How COVID-19’s 168-Hour Workweek Is Changing Work In Retirement

by Adam Felts

AgeLab Director Joseph Coughlin writes in Forbes about how the exposure to working from home is making employees rethink how they will spend their retirement:

"Despite the complaints of working at home, many COVID home workers are already sensing the retirement possibilities. Paul, a Philadelphia-based 60-year old accountant, notes that “working with a few of my favorite clients in retirement is feeling more possible than I would have imagined as little as a year ago.” “Everything I need is online. I can easily chat with my clients or colleagues on video.”

But Paul goes beyond the logistics of work to spotlight the lifestyle benefits of working from home and what that might mean for his retirement. He says, “I used to commute more than an hour from home to my office in center city – working from home I added almost three hours a day to my life.”"

Read Dr. Coughlin's thoughts in full here.

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About the Author

Photo of Adam Felts
Adam Felts

Adam Felts is a researcher and writer at the MIT AgeLab. Currently he is involved in research on the experiences of family caregivers and the future of financial advice. He also manages the AgeLab blog and newsletter. He received his Master's in Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Boston University in 2014 and his Master's of Theological Studies from Boston University in 2019.

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