Helping employee's and businesses transition into retirement was the topic of discussion during a lunch and learn hosted by the Morden and Area Foundation Wednesday in Morden.

"It's not just transitioning to retirement, but you need to have a career development plan in place before you can start having those retirement discussions," said People First's Senior Consultant Lynn Unger. "Just aligning people with the strategies in the organization."

Progressive employers recognize the importance of helping valued team members make the decision to retire and supporting them once they've done so, through succession and retirement planning.

Unger said having conversations with both the individual who is retiring and the person who could be the succession plan to the individual is very important.

"It's about having the conversations and as I said (during the seminar) we are so afraid to have those discussions for succession planning or for retirement. Unless you know the goals of each individual is and what their skills are to move forward in the company."

She continued to say if someone has a goal of becoming the GM of a business and the business needs to have those conversations with the employee as to how they can work toward achieving this goal and or if there is a different avenue they could pursue.

People First is a company who is there to help businesses start to have these conversations and work toward helping their employee into the next stage of their career and or life.

Unger said having transition and career development services is key for a business.

"Number one, our employer really cares about us and want to lessen the burden of having the conversation," said Unger. "As well as for the employee it is a matter of helping them find out what retirement is."

According to Unger from when our parents and grandparents retired, simply going from full-time work to not working isn't the only option anymore. She added Retirement now can

She added there are many different forms of retirement, adding you can now work part-time, work in a different capacity, volunteer and work part-time, and so many more avenues.