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A look into the proposed Tripartite Guidelines on the Re-employment of Older Workers that were drafted with feedback from employers and unions. According to an article in Today newspaper, for workers performing well and in good health, but yet are not re-employed after they hit the retirement age of 62, the draft Tripartite Guidelines recommended that employers offer a one-off payment called the Employment Assistance Payment (EAP). Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong reiterated that this is not a form of welfare, but is meant for the workers who cannot be rehired as they seek employment in other places within three months – the average time it takes to get a new job, according to another article in Today newspaper.

Other terms of the draft guidelines is that employers should prepare their workers for re-employment no less than a year ahead of retirement age and offer a re-employment contract at least three months before retirement. The draft is now available for public consultation. The draft guidelines will be the “foundation” for the 2012 legislation and according to the Minister in the newspaper article, they will help companies understand re-employment, “offer practical solutions to help them put in place the necessary systems and processes, and ultimately, establish the norms for re-employment”.

See the terms at www.reach.gov.sg.

Why should we let a number like our age dictate the way we feel? I recently read a wonderful book called “The Noticer” and in one of the chapters was a story about an older woman who felt she had nothing left to offer. However, the main character called Jones (not Mr Jones) showed her the way and gave her perspective.He explained through well-known examples. For instance, Benjamin Franklin didn’t invent bifocals until he was 78. Winston Churchill was also 78 and finished more than a couple of careers when he wrote a book that won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Nelson Mandela was inaugurated president of South Africa for the first time – after years in that country’s prisons – at the age of 75. Igor Stravinsky was still doing concerts when he was 87. Michelangelo didn’t begin his work on St Peter’s Basilica – one of the world’s greatest treasures – until he was 72. I guess you can see where author Andy Andrews is going. Pick up the book, you will enjoy it!

This is a follow-up to my earlier blog on this subject matter: Today, I listened to Gerard Ee (who just turned 60), chairman of the Council for Third Age, who said a few words during the STOP Campaign at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. The festival raises awareness of relationship violence such as elder abuse and abuse of women. He mentioned that passive abuse such as you ignore or neglect an elderly is also considered abuse. “Caring for an elderly can take some energy and the stress can get the better of you,” he said. “But it is about becoming aware.” He suggested to take breaks such as get a relative to help out. “You need to recharge yourself.” Caregiving isn’t just about taking care of your loved one, it is also about taking care of yourself.