Work Differently Not Just Less.
There’s a conversation going on in many heads right now. It usually goes something like this, “I’ve been doing this for twenty years, I’m good at it. It pays well….. but I’m not sure I can keep going at this pace for another twenty years.” It’s not a midlife crisis. It’s not ingratitude. It’s a reassessment of how work fits into a life that has changed substantially since you first started work.
Your children are older – no longer dependent but still present in your life in ways that need your time and attention. Your parents are ageing, and the logistics of that are becoming or already part of your life. Your body is telling you that recovery time after any level of sport is a real thing and not something you can indefinitely override with caffeine, willpower and sports drinks. in the back of your mind, in the back of your mind, the question of how you actually want the next twenty years to look is getting louder.
This pillar is for people at that point. Not to tell you what to do, but to help you think it through, provide options and for you to actually do something about it.
For the 40–60 generation
You're Not in the Same Career You
Thought You'd Be In
Most people in their 40s, 50s and 60s are in a career that looks substantially different from what they imagined at 25. Not necessarily worse, generally different, often better in terms of seniority, income and expertise. But different in ways that matter.
At the same time, something else has happened, something postitve You’ve accumulated skills, networks, experience and a track record that make you genuinely valuable in ways that are increasingly difficult to replicate. The expertise that took you twenty years to develop is not something anyone can replace overnight. That’s your leverage. Lots of people at this stage in their career, don’t realise they have it.
The organisations that employed you in your 30s may have restructured, been acquired, gone remote, or simply changed beyond recognition. The work itself may have shifted, more meetings, more management, more strategy and maybe you’ve lost sight of why you wanted to follow this career path in the first place. The expectations around availability have intensified. The commute, if there still is one, is harder to justify.
“The 40–60 generation is the most underserved demographic online. Highest disposable income. Highest purchase intent. And almost entirely ignored.”
FAMILY COMMITMENTS — THE FULL PICTURE
You're Still Needed. Just Differently.
One of the most persistent myths about being in your 40s-60s is that life simplifies once children become independent. The reality is considerably more complex.
Adult children: still there, still yours
Children in their late teens and 20s may no longer need you in the logistical, daily sense of before. But they are absolutely still part of your emotional and your practical landscape. There’s less after school clubs and more late night pick up. Emotional support during exams. University transitions, early career struggles, relationships, mental health challenges, financial wobbles, these don’t disappear when they blow out the candles on their 18th birthday. They just take different forms.
For many parents in their 40s and beyond, the relationship with adult children requires as much emotional presence as the earlier years, sometimes more, because the stakes are higher and the dynamic is more complex. This isn’t a burden; for most people it’s one of the most rewarding relationships of their lives. But it does require time and attention that has to come from somewhere.
Ageing parents: the sandwich generation reality
Children become more independent, conversely our parents are typically moving in the opposite direction. The support needs of parents in their 70s and 80s – health appointments, practical help, emotional presence, financial decisions, care arrangements, add a significant and often unpredictable layer of complexity to the lives of us their children.
The term ‘sandwich generation’ squeezed between the needs of children and the needs of parents, has become cliché but remains accurate and for many of us very real. Managing this while maintaining a demanding career and finding time for your own health and relationships is genuinely hard. It’s also something that most employers and most career advisors are remarkably unprepared to discuss.
This is an area where flexible work/life arrangements make an enormous practical difference. Not just in the abstract ‘better balance’ sense, but in actuality: the ability to take a parent to a hospital appointment on a Tuesday without feeling like you’re wasting a day of annual leave, or to take a call with a care home manager without having to hide in the car park, matters enormously when you’re in this phase of life.
FLEXIBLE WORKING
The Case for Flexible Working and How to Actually Get It
The post-pandemic working landscape has permanently shifted expectations around where and when work takes place. For people in their 40s +, this represents a genuine opportunity to renegotiate or reset the terms of their employment in ways that simply weren’t available to their parents’ generation.
What flexible working actually means
Flexible working isn’t just working from home on Fridays. Flexible working includes: compressed hours (four longer days instead of five), hybrid working (the same days working in and away from the office each week), part-time senior roles, term-time working, job-share annualised hours, and fully remote positions. Each of these has different implications for income, career progression and practical lifestyle.
How to make the conversation happen
Most employers who resist flexible working arrangements say no on principle, because they don’t know how to manage it, or don’t understand the potential benefits. Since the introduction of the Flexible Working Act 2023, an employee has the right to request flexible working, from day one of employment. So, a well-prepared case, framed around business continuity and output rather than personal convenience, is significantly more likely to succeed than a general request for ‘more flexibility’.
- Document your output clearly before making the request, the case is always stronger when based on demonstrable results
- Propose specific arrangements rather than asking for flexibility in the abstract
- Offer a trial period, this lowers the perceived risk for employers who are uncertain
- UK employees can request flexible working from day one. Employers must respond within 2 months and provide a business reason for any refusal.
- Be clear about what you will and won't compromise on, partial flexibility is often a better outcome than no flexibilit.
CONSULTANCY AND PORTFOLIO CAREERS
Going Independent. When the Maths and the Life Both Work
For a significant number of people in their late 40s and beyond, the most compelling option isn’t a negotiated arrangement with a current employer, it’s leaving employment altogether and working independently.
Consultancy or Fractional is the most common route. Taking the expertise, networks and track record built over a career and offering them directly to organisations on a project basis, rather than as a permanent employee. The appeal is obvious: autonomy, variety, the ability to choose clients, and in many cases a higher effective day rate than the equivalent employed salary.
The reality is be quite different. Consultancy brings income variability, the need to actively sell your services, no employer pension contributions, and the psychological adjustment of no longer having an organisational identity. These are real challenges that are worth taking seriously before making the move. But once you get all the elements right the benefits can be wide ranging.
What a portfolio career can look like
A portfolio career – combining several part-time, freelance, fractional or consultancy arrangements rather than one full-time role, is an increasingly common model for people who want both variety and sustainability. Common combinations include:
- Two or three days per week for a previous employer as a consultant, supplemented by other clients
- A non-executive or advisory role alongside independent work
- A combination of income-generating work and voluntary or pro bono commitments
- Developing a knowledge-based business alongside consultancy work, a website, a course, a newsletter
- It’s about choosing to create the work life balance which works for you
FLEXIBLE WORKING
How to Work Less in Three Years. A Practical Framework
Know your number
Determine your baseline income by calculating the actual cost of your lifestyle. Many find this number drops significantly once work-related expenses like commuting and convenience spending are removed.
Build the bridge
Create a financial buffer through savings, redundancy payments, or a phased transition. A deliberate “bridge” provides the stability and choices needed to move into independent work on your own terms.
Start before you leave
Don’t wait until you’ve quit to build your independent future. Expand your network and establish your reputation while still employed to ensure momentum the moment you make the move.
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