Fifty-two per cent of CIOs say they are somewhat likely or very likely to consider consulting work as a transition to retirement, according to a recent survey by HR firm Robert Half Technology of more than 270 CIOs from Canadian companies with 100-plus employees.
Conversely, when asked, “How likely are you to consider consulting or project work as a means to transition to retirement?” 43 per cent of respondents replied, “Not at all likely. ” Five per cent were undecided.
Igor Abramovitch, division director of Robert Half Technology, says many CIOs aren’t ready to go immediately into retirement. “It’s an industry that they spend a lot of time in, so they don’t necessarily want to quit cold,” said Abramovitch. “They may not want to retire right away. They may want to bridge it.”
Some of the benefits of doing this include less stress than a full-time position and the ability to hand-pick which projects they do.
“It’s an easier way of doing what you like and being flexible in what you want to do,” says Abramovitch.
“When you’re a consultant, you’re most likely not going to be managing a lot of staff, if any,” he says. “You don’t have the headaches of being an executive in terms of the responsibility.”
Abramovitch believes the percentage of non-CIOs who would like to consult would be even higher. – Sarah Lysecki