Research: As Careers Get Longer, Midcareer Work Needs to Change

As careers lengthen into people’s 70s and beyond, many organizations are discovering that their most experienced midcareer employees are burning out just as they enter their most critical leadership years. Drawing on a study of professionals in their 40s, this article argues that the problem is structural rather than individual: Workers are trying to navigate 50- or 60-year careers using assumptions built for much shorter working lives. People in their “pivotal 40s” face peak responsibilities, severe time pressure, and limited capacity for reflection at precisely the moment when they most need to rethink their trajectory. To retain and sustain senior talent, organizations must redesign midcareer work to create space for reflection, exploration, growth, and deliberate transition rather than expecting continuous endurance.

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