Seasonal Unretirement Can Help Balance Work and Life

Stacy King retired from her job as an executive with the federal government in May 2024 and by September had already decided she needed to do something because life in a northern Wisconsin winter can be decidedly slow.

King had a long and varied career, earning a college degree in music education and then discovering shortly after graduation that she had a passion for marketing and copywriting. Later, she worked in health care before finding her greatest satisfaction in a service role and eventually as an executive in a U.S. government agency.

It was that satisfaction of serving others that made her restless after retiring — along with the fact that she and her husband chose to retire in northern Wisconsin, which is not known for a climate that is conducive to year-round outdoor activities.

So, while King decided to return to work on a part-time basis, she wanted to work seasonally — during the winter months — and leave herself free to take advantage of the region's beautiful late spring, summer and early fall months.

It's not uncommon for retirees to decide they want to return to the workplace. But not all want to do so full-time or make long-term commitments. Many are choosing a seasonal pattern of unretirement — working in retail during the holidays, as accountants in tax season or in the tourism industry over the summer.

Krissy worked for several years as a hairdresser before doctors diagnosed her cancer. After undergoing chemotherapy, her health care providers warned against returning to hairdressing because of the chemicals it regularly exposed her to. Instead, she decided at age 61 to get a Department of Public Instruction teaching license. Now she is a substitute teacher at the school her grandkids attend, which is also close to her house.

After selling his gas and convenience stores and deciding to retire, John, an avid outdoorsman, recently committed to working at a ski resort for a few months during the winter, something he says he is passionate about.

Some retirees choose to get back into, or stay in, the workforce as a way to remain active and involved, some to pursue personal passions, some for health reasons and some because they need the income. Whatever the motivation, the good news is that there are ample opportunities to pursue work on a seasonal basis, and employers, by and large, recognize the significant contributions that older workers can bring.

Whether your dream is to work at a golf course in the summer or in a retail store over the holidays, seasonal opportunities abound. Retirees also have opportunities to stay engaged in a career they loved, but on a part-time or temporary basis, through fractional opportunities.

"Seasonal hiring has shifted dramatically in the past decade, with retirees emerging as a key labor force for businesses managing peak demand," says Kaveh Vahdat, founder and president of RiseOpp.

"Companies are beginning to recognize that retirees bring a level of reliability, customer service expertise and work ethic that is difficult to match in the general workforce," Vahdat says. "Major retailers, tax firms and tourism businesses are increasingly targeting this demographic, not as a secondary option, but as a strategic hiring priority. This shift is being driven by labor shortages, the rising cost of living for retirees and a growing preference for flexible, short-term work."

The retail industry is a prime place for retirees to find seasonal opportunities. James Wilkinson, CEO of Balance One Supplements, says the company uses retirees as part of its seasonal workforce "to help fulfill customer service, order fulfillment and inventory management during peak times in our business."

Last holiday season, for instance, Wilkinson says that five retirees came on board as seasonal employees and contributed to a 30% increase in order processing efficiency. "Their reliability, work ethic and life experience have made them an indispensable piece of our seasonal workforce," Wilkinson says.

But these aren't the only types of opportunities, as Vahdat knows well. His firm RiseOpp, is a fractional CMO services company. Fractional roles are becoming increasingly popular with both companies and the candidates they seek. While the concept has been around for a while, interest is on the rise. According to Newsweek, it's a trend that has taken hold after the pandemic.

As the name suggests, fractional executives work in a part-time or consultative role with companies, generally as temporary members of the C-suite. It's a concept that can be particularly appealing to retirees who stepped down from senior roles and want to remain connected, but to a lesser degree.

Retirees interested in fractional work, says Vahdat, are generally looking for three things: social engagement, flexibility and respect.

Often, retirees interested in seasonal work only need to ask some prospective employers to be considered. Sometimes they're even proactively recruited.

King, for instance, shares that while shopping at a local retail store, she started "reorganizing boxes" that had become cluttered in a display. As an employee approached her, she thought she might be scolded; instead, the employee asked if she was interested in a job. She says there is also a lot of opportunity in her area for personal service work — cooking and cleaning, for instance.

Social media can also be a good source of information about opportunities, says Wilkinson, who uses social media and online advertising to reach out to retirees who might be interested in seasonal work.

An employee referral program has been even more effective at bringing in retirees, Wilkinson says. "We invite existing team members to refer retirees they've encountered in their personal or professional lives," he says. Last year, he says, 40% of the company's seasonal hires came through employee referrals.

King has found some interesting work online, she says, including a role as an "AI trainer." She points to "The Work at Home Woman" as a good source of remote/work-at-home opportunities, including seasonal work. Virtual Vocations is another source of information about these types of roles. And, of course, LinkedIn can also be a good place to find seasonal jobs through contacts and groups or by searching for the type of roles you're interested in.

Seasonal unretirement offers retirees like King and others the flexibility to pursue meaningful work during times of the year that best align with their other interests. It's a win/win scenario that addresses the need of many companies to meet seasonal staffing needs while offering those employees the best of both worlds in retirement — a balance between downtime and professional impact.

Lin Grensing-Pophal 

Lin Grensing-Pophal is a freelance business writer with a background in HR/employee relations and marketing/digital marketing. She is accredited through SHRM, the Society of Human Resource Management, as a Senior Professional in Human Resources and Senior Certified Professional. She also is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors and the Association of Ghostwriters.  Read More