Not Fading Away--The Permanent Work Ethic

The following stories illustrate this new, fast-developing age where people are "old-but not retiring."

The dictionary defines "retire" as "withdraw, move back, fade away; to withdraw from one's position." But the theoretical basis for this outdated social security system born during the mid-19th century equates "old age" with "inability." Unable to earn a living and with no concrete contributions to make to society, old people are like "leaves on a windshield you can't get off" (Ayako Sono, In Search of an Aesthetic of Old Age). In a heartless workplace, young people complain that they are just "in the way."

But now the definition of retirement has changed-it no longer represents the endpoint of a working life. On the contrary, it symbolizes a road that frees one up for broader career experiences. Retirement can bring enjoyable changes a future with hope. The "two-career life" is not limited to high-level professionals. With determination, anyone can shine right up to the very end.

mounting a vigorous challenge against hundred-year-old notions of retirement. Here we 58-year-old arts educator Hu Ling-yu.

Case 1:Retired CEO starts new business

"Just look, after air drying, all the spots on the shoe have come out," says Sung Yao-tsung. Wearing a dark work jacket as he talks with his business partner Hu Yung-chin, both of them sporting heads of graying hair, he adjusts his glasses. If you supposed the boss in this shoe laundry was hard at work at the age of 64 because of money problems, you would be quite wrong.

"If it weren't for the heart spasm I had without any warning in Nanjing, I would not have retired!" Four years ago Sung Yao-tsung left Taipei for Nanjing as the Greater China region CEO for Philips Electronics with a staff of some 8,000 and a monthly salary of NT$400,000. Nevertheless, a sudden heart spasm, the cause of which is still a mystery, led to Sung collapsing in his cold Nanjing office. He had just turned 60 years old.

At the insistence of his wife, Chang Yu-lien, Sung Yao-tsung retired from Philips, but he did not "graduate" from the workplace. Although Sung had entered his sixth decade of life, he was still highly sought after by Taiwanese businesses. Sung had outstanding qualifications that included 40 years working for foreign companies, with experience ranging from engineer and purchasing manager to professional administrator in a transnational enterprise. Accepting the kind invitation of a friend, Sung joined the metal stamping plant Jin Ming Industry, Co. Ltd as CEO. The work was as complex as it ever had been, and the good thing was that Sung's wife was able to keep a close eye on him, which set her mind at ease.

"I still had the energy but my physical strength was really not up to par. Also, because of my heart problem I had to carry around nitroglycerine tablets to put under my tongue. I'd be lying to you if I said I didn't worry about my health, says Sung Yao-tsung. After two years in which he helped Jin Ming get listed on the stock exchange, Sung decided to retire for a second time and began to travel and spend time with his grandchildren. Except for Africa, he visited nearly every continent. Nevertheless, these years of retirement, though pleasant, were dull.

"Last year I didn't miss one of Wang Chien-ming's games. My eyes were glued to the TV screen the whole season." Hu Yung-chin, Sung's business partner and a retired project leader engineer for Philips, pokes fun at himself, admitting he had "quite enough free time" after retirement.

"Before I was golfing once a week; after retirement, I was golfing every day," says Sung as he swings his golf club at the Yang-Mei Country Club, chatting with Hu Yung-chi. "But it couldn't go on like that with nothing to do!" So these two old comrades in arms decided to find a little something to "pass the time."

After working diligently for so many years, seniors are entitled to enjoy their remaining years. Yet retiring too soon can cause feelings of worthlessness. It is society's collective responsibility to create a niche in the economy tailored to fit the needs of older workers.

Clean shoes

So, what to do? These two guys remembered visiting a "shoe cleaning" shop while traveling in China. Thinking this an interesting idea, they decided to give it a shot. Sitting around and talking about it was not as good as going out and taking a look, so with true entrepreneurial vigor they bought airline tickets the next day. They flew to Hong Kong and then on to Guangzhou and the shoe cleaning department of the Guangzhou Industrial Technology Institute for a short training course, followed by some practical experience in an actual shoe cleaning shop. They then traveled to Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Italy to observe the business in those countries. On January 15, after six months of planning, these two young "oldsters" finally opened up their Wholly Shoes Beauty Bar with great fanfare on Chunghua Road in Chupei, Hsinchu County.

"We discover something, come up with something new every day. We learn so much!" This is what Sung, "old but not retired," has gotten out of the experience. Things like the simple air drying chamber he designed himself, finding out whether scrubbing with short-haired or longer-haired brushes is more efficient, paying attention to the new shoe models of various manufacturers-all this provides them with endless pleasure. For many years Sung was engaged in a contest of wits and power in the marketplace. Now all he must do is concentrate on getting the dirt out of shoes, making old shoes look like new. This has given birth to a feeling of accomplishment and the notion that "old people are still useful." Seeing the great joy her husband derives from cleaning, repairing and polishing shoes, Chang Yu-lien, who had originally been against the idea, has now gotten involved and helps with the management and finances.

Because the top-flight service has earned it a reputation and it is the first shoe cleaning shop in Hsinchu County, the clientele of the Wholly Shoes Beauty Bar continues to grow. The daily average intake is from 30 to 50 pairs of shoes. At the same time, the shop has attracted many who want to join in on the business. After two short months of operation, Sung Yao-tsung has already begun to sell his "intellectual property" and pass on his business start-up experience. This was precisely Sung's forte during his career as a professional manager.

"It's been a lot faster than I had imagined, going from start-up to expanding into a franchise operation." Originally just meant as a pastime to escape from boredom, the shoe cleaning enterprise has become the center of Sung's life. This retired CEO is now busier than ever.

Pctured here: 83-year-old Mr. Chou (far left) of Fenglin, Hualien County, who not only heads a production and marketing team specializing in bird's-nest fern, but still rises at four every morning to work on his farm; senior Government Information Office managers (left), who have a wealth of experience in getting Taiwan's message to the world; and media worker Huang Tien-tsai (right), who is still writing diligently at 84 years young. More and more people are eschewing retirement in order to lead fuller, more productive lives in their later years.

Case 2:Sticking to one's post

If we can say that Sung Yao-tsung is an example of someone who "retired" his old skin and found work in a new guise, then Tsai Nan is a representative of the "C" style, or "cyclical" lifestyle. Over the past 40 years Tsai has worked in the plastics industry and the ready-made clothing industry, and he now runs the Fourways dairy farm. He also adheres to the principle that "no work for one day means no food for one day." Tsai is prepared to stick to his post and never mentions retirement.

On entering the Fourways Farm in Miaoli a visitor is met with 270 head of robust dairy cows meandering back and forth behind the fences. Stereotypical farm smells are replaced by the heavy scent of milk in the air, and there are no mosquitoes or flies around to bother people. All this is the result of 63-year-old Tsai Nan's constant attention to improvement and his insistence on using an organic approach to running the farm. Although the company, with an annual turnover exceeding NT$100 million, has now gotten on track, Tsai Nan can still be seen at midnight every day, a big straw broom in hand, sweeping straw scattered all over the place right up to the cows. Then, as if they were children, he strokes and calms the nervous lactating cows.

Becoming the head of this farm was certainly not a part of Tsai Nan's original blueprint for life. After graduating from the Taipei Institute of Technology's Department of Mechanical Engineering, like most Taiwanese youth in the 1960s Tsai entered the workplace right out of school, joining the staff of a plastics company at a monthly salary of NT$1,600. At the time he figured to end his days there, but changes in the Taiwan manufacturing industry introduced a variable into his calculations. The plastics industry could not afford domestic labor costs, and there was a rush to move overseas to Southeast Asia. Even though he was in management, Tsai Nan knew that someday even he would be out of a job. Spurred on by this sense of crisis, in 1980 he left the plastics company, took his miniscule retirement money and savings and invested in the ready-made clothing industry, becoming a small business owner.

However, Tsai Nan was getting on the last train out of the station for the garment industry. The crisis for this traditional twilight industry could not be averted. Not wanting to be thrown out of the workplace because of this, Tsai Nan started to think hard about another transformation.

"At the time, the Taiwan dairy industry was already on a good footing. 100% of the milk produced by farmers was bought by dairy factories. In addition, the price of fresh milk was supported by the government. What a great industry!" Also, Tsai could not forget his youth spent growing up on a farm and so, with one foot in the garment industry, he put his other foot tentatively into the dairy industry.

Retirement is no longer an epilogue following a good performance on the stage of life. It is, rather, a period for people to rethink and regroup, when they can use their own experience, abilities and wisdom to create a completely new life.

Work and family

Having gotten into this industry, Tsai Nan then found out it was not as romantic as he had supposed. At the time, each dairy farmer in Taiwan had an average of about 40 head of dairy cattle. Tsai Nan's goal was 350 head. He figured only an economy of scale could provide him with a competitive edge. But changing professions posed a formidable challenge. If the average dairy farmer kept 100 head of cattle, then the wife and husband, the parents and the children-all three generations-would have to spend every waking hour every day of the year just to handle the situation. "So this is why the saying goes: raise cattle and have no friends."

Not only this, to realize his dream Tsai Nan, always the engineer, racked his brains: "If I set up the dairy factory myself, produced and sold the products, would this make me more competitive?" "Pure milk has no added flavoring. The taste is determined by what the cows eat, and pasturage is the key. Where is the best forage grass?" Insisting on quality, Tsai Nan's farm adopted organic cultivation. His milk was completely pure and was regularly bought by organic food distributors like the Homemaker's Union and Foundation. He had created a market niche and successfully built the "Fourways Milk" brand.

"I've never thought about retiring, only how best to run the farm." Pointing to an open piece of ground at the far end of the farm, the 63-year-old Tsai enthusiastically describes his five-year blueprint for the future. Walking along the hilly land that stretches some 10 hectares and turning onto the road leading to the wastewater treatment area, Tsai talks of nothing but raising cattle. He single-mindedly focuses on his topic: "Recently the price of rice husks has shot up and I've begun thinking. If we can solve the wastewater problem, so that we don't need to use rice husks soak up the water in the cowdung, the suppliers won't have us by the throat anymore, and at the same time we will be fulfilling our environmental responsibilities...."

In the light of the waning sun the tanned and sinewy Tsai Nan is bubbling over with energy. One is moved to see the traditional farmer's value that "work is to live, work is life" embodied in the person of Tsai Nan.

Pctured here: 83-year-old Mr. Chou (far left) of Fenglin, Hualien County, who not only heads a production and marketing team specializing in bird's-nest fern, but still rises at four every morning to work on his farm; senior Government Information Office managers (left), who have a wealth of experience in getting Taiwan's message to the world; and media worker Huang Tien-tsai (right), who is still writing diligently at 84 years young. More and more people are eschewing retirement in order to lead fuller, more productive lives in their later years.

Case 3: A winding road

For those who are "old but not retired," taking the bold step to start a new business is one approach. To soldier on in one's original line of work is another choice. Chen Hsueh-jen, currently a senior trainer for the Aviation Safety Council, Executive Yuan, has taken a winding road.

When he was young, the now 60-year-old Chen Hsueh-jen joined the military as a pilot. His retirement in 1990 coincided with the opening up of civil aviation in Taiwan, and he easily moved into this field. Six years later, now as a commercial pilot, Chen retired for the second time as stiff competition in the civil air industry led to a reduction in salaries and benefits and, in addition, his eyesight was no longer what it once had been. He was only 47 years old, just entering his most productive years. With an introduction from a friend, Chen went to Shanghai as marketing director for a trading company, becoming one of the "Taiwan cadres" who ply the straits between Taiwan and China.

Although in good physical shape and a capable person, the problem of adjustment brought on by the job change meant this pilot had to spend almost six months before he could adapt to the local management style and the slower pace of life.

"In Taiwan among friends we are all about honor and commitment. A sentence or two and the deal is done. But in China friendship is 'quantified.' You basically look at what use you are to the other person to determine the level of friendship. The clash of generations, cultural differences and the value system-all these are problems," says Chen as he recalls the challenges he faced.

In his 60s and having left his primary career path, jumping from the plastics industry to the garment industry and then to the dairy industry, the head of the Fourways dairy farm, Tsai Nan, says the word "retire" doesn't exist in his dictionary.

After two years this "bachelor in the prime of life" decided to change lanes once again, this time to look after an aging mother. He chose to return to the sector he had always loved and keeps his "seat at the table" as a senior trainer (on a yearly renewable contract) with the Aviation Safety Council.

"You can't fight age. In this line of work, age really does pose an obstacle. Senior staff cannot be in the office all day and night. Memory, concentration and responses are a lot less then they used to be," says Chen. As a consultant/trainer it is not necessary to be out on the front lines. The primary job is dealing with aviation accidents, both small and large, carrying out investigations as to cause and making recommendations for improvement. In this way Chen is able to bring to bear his flying and organizational experience. This work is more suited to an older person and is relatively free from the pressures of management and a bottom line. By contrast, his salary is certainly only half that of a civil aviation pilot, and because he doesn't "occupy a job slot," thus blocking other people's advancement, he doesn't have to worry about younger colleagues talking behind his back.

Chen Hsueh-jen, who for more than 30 years flew around the globe, is still not thinking about hanging up his shoes. He has simply moved his playing field from the sky to the ground, applying his special talents as always. At the same time he is engaged in community activities, keeping up his health through regular exercise. He is constantly making adjustments and innovating and is determined at every stage of life to work hard and embody his highest values.

Having laid aside their former high-sounding titles, Sung Yao-tsung (right) and Hu Yung-chin don work suits emblazoned with the "Wholly" logo. Meticulously looking after their customers' shoes, they have found their second lease on life.

Pctured here: 83-year-old Mr. Chou (far left) of Fenglin, Hualien County, who not only heads a production and marketing team specializing in bird's-nest fern, but still rises at four every morning to work on his farm; senior Government Information Office managers (left), who have a wealth of experience in getting Taiwan's message to the world; and media worker Huang Tien-tsai (right), who is still writing diligently at 84 years young. More and more people are eschewing retirement in order to lead fuller, more productive lives in their later years.

In the future, many older workers will be involved in various kinds of work, resulting in a hybridized, elastic work mentality that will become increasingly useful over the years.

Workforce participation among middle-aged and senior workers