 workers (6 male, 3 female), aged 59 to 72 years	Three main themes: (1) Foundations - the prerequisites for continued work engagement (health, work-related abilities, work characteristics, employer’s attitude and quality of work relationships); (2) Rewards - benefits of working longer (personal finances, maintaining lifestyle, engaging in valuable occupations, increased self-governance, rewards that can go beyond the individual; (3) Negotiating Occupational Challenges - summarized an internal crisis experienced when faced with a potential void of retirement (not knowing what to do). The highest level of motivation, such as self-transcendence, was also noted	Slovenia. Workers employed in private and public sectors; different occupational categories and education levels. Study had an occupational therapy/occupational science perspective	Motives related to engagement in occupations (doing), identity (being), search for new meaning and purpose (being and becoming), and relationships with others, the organisation, and wider society (belonging)	9
Dorfman, 2000	Examine perceptions and experiences of tenured university professors working after age 70	Interviews. 17 tenured professors (13 male, 4 female), aged 70-74 years, still employed at a university	Motives were organized into personal, professional and institutional factors. For most, the main reason to work was enjoyment (especially teaching, followed by research). Second most frequent reason was feeling it was important to continue (contribution to others, a mission). Two cited financial reasons. One continued because poor health prevented active retirement options. Participants perceived the overall atmosphere in their department and the university as positive, felt little institutional pressure to retire, and had no plans to retire	US academia. Major public university (The University of Iowa); highly educated professionals. Conducted by a sociologist/gerontologist	Motives were embedded in personal factors and enjoyment of their work (doing and being), continuous professional development, having a job that was important for development (becoming), and having a positive community at work (belonging)	7
Fraser et al., 2009	Understand factors influencing older people to stay in paid employment, from their perspective	Interviews and focus groups. 16 workers (8 male, 8 female), aged 60-75 years (mean age 67), working 26 to 200 hours per month	Main motives (and benefits) were (in order of frequency and subjective importance): Earning an income, Enjoying social aspects, Having something to do/keeping busy, Having a purpose, Making a contribution, Using skills (not wasting them), Promoting own emotional and physical health, Having an identity, Pursuing an interest, Maintaining autonomy and independence, Keeping control over work and lifestyle, Having flexibility and choice in work, Belonging to supportive workplaces. Stress, lack of support, physical demands, and overemphasis on qualifications seen as barriers to participation	Australia, suburbs of Brisbane. The largest group were professionals with tertiary education. Conducted by an occupational therapist	Motives connected with having something to do, using skills, pursuing an interest (doing). Reasons to retire were also connected with having (or not having) something to do. Work provided an identity and a purpose (being). Social aspects of work and belonging to supportive workplaces also described (belonging)	8
Friedrich et al., 2011	Discover what rewards and inspires registered nurses (RNs) to continue working beyond retirement age in the acute care environment. Comparison with data from nurses anticipating retirement	Focus groups. 13 nurses (1 male, 12 female) meeting the retirement criteria (over 62 years old) and 12 nurses approaching retirement (55-62 years old; 2 male, 10 female). Only data for the older cohort used	Motives included appreciation for learning, experience, culture of the workplace, and love of nursing. Reduced pressure was important to continuing to work. Felt they were experts in their specialty but possessed a shrinking area of confidence outside of it. Described meeting important personal and professional needs by working: exercising the mind and body, finances, and camaraderie. Sharing expertise and making a difference were also important. Overall impression: nurses loved their work, recognized they made unique contributions and made a difference in people’s lives, sense of accomplishment and pride in their work	United States. A 500-bed medical centre in the Midwestern. The demographics of RNs employed were similar to demographics of RN workforce in the US. All Caucasian. Conducted by an RN	Doing a job they loved, exercising body and mind (doing). Being appreciated by others, being an expert in your speciality, feeling proud and accomplished, being a teacher and a mentor (being). Continuous learning (becoming). Belonging to a team, having a sense of camaraderie were also present (belonging)	8
Grah et al., 2019	Examine the most important factors encouraging an older employee to remain in the labour market	Single case study. 1 female fashion designer and business owner, with > 50-year work history (aged 74 years)	Main factors connected with continued work were vitality, intrinsic motivation, ability to adapt, lifelong learning, and positive emotions. Enjoying knowledge transfer (teaching others) also mentioned	Slovenia. Luxury, high-end fashion industry. Authors with interest in age management	If she did not have work, she would no longer exist (being). Life-long learning and growth and being able to adapt (becoming). Doing different occupations to maintain vitality and health, namely doing yoga and exercising (doing)	8
Hovbrandt et al., 2019	Describe incentives behind an extended working life among people over age 65	Six focus groups. 24 participants (19 male, 5 female), aged 66-71 years (mean age 67)	Two themes: (1) Prerequisites included health, manging health, and being able to balance work, family life, and other occupations; (2) Driving forces included: ‘to be challenged’ (the stimulation of work, experiencing self-fulfilment, enjoying work while being able to stop working at will), ‘to be included’ (an important part of the organization), and ‘better personal finances’. Participants described that money was less important than the other two categories	Sweden. Two medium-sized companies and four municipalities. Included two different work domains: predominantly male construction and technical companies, and the municipal elderly care sector, which has a higher percentage of women	Fear of not having anything to do if retired (doing). Work provided stimulation that contributed to identity and self-fulfilment (being, becoming). Being a part of a team of colleagues (belonging)	8
Hutchings et al., 2020	Understand the drivers for older academics to continue working after they meet retirement criteria	Interviews. 23 academics (18 male, 5 female) aged mid-60s to mid-80s who self-identified as regular international business travellers	Four general drivers were: (1) Financial reasons, (2) Time to do non-work activities, (3) Health and (4) Family/relationships/personal (waiting for the partner to retire). Six drivers associated with identity: (1) the occupation itself, (2) choice of type of work, (3) social aspects of being at the workplace, (4) being good at scholarly work/academia as the only focus, (5) the work being well regarded and travelling to places to present the work and (6) giving back to the academic or broader community	Academia in the UK, NZ, and Australia. Participants took at least two international trips per year. Conducted by academic researchers	Strong identification with their work occupation (being) and enjoyed having more time for research (doing, becoming). Social aspects of work and collaboration with colleagues plus a sense of camaraderie and contribution (belonging)	9
Nobahar et al., 2015	Explore experiences of retired nurses about their decision to continue working	Interviews. 20 nurses (10 male, 10 female), aged 50-60 years, who retired but continued to work (as nurses or in other fields)	Two themes: Motivational factor - serving society, maintaining and promoting health, tendency toward flexible work, and maintaining the role and activity (meaning in life, routine), and Forcing factors - ardent desire to work as pluralistic ignorance (expectations of others) and financial need	Iran. Exploring bridge employment – returning to work post retirement from a nursing perspective	Wanted to keep their role and achieve a balance in life (being). Strong motive to contribute to society (belonging). Engaging in similar occupations as prior to retirement (doing) More content due to increased work flexibility (becoming)	8
Reynolds et al., 2012	Explore people’s experiences of working beyond 65	Interviews. 30 participants (20 male, 10 female), aged 65-91 years (median age 71)	Continued working to increase financial security (to support a more varied, satisfying lifestyle or to support other family members). Work helped them maintain health and offered opportunities for continuous personal development. Very few were working to provide for everyday needs	UK. 14 participants worked full-time, 17 part-time. First author - health psychology and counselling	For some, work became “serious leisure” through which they could reach self-actualization and develop (being, becoming). Connections with others and helping others to live better (belonging). Some were developing new businesses (doing, becoming)	8
Sewdas et al., 2017	Gain insight into reasons for working beyond the statutory retirement age from older people’s perspectives	15 individual interviews, 3 focus groups. 33 participants (22 males, 11 females) aged over 65 years	Motives and preconditions included good health, flexible work arrangements, work characteristics, skills and knowledge, and social and financial factors. One unexpected theme - purpose in life	The Netherlands. Workers in paid employment (n=23) or self-employed (n=10). Most worked part-time (n=31). Study connected to the Study on Transitions in Employment, Ability and Motivation (STREAM)	Importance of maintaining routines and having flexible work arrangements (doing). Purpose in life (being). Skills and knowledge acquisition and maintenance (being, becoming)	8
Ulrich & Brott, 2005	Explore factors contributing to older workers’ decision-making process to take bridge employment, strategies that help with the transition, and challenges	Interviews. 24 workers (13 male, 11 female), aged 62-78 years, retired from a long-term career and employed in a bridge job (the majority stayed within their occupational categories)	Post-retirement employment motives were financial, looking for meaningfulness (meaningful use of time), filling time, having control of what you do (autonomy), and keeping connected with their career. Credited bridge jobs with helping them enjoy their work and making them feel better about themselves because they continued to learn, made a difference to others, demonstrated their competency, and felt healthy. Several highlighted the opportunity to help others in their careers (i.e., mentoring). Described a balanced life with more time for themselves, a structure, an expanded support system, and added financial resources	United States. Exploring implications for career counselling. Participants mostly came from two occupation categories: (a) management, business and financial operations and (b) professional and related	Wanted to use time in a meaningful way (doing, being). By staying employed, they redefined retirement as an opportunity (becoming). Felt better about themselves (being) by continuing to learn (becoming)	6

Since the focus of the review was on the experiences of workers, a thematic synthesis was chosen to further examine the data. It has been argued that thematic synthesis can be an appropriate method within qualitative systematic reviews that aim to summarize key issues relevant to the review while trying not to de-contextualize the data (Thomas & Harden, 2008). The data and key concepts relevant to our study were found in the Results and Discussion sections, therefore, those sections in each article were read carefully. We extracted the relevant data connected to the workers’ motives. We then applied thematic synthesis that was based on the three-stage analysis process presented by Thomas and Harden (2008). The process involved line by line coding of text from the primary studies. In this way, 67 free codes that pertained to work motives were identified. These codes were summarized into 12 descriptive themes. In the third step, we revealed eight themes that represented eight key motives that constituted our results. The first author completed the analysis, with the aid of computer software Atlas.ti, version 9, which helped with data management and organization of codes. The software facilitated the analytical approach; however, the process of creating codes, merging codes into homogeneous groups, and identifying themes was performed by the researcher. To increase methodological rigour, there was an ongoing critical discussion among all authors about the selected articles and analysis that involved juxtaposing different perspectives and exploring alternative interpretations.

Results

Eleven qualitative studies were included in the final analysis. Ten of the studies were conducted in seven countries: three in the United States, two in Slovenia, and one in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Sweden, Australia, and Iran. The final study was transnational and included professionals from Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Six studies included different professional groups; however, two studies included only nurses, two included only academics, and one focused on the fashion design industry. In five of the studies, it was clear that all the participants continued working in their career employment. In the other six, it was either not specified (n = 2) or some of the participants changed their occupational categories after meeting the retirement criteria (n = 4). The participants’ ages ranged from 50 years to 91 years, with the majority of the articles (n = 9) including people aged 62 or older. Six studies included only workers over 65 and two studies only workers who were 70 or older.

The dimensions of doing, being, becoming, and belonging all featured in the description of workers’ motives (Table 3). Doing was often connected with engagement in activities (Bratun & Zurc, 2020; Nobahar et al., 2015), having something to do (Fraser et al., 2009; Hovbrandt et al., 2019), maintaining routines (Sewdas et al., 2017), and exercising the body and mind (Friedrich et al., 2011; Grah et al., 2019). Being could be understood as a sense of work-related identity (Bratun & Zurc, 2020; Hutchings et al., 2020), having a role such as a teacher/mentor or an expert (Friedrich et al., 2011), and having a purpose in life (Fraser et al., 2009; Hovbrandt et al., 2019; Sewdas et al., 2017). Becoming featured in a wish for continuous professional development (Dorfman, 2000; Friedrich et al., 2011), and learning and growth (Grah et al., 2019; Ulrich & Brott, 2005). Finally, the belonging dimension was recognized in a sense of belonging to a certain work community or an organization (Fraser et al., 2009; Friedrich et al., 2011; Hovbrandt et al., 2019; Hutchings et al., 2020) and a wish to contribute to a greater good (Nobahar et al., 2015; Reynolds et al., 2015).

Findings of thematic synthesis

Eight main themes were developed through the analysis, describing different motives for workers’ extended engagement in the labor market. These motives were: Maintaining health, Finances, Achievement and growth, Positive relationships, Helping others and society, Enjoying work, Purpose in life, and Keeping familiar patterns. The identified motives were found across several studies, suggesting a level of agreement between different contexts. Table 4 includes each motive as a theme from the analysis and provides a definition. An exploratory association with dimensions of doing, being, becoming, and belonging is also provided for each motive, most motives exhibiting an overlap of dimensions.

Table 4. Synthesis of motives for prolonged work activity from the workers’ perspective

Theme / motivational factor	Description of theme/motive for work	Code examples from text	Doing, being, becoming, belonging	Studies where present
Maintaining health	Helps to maintain physical and mental health by encouraging people to be active. Can also be a prerequisite to continue working	Health, vitality, exercising of the body and mind	Primarily: doing (activities) and being (healthy)	Bratun & Zurc, 2020; Dorfman, 2000; Fraser et al., 2009; Friedrich et al., 2011; Grah et al., 2019; Hovbrandt et al., 2019; Hutchings et al., 2020; Nobahar et al., 2015; Reynolds et al., 2012; Sewdas et al., 2017; Ulrich & Brott, 2005
Finances	Financial reasons: Provide for yourself or your family; secure a better lifestyle	Security, finances, satisfying lifestyle	Primarily: doing (the visible dimension of occupation)	Bratun & Zurc, 2020; Dorfman, 2000; Fraser et al., 2009; Friedrich et al., 2011; Hovbrandt et al., 2019; Hutchings et al., 2020; Nobahar et al., 2015; Reynolds et al., 2012; Sewdas et al., 2017; Ulrich & Brott, 2005
Achievement and growth	Personal achievement, giving the worker a sense of pride, identity, expertise, abilities. Includes continuous professional development connected with growth and active ageing as well as the freedom to cease work at any moment	Being good at, being an expert, learning, having autonomy, skills	Primarily: being (i.e., identity) and becoming (through growth)	Bratun & Zurc, 2020; Fraser et al., 2009; Friedrich et al., 2011; Grah et al., 2019; Hovbrandt et al., 2019; Hutchings et al., 2020; Reynolds et al., 2012; Sewdas et al., 2017; Ulrich & Brott, 2005
Positive relationships	Encompasses positive relationships with co-workers, employer factors that support prolonged employment and relationships with family and others that encourage work (e.g., waiting for spouse to retire)	Camaraderie, expectations of others, supportive workplace, extended support system	Primarily: belonging (to groups and relationships)	Bratun & Zurc, 2020; Dorfman, 2000; Fraser et al., 2009; Friedrich et al., 2011; Hovbrandt et al., 2019; Hutchings et al., 2020; Nobahar et al., 2015; Sewdas et al., 2017; Ulrich & Brott, 2005
Helping others and society	Working for the greater good and passing on your knowledge to younger generations; serving others	Teaching others, contributing to the society, serving, giving back, making a difference	Primarily: belonging (to something greater than yourself)	Bratun & Zurc, 2020; Dorfman, 2000; Fraser et al., 2009; Friedrich et al., 2011; Grah et al., 2019; Hutchings et al., 2020; Nobahar et al., 2015; Ulrich & Brott, 2005
Enjoying work	Loving and enjoying work; work is a reward in itself	Love for work, enjoyable work, pursuing an interest, stimulation, travelling to places	Primarily: doing (work you love) and being (yourself)	Bratun & Zurc, 2020; Dorfman, 2000; Fraser et al., 2009; Friedrich et al., 2011; Hovbrandt et al., 2019; Hutchings et al., 2020; Ulrich & Brott, 2005
Purpose in life	Gives purpose and meaning to life and is a source of self-actualization	Self-fulfilment, vocation, self-transcendence, finding meaning	Primarily:being and becoming (who you are meant to be)	Bratun & Zurc, 2020; Dorfman, 2000; Fraser et al., 2009; Hovbrandt et al., 2019; Sewdas et al., 2017; Ulrich & Brott, 2005
Keeping familiar patterns	Provides a familiar pattern of life that is difficult to replace. It also provides balance between different areas of life	Routine, roles, balance, a structure, not knowing what else to do	Primarily: doing (performance patterns) and being (roles)	Bratun & Zurc, 2020; Fraser et al., 2009; Hutchings et al., 2020; Nobahar et al., 2015; Ulrich & Brott, 2005

Maintaining health was mentioned by participants in almost all studies, being a salient theme across all the included studies. Health could take on different meanings in the workers’ narratives. For instance, in order to continue working it was important to feel healthy enough (Bratun & Zurc, 2020; Grah et al., 2019; Hovbrandt et al., 2019; Sewdas et al., 2017; Ulrich & Brott, 2005). Some workers continued working but reduced their hours due to health problems (Hutchings et al., 2020). Flexible work arrangements were crucial in deciding to continue working (Fraser et al., 2009; Nobahar et al., 2015; Sewdas et al., 2017). On the other hand, work was often perceived as a way to maintain health in old age, both physically and mentally, prompting the participants to prolong their work participation in order to preserve good health and vitality (Fraser et al., 2009; Friedrich et al., 2011; Nobahar et al., 2015). Reynolds et al. (2012) also indicated that the motivation to continue working was to maintain a sense of youthfulness. An unexpected finding in one of the studies was represented by a choice of continued work, despite poor health, because the person assessed that their disability would prevent them from having an active retirement with meaningful occupations (Dorfman, 2000).

Finances were mentioned by participants in almost all studies. Some workers experienced financial insecurities (Nobahar et al., 2015) or had other needs and obligations connected to material resources; for instance, they wanted a better lifestyle (Bratun & Zurc, 2020) or had to support another family member (Reynolds et al., 2012). On the other hand, money was not identified as the most important or only factor in the workers’ decision to extend their working lives. In fact, some of the participants in the identified studies rejected the financial motive altogether (Bratun & Zurc, 2020; Grah et al., 2019) or emphasized that money was less important than other motives for continued work (Hovbrandt et al., 2019).

Achievement and growth were described as motives in many of the included studies (Bratun & Zurc, 2020; Fraser et al., 2009; Friedrich et al., 2011; Grah et al., 2019; Hovbrandt et al., 2019; Hutchings et al., 2020; Reynolds et al., 2012; Sewdas et al., 2017; Ulrich & Brott, 2005). This theme included the concept of autonomy, described as being able to continue working yet stop at any time, and having control over what one does, which seemed to be an important motivating factor for many of the participants and contributed to their sense of achievement. The theme also included various aspects of identity that were associated with work (Bratun & Zurc, 2020; Fraser et al., 2009; Grah et al., 2019; Hovbrandt et al., 2019) and with being an expert in a particular field (Friedrich et al., 2011; Hutchings et al., 2020).

Positive relationships were often cited as a reason to continue working (Bratun & Zurc, 2020; Dorfman, 2000; Fraser et al., 2009; Friedrich et al., 2011; Hovbrandt et al., 2019; Hutchings et al., 2020; Nobahar et al., 2015; Sewdas et al., 2017; Ulrich & Brott, 2005). Workers considered both their relationships at work (with co-workers and supervisors) as well as relationships outside of work. For instance, some continued to work in order to synchronize the timing of their retirement with that of their spouse (Bratun & Zurc, 2020; Hutchings et al., 2020).

Helping others and society were mentioned as important motivations to work beyond retirement age as well (Bratun & Zurc, 2020; Dorfman, 2000; Grah et al., 2019; Fraser et al., 2009; Friedrich et al., 2011; Hutchings et al., 2020; Nobahar et al., 2015; Ulrich & Brott, 2005). Workers experienced pleasure in passing on their knowledge (Dorfman, 2000; Grah et al., 2019; Friedrich et al., 2011; Ulrich & Brott, 2005) and giving back to society in the latter part of their careers (Bratun & Zurc, 2020; Hutchings et al., 2020; Nobahar et al., 2015).

Enjoying work was often mentioned as an intrinsic motivator, with work itself being a reward (Bratun & Zurc, 2020; Dorfman, 2000; Fraser et al., 2009; Friedrich et al., 2011; Hovbrandt et al., 2019; Hutchings et al., 2020; Ulrich & Brott, 2005). Some occupations were ranked as particularly enjoyable, such as teaching and research (Dorfman, 2000; Grah et al., 2019). Some also experienced a more balanced life overall, especially if they reduced their work hours, which helped them enjoy work more than before, when life was dominated by work obligations (Hovbrandt et al., 2019; Hutchings et al., 2020; Ulrich & Brott, 2005).

Purpose in life was also described as a motive for delayed retirement in some of the reviewed studies (Bratun & Zurc, 2020; Dorfman, 2000; Fraser et al., 2009; Hovbrandt et al., 2019; Sewdas et al., 2017; Ulrich & Brott, 2005). Some participants described their work as a vocation and source of self-actualization (Bratun & Zurc, 2020; Grah et al., 2019). Work could define people in very powerful ways, as described in the study by Grah et al. (2019), in which the participant articulated that without work, she might cease to exist.

Keeping familiar patterns was another important motive for extended working life. Maintaining a daily routine that included work was critical for many participants (Nobahar et al., 2015; Sewdas et al., 2017). Some participants also wanted to avoid having nothing to do post-retirement and therefore continued to work (Bratun & Zurc, 2020; Fraser et al., 2009; Hovbrandt et al., 2019). Established routines helped to elude the experience of ‘not doing’ and the so called ‘occupational void’ of retirement (Bratun & Zurc, 2020; Hutchings et al., 2020).

Discussion

This systematic literature review aimed to identify the motives of retirement-aged workers in relation to continued labour participation from their perspective. Although some scholars have argued for the use of qualitative methodology in the study of the phenomenon of work beyond retirement age, the approach has been insufficiently pursued (Amabile, 2019; Nilsson, 2017). This was confirmed by our literature review that identified a small number of qualitative studies that explored the workers’ perspective. Furthermore, when screening the articles, we found that some studies did not distinguish between older workers and retirement-aged workers, making the selection process more challenging. It has been argued that being a retirement-aged worker is not the same as being an older worker; the two terms should not be used as synonyms (Friedrich et al., 2011). In international policies on workforce, the cut-off age for an older worker is usually 55 years (McCarthy et al., 2014), which is below the statutory retirement age in most countries. Older workers do not necessarily meet the retirement criteria yet and may be required to continue working regardless of their preferences. Therefore, it is important not to combine the findings of studies that include older workers with those that examine workers who work past the statutory retirement age, as their experience may be fundamentally different due to a different context and level of choice. Only when a person meets the retirement criteria and continues to work can they fully grasp and experience the context of the situation.

According to our review, retirement-aged workers appear to be a poorly represented population in the scientific literature on work motives. Also, their motives for extended working life are versatile. We will discuss some of the themes related to motivational factors that emerged from the findings of the review in connection with the dimensions of doing, being, becoming, and belonging. We recognize that there might be an overlap between the motives and that some are closely connected with more than one dimension of occupation.

Doing work: The importance of health and occupational patterns

Maintaining health was a salient theme. In the included studies, good health was identified as an important prerequisite for work, which is often reported in studies on prolonged work participation (Anxo et al., 2019; Furunes et al., 2015). Health was also perceived as a desired outcome of continued work participation that could help to defy some of the constraints of chronological age. It has been argued that the decision to continue working can be more closely related to a person’s perception of their health than age (Anxo et al., 2019); however, this is seldom reflected in policies and programs aimed at supporting retirement-aged workers. Moving beyond chronological age is essential for contemporary age management, particularly as age is often associated with various stereotypes, especially when it comes to older workers and their opportunities for work (e.g., Čič & Žižek, 2017; Cole & Hollis-Sawyer, 2020; Fasbender & Wang, 2017; Finkelstein et al., 2015; Harris et al., 2018; Posthuma & Campion, 2009). When age-related stereotypes become internalized—which is not uncommon—this can have far-reaching implications. For instance, it can affect the workers’ sense of belonging, their emotions, and social motivation (Rahn et al., 2021). From a worker’s perspective, it might be more meaningful to focus on health promotion and health maintenance rather than adopting an approach based on age (e.g., statutory retirement age). Moreover, when talking about workers’ age, we should not consider just their date of birth, but also their biological, cognitive, and social age, which might not necessarily match (Nilsson, 2020).

The findings of the systematic review also suggested that the fear of having nothing to do could be an important driver to continue working. Keeping familiar patterns was often a drive behind working longer. Alternatively, people incorporated new occupations and co-occupations into their routines. Co-occupations, a concept that describes the involvement of two or more people in a chosen occupation, is something that has been described in the occupational science literature before, specifically post retirement (van Nes et al., 2012). In addition, Jonsson (2008) found that in the transition from work to retirement, another type of occupation, engaging occupation, can play a significant role in promoting people’s well-being and can be associated with more satisfying occupational patterns. Therefore, engaging occupations may be important in guiding people who face a transition such as retirement (Jonsson et al., 2001). For example, a person with an engaging occupation in the occupational repertoire might feel less anxious about having nothing to do post-retirement.

Being and becoming through work

Achievement and growth motives were associated with a sense of autonomy, which is an essential component of self-determination theory (SDT). SDT explains intrinsic motivation as a synthesis of the need for competence, relatedness, and autonomy (Deci & Ryan, 1985; Ryan & Deci, 2000). If societies want to promote intrinsic motivation in retirement-aged workers, these needs should probably be placed at the heart of age and diversity management and consideration given to how to address them in the work milieu. For example, efforts should be made to include all workers in the work environment so that they feel connected to it, provide opportunities for continuous professional development of competence, and allow autonomy over the work process and decisions regarding work.

Another aspect of work that was important to participants was the sense of identity it provided. The role of a worker is one that cannot be easily replaced, which has been viewed as one of the most challenging aspects of the work-to-retirement transition (Eagers et al., 2019). Furthermore, experienced workers often assume new roles, such as mentor or teacher, which can be an inspiring source of motivation for them. However, intergenerational knowledge transfer is still underutilized in many work settings and does not occur automatically due to various barriers, including tensions in values, behaviour, and identity (Fasbender & Gerpott, 2021). This should probably be addressed, as sharing and teaching others seems to be an important motivator for retirement-aged workers and can contribute to a meaningful work identity of an older worker, as well as contribute to a sense of competence, autonomy, and relatedness. Furthermore, knowledge transfer is critical to the competitiveness and sustainability of modern organizations (Avery & Bergsteiner, 2011).

Going beyond the self at work: Belonging and transcending

Helping others and society were powerful motivators as well. This could suggest that some workers prioritize values beyond their own personal success. For example, the feeling of belonging to something greater than oneself might be more pronounced among some individuals, driving their desire to continue to participate in work-related occupations that benefit others and society. An element of contributing and serving was mentioned in most studies, regardless of location, suggesting that the gap between more and less individualistic societies may narrow as people age. This finding could be congruent with the theory of gerotranscendence (Tornstam, 1989). Gerotranscendence purports that, regardless of culture, some people might reconsider their priorities later in life and experience a shift in their meta-perspective from a material to a more transcendental view that involves becoming less self-centered and feeling more connected to the world (Tornstam, 1989). Although people can experience this mental shift at different stages of life, Tornstam (1989, 1997, 2005) described it as a gradual progression toward maturity and wisdom that results in well-being. The process can include a careful selection of occupations that match the person’s altered priorities and standards. It is possible that people who achieve gerotranscendence are more likely to stop working when they reach retirement age and disengage from productivity values to focus on other life priorities. However, if they continue to work, they might be driven by the non-material rewards of prolonged labour engagement, such as serving others and facilitating the development of younger generations.

The connection between the meaning of work and spirituality has been discussed previously (Chang et al., 2021; May et al., 2004; Rosso et al., 2010). For some, work can be a source of purpose in life, a vocation or calling, and gives them an opportunity to transcend the self and experience a deep sense of meaning in life (Rosso et al., 2010). Purpose in life was identified as an important motivator in this study, too. It is possible that people who experienced purpose through their work were motivated by this throughout their careers. It is also possible that they had a harder time disengaging from their work than someone who experienced work more casually. Furthermore, some people can develop a strong attachment to a certain group through their work—whether it is a professional group, a team of co-workers or an organization as a whole—that shares a common goal or has a vision they believe in. The importance of positive relationships at work has been noted previously (Furunes et al., 2015). Even when studying the experience of work from retirees’ perspective, Eagers and colleagues (2019) found that work relationships were an integral part of the work narrative and could sometimes be compared to belonging to a family unit.

Positive relationships in this study extended to social networks outside of work and highlighted the importance of familial support and the social context; the decision to continue working does not happen in isolation from other areas of a person’s life. When developing new competencies related to managing a diverse workforce and supporting the well-being of older workers, it could be essential to focus not only on the individual, but also on the social and family context that might play an essential role in the worker’s decision to either postpone retirement or retire. While retirement has often been viewed as one of the major transitions in a person’s life (Amabile, 2019), its impact may extend beyond the individual and require careful (re)orchestration of the entire family unit and its occupations.

Limitations and future directions

As per our inclusion criteria, we made an effort to only include qualitative studies about workers who met the retirement criteria and could access a pension or superannuation. It is possible that some articles that were excluded due to a lack of information that could help us assess whether they met the inclusion criteria nevertheless met them, potentially reducing the number of themes we identified. However, it has previously been argued that when doing systematic reviews of qualitative studies, the sample can sometimes be purposive rather than exhaustive (Doyle, 2003). Another limitation could be that different countries apply different laws and regulations to retirement and continuous work participation, therefore, the samples differed in their age range and context depending on the location of the study. Although workers’ chronological ages and contexts differed, they shared the experience of fulfilling the retirement criteria and having access to a pension.

A possible methodological limitation was also that the thematic synthesis was conducted by only one of the researchers due to time constraints. However, the other two authors critically examined the findings and provided feedback that was considered in the final version of the analysis. The critical dialogue between the authors increased the rigour of the analysis and followed what has been termed the ‘critical friend’ approach, where the purpose was not to achieve consensus but to encourage reflexivity (Smith & McGannon, 2017).

The advantages and disadvantages of doing thematic synthesis as part of a qualitative systematic review have been discussed previously and we are aware of the risks of generalizing based on these findings or taking findings out of a particular context (Thomas & Harden, 2008). If a reader wants to get an uncondensed picture and a better understanding of the richness of the data in a particular study, they need to access individual articles. We felt that by summarizing the relevant data, we were able to bring findings together and thereby synthesize aspects of relevance for future studies as well as inform policy and practice.

In this study, we applied the concepts of doing, being, becoming, and belonging to the study of motives for prolonged work engagement, which, to the best of our knowledge, has not been considered before. External motives, such as Finances, that were more closely associated with the doing or observable dimension of occupation, were an important element in the decision to continue working. Nonetheless, many of the identified motives related to non-material rewards and could be described as intrinsic incentives for work, such as having A sense of purpose in life, fostering Positive relationships and Helping others and society.

While financial perks most likely play a role in the decision to continue working, there might be a group of workers who are not motivated by finances, or less so. Fideler (2012), too, found that 70% of Baby boomers work past retirement for reasons other than financial, suggesting that an approach that goes beyond tangible rewards is required if we are to support and empower older workers who consider delaying retirement. On the other hand, we need to consider that the samples in the included qualitative studies consisted of a large number of educated professionals who were probably in a privileged position compared to their peers in less skilled jobs or from lower socio-economic backgrounds, therefore, could be in an advantageous position to focus on the intrinsic rewards of work. In addition, data from non-Western contexts were in the minority, so the results should be considered as limited to certain regions of the world.

Future studies could use other theoretical frameworks or conceptual models to provide a more in-depth analysis of the revealed motives. For example, the Person-Environment-Occupation-Performance Model or PEOP Model (Baum et al., 2015) could provide a valuable lens to elaborate on the importance of person-environment fit when supporting retirement-aged workers’ engagement in work occupations and could also be applied at population and organizational levels. The Model of Human Occupation or MOHO (Kielhofner, 2008) could help explain the volition and habituation aspects of prolonged labour engagement, while the Sustainable Working Life for All Ages (SwAge) model (Nilsson, 2020) could be used to examine the micro (individual), meso (organizational), and macro (societal) levels of extended working life from an occupational perspective.

Conclusions

This systematic review confirmed that workers who prolong formal employment experience work as more than the act of ‘doing’ and remuneration. Other dimensions of this occupation, which might be less tangible and more challenging to describe, appear to be at least as important to this group of workers. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the individual experience of an extended working life, the dimensions of doing, being, becoming, and belonging should be considered together and explored for the meaning ascribed to work.

According to the studies included in the review, both intrinsic end extrinsic motivation for work feature in the narratives of retirement-aged workers. Work often provides a sense of purpose, achievement, autonomy, and enjoyment, resulting in increased well-being of individuals and groups. The ways in which work permeates many people’s sense of self and the world around them should be considered when people who wish to continue working are compulsorily retired—for example, through implementation of a mandatory retirement age—and what impact this might have on their health and well-being. Furthermore, strategies and policies aimed at prolonged work engagement should probably go beyond the rhetoric of active ageing and address the motivation for prolonged working life in a holistic way that appreciates the heterogeneity of retirement-aged workers and their occupations. Societies should strive for a system that could support the diversity of workers and provide opportunities for the development of different levels of motives within the work environment and beyond.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).