Life after retirement

BANGALORE: The world goes by the habitual notion that retired people have retired for life. But that may not always be true. Life after sixty can be professionally successful — that’s what the couple Hema and Ravichandar believe in, and that's what made them come up with an innovative solution — ExpertEase.An NGO with the aim of bridging the gap between senior citizens and corporates/ NGOs, ExpertEase works towards finding jobs for retired Bangaloreans free of cost.Started on a small scale in 2009, the website is picking up popularity in the city.“Unfortunatley, the retirement age in most companies is around 60. There is a lot of talent that goes unutilised because people retire. On the other hand, there is a huge demand for experienced hands in many industries,” points out Hema, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.Her husband, Ravichandar, the chairman of Feedback Consulting, was involved in evangelising the setting up of the US$ 12 bn Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission fund by the Union Government for 63 cities in India.“We try to make the website easy to use for senior experts,” explains, Radhika Madhavan, who is helping Hema and Ravichandar as the chief resource councellor. “The website is simple to use and after a company selects a candidate, they take further discussion offline,” she adds. All retired senior citizens need to do is, just register on their website www.seniorexperts.org for this job/ volunteering expert platform. “It is free of cost. We just want to bring together the interested parties so that both of them benefit from the process,” says Hema. “Firstly, there is the leverage, wisom and expertise that the senior citizens can offer to the industry, NGO or interest group. Secondly, it is an important way to make senior citizens feel relevant," explains Hema. According to Hema’s observtion, people’s self worth could plummet after retirement. A job can keep them on their toes, she believes. “We want to first consolidate in Bangalore before moving on to other cities in India,” says Hema.So far, 950 candidates, 115 corporates and 150 NGOs have registered with ExpertEase. According to Hema, more than large companies, small and mid-sized companies are making use of this platform to find talent. “Age can be a very big challenge. Of course there are difficulties that come with old age. But many industries are looking for experienced people because of their lack of recklesness and a better understanding of reality,” says Hema.‘India's population is ageing. In fact, India's 60 plus population is expected to triple in the next four decades. Add to that trend the fact that joint families are becoming rare, lack of pension/funds in old age and high inflation rates — many seniors need to find employment after retiring just to manage their health/ basic needs. ExpertEase allows them a encore career or a second career,’ that forms the crux of their identity and the founders of the NGO hope for more corporates to incorporate senior experts into the industry.