Most discussions about retirement revolve around financial considerations and ignore the psychological aspects of this transition.

Just what the heck are we going to do over the next 20 or 30 years to give our lives meaning? How do we stay active and engaged?

This column will explore such questions. I conduct survey research and I’m interested in topics dealing with our aging population. I’ve interviewed many people on both sides of the retirement divide. Their stories offer examples that are both inspiring and cautionary. In the coming months I hope you will contact me with your own apprehensions and anecdotes.

The benefits of a job go beyond just a pay cheque. It gives us structure, a sense of identity and accomplishment, and a social network. We miss these benefits after retirement.

Fifteen years ago, I left the nine-to-five grind to set up a consulting company. The thing that I missed most was the camaraderie that comes from working with a group of like-minded people in achieving a common goal. However, through trial and error, I managed to replace what I had lost.                  

Volunteering in a service club now gives me that same sense of esprit de corps.

Before retiring, it’s important to understand a job’s non-monetary benefits.

What aspects do we really like and what parts would we be quite happy to never do again? Many people prize a job’s social aspects. They like feeling plugged in and part of a team. Some identify mentoring as a key ingredient of their job happiness. Others like the opportunity to express the creative aspects of their personality.

Many retirees miss these sources of personal satisfaction. Not surprisingly, even though they are financially secure, many end up re-entering the workforce.

My grandfather is a great example of this phenomenon. Back in the day when he retired it was generally the assumption that you would restrict your post-work activities to soaking up the sun and relaxing.

But like many retirees these days, my granddad came to the realization that the world of work still held many attractions beyond a pay cheque.

Gramps was the accountant for a large car dealership in downtown Toronto.

When an offer came in to buy the dealership, he and the other partners decided to sell. They all did pretty well on the sale and Granddad took an early retirement. He was in his mid-fifties at the time and for a while he was happy.

Grandma was a bit horrified at the prospect of having him around all day but he was able to keep busy working around the house and tending to his rose bushes during the summer.

About 10 years after his retirement, my grandmother and her sisters decided to take a six-week trip to Europe.

Gramps was not invited.

In her absence, feeling at loose ends, he decided that part-time work would be just the ticket. So he took a job as a bookkeeper at a local gas station. He loved that job and he was still at it into his 80s (be sure to investigate the tax and pension implications of working during retirement).

He was a friendly fellow and the comings and goings at the gas station gave him a chance to use his considerable social skills.

For my grandfather, a retirement that included only rest and relaxation didn’t have much appeal.

Understanding those things that you really love about your work will allow you to seek them out in your retirement.

Conducting this inventory before you leave the job will go a long way to easing the transition.

If you’re already retired and finding that something’s missing, maybe it’s time for  a  review.