54 years of experience is priceless
PAT CHAPMAN-BUTCHER, 75, wants to ‘lend a hand’ while she still can.
The grandmother-of-four, from Oxford, works full-time as a consultant and mentor for business consultancy Defy Expectations.
Pat thinks that employers should be looking at older workers as a resource, rather than overlooking them.
She says: ‘For me, it’s about taking the experience which I’ve gained over the years and using that to help people.
‘There are a lot of people in very senior positions who have never managed through a recession or inflation. But in a 54-year career I’ve done all those things.’
Pat’s 80-year-old husband Jeremy Barrow is also still working as an antiquarian clock restorer.
She adds: ‘Even if people want to retire from the job they’re doing now, they don’t necessarily want to retire from the workplace. We need to find roles for them.’