Author: Ewicke
Last saved by: Carl Frederick
Company: Univ of Wisc-Madison

Open Ended Coding Help Sheet
Employment Module, Item b81q185d
“Why did you retire then?”
October 5, 2004
Code definitions:

01-19  JOB/WORK REASONS

  01	Contract Changes/Ends/Not Renewed - Including Temp Jobs
  02	Did Not Want To Continue Commute To Or Travel For Work
  03	Job Was Or Had Become Too Demanding/Stressful
  04	Skill Mismatch - Duties Became Computerized And Respondent 
            Did Not Have Or Did Not Want To Learn The Necessary Skills Etc...
  05	Company Changed Owners - Excluding R's Own Company
  06	Company Downsized - Respondent Specifically Said S/He Retired Because The Company Was          
            Downsized/or their department closed
  07	Company Closed/Bankrupt - Excluding R's Own Company
  08	Forced To Leave Company Or Change Jobs/Would Have Otherwise Been Fired - Not Downsized
  09	Laid Off/Fired/Involuntarily Terminated (Temporarily Or Otherwise)
  10 	Got New Job/Started Own Business/Wanted a new job/Secondary Job Became Main Job
  11	'Office Politics' Issues - Bad Work Atmosphere, Not Getting Along With Colleagues Or Boss
  12       Boring Job/Frustrated With Work/No More Job Satisfaction
  13	Decided To Close/Sell/Pass On Own Business - To Family Or Anybody Else
  14	Mandatory Retirement (Pilots, Police, Fire etc...)
  15	Had enough of exposure to hazardous conditions on the job
  16	Bad economy/job market/non self owned company doing poorly financially - (including for age reasons)
  17	Political Career Ended - Due to Term Limits or Not Being Re-elected
  18	Things were changing
  
20-29  FINANCIAL REASONS

  20 	Offered Early Retirement/Good Benefits/Incentive To Retire
  21	Reached Age/Years Of Service To Qualify For Benefits/"because I could"
  22	No Longer Needed Income/Could Afford To Retire
  23	Had Qualified For Ssi
  24 	Maximised Benefits - Excluding Health Benefits
  25	Avoid Having Business Go (Further) Into Debt
  26	Good Pension/Retirement Benefits Made Working Unattractive
  27	Retired Now because Retirement Package/Program is changing/about to change
  28	Retired on advice from Financial Advisor
  29	Job did not pay enough/Needed to work more hours
		
30-49  PERSONAL REASONS

  30	Wanted To Retire
  31	Didn't Want To Work Anymore/Had Worked Long Enough
  32	Wanted To Move/Had Moved
  33 	Wanted To Avoid A Move
  34	Accomplished Professional Goals
  35	"It Was Time" Or "I Was Ready"
  36	Family Reasons - Unspecified
  37	Spend Time With Family
  38	Enjoy Life/Relax/Do More Things/Other Things
  39	Pursue Avocation (Hobby/Recreation/Religion/Other Non-Occupation Activity)(Not 'Other Things')
  40 	Travel
  41	Spouse Retired	
  42	Spouse Changed Jobs/Moved For Job
  43	Spouse Requested R's retirement
  44	Wanted to Get Married
  45	Taking care of/Babysitting Grandchildren
  46	'I earned it'
  47	Wanted to retire while still young
  48	Spouse Reasons - Other
  
50-69  HEALTH REASONS

  50	Respondent
  51	Spouse
  52	Other Family or Friends
  53	Death Of Spouse
  54	Death Of Other Family or Friends
  55	Care For Spouse 
  56	Care For Other Family or Friends
  57	Left While On Disability
  58	No Longer Able To Work/Required Nursing Care
  59	Maximised Health Benefits
  60	Wanted To Retire In Good Health
  61	Job did not Offer Enough/Adequate Health Insurance
  62    Started getting medicare
  
70-79  OTHER

  70	Quit
  71	Changed To Part Time
  72	Was Already Retired (Before This Job)
  73	Other/Not Specified/"I Retired"/My decision/personal decision
  74	Age – Unspecified

Examples:

Code: | Uses:

01

•	Contract changes
•	Contract is not renewed
•	Contract ends
•	Temporary/Seasonal job ends

02 | •	Did not want to continue commute to or travel for work

03

•	Job was or had become too demanding or stressful
•	Couldn’t handle the work
•	Bad hours
•	R leaves one job to keep a second job because it was too much – mark for review

04 | •	Skill mismatch – Duties became computerized and respondent did not have or did not want to learn the necessary skills, etc

05

•	Company changed owners (Not R’s own company)
•	Company bought out
•	Company merged
•	Company sold

06

•	Company downsized
•	Corporate cutbacks
•	Labor force reduction/restructuring
•	Part of the company closed where R had been employed

07 | •	Company closed or bankrupt (Not R’s own company)

08

•	Forced to leave company or change jobs (would have otherwise been fired)
•	Volunteered to leave (unless they mention downsizing, then code as 06)  
* This code is meant to capture somebody who chooses retirement instead of being fired or relocated

09

•	Laid off
•	Fired
•	Involuntarily terminated
•	Position eliminated

10

•	Got a new job
•	Started own business
•	Wanted a new job
•	Joined family in business

11 | •	Office politics issues – bad work atmosphere, not getting along with colleagues

12

•	Boring job
•	Frustrated with work
•	No more job satisfaction
•	Sick of a specific job (i.e. didn’t want to teach anymore)
•	“Fed up” with job

13 | •	Decided to close, sell, or pass on own business (to family or others)

14

•	Mandatory retirement (required by law or by company policies)
*this is not the same as a forced retirement; it is usually age/service years specific
The difference is that to be coded 14 instead of 08, anybody who met the legal or company criteria (be it age, years, or health conditions) is forced to retire regardless of the economy or the companies financial performance)

15 | •	Had enough of exposure to hazardous conditions on the job

16

•	Bad economy or job market
•	Couldn’t find work (on account of age or other reasons)
•	Business not doing well (not R’s own business)

17 | •	Political career ended due to term limits or not being re-elected
18 | •	Things were changing
19 | •	Retired because coworker or boss retired

20

•	Offered early retirement/good benefits/incentive to retire
•	Offered severance
•	Bought out (person, not the company)
•	Early retirement in general

21

•	Reached age, years of service to qualify for benefits (specific age given, > 30 years of service, five year intervals) 
•	Because I could, I was able to – mark for review
•	I was eligible
•	“Financial” or “financial reasons”
•	I was old enough to retire
*Certain years of service responses may be better coded as 31.  These should be marked for review.

22

•	No longer needed income
•	Could afford to retire
•	Didn’t need to work or spouse says they didn’t need to work
•	No longer needed to pay tuition

23 | •	Had qualified for social security income

24

•	Maximized benefits, not including health benefits
•	Going to lose money in pension if didn’t retire then
•	Have full pension

25 | •	Avoid having own business go further into debt

26

•	Good pension
•	Retirement benefits made working unattractive

27 | •	Retired now because retirement package or program is changing or about to change
28 | •	Retired on advice from financial advisor

29

•	Job did not pay enough
•	Needed to work more hours

30

•	Wanted to retire
•	Wanted to go out at his/her best

31

•	Didn’t want to work anymore
•	Had worked long enough
•	“I had enough” 
•	“I was tired” 
•	“I was burnt out”
•	Took time off and never went back
•	Didn’t want to work X hours anymore
•	No longer wanted responsibility
*This code pertains to working in general, not just at a specific job
  In other words, unless someone mentions their specific job the response should be coded here (given that the choice is between this code and one pertaining to specific jobs

32

•	Wanted to move or had moved
•	Wanted to build a home

33

•	Wanted to avoid a move
•	Business relocated

34

•	Accomplished professional goals
•	“I planned to retire then”

35

•	“It was time” or “It was a good time”
•	“I was ready”
•	“It was time to quit”
*If something substantial is after “It was time”, then code it as whatever was substantial

36

•	Family reasons – unspecified or other
•	Family member other than spouse graduated

37

•	Spend time with family or spouse
•	Help family members (not sick family members)

38

•	Enjoy life, relax, do more things, do other things
•	Moving on
•	Wanting to do something else – unless a new job
•	“I needed a change”
•	Wanted to stay home

39

•	Pursue avocation (hobby, recreation, religion, other non-occupational activity)
•	Volunteering

40 | •	Travel

41

•	Spouse retired
•	Spouse was ready to retire

42 | •	Spouse changed jobs or moved for a job
43 | •	Spouse requested R’s retirement
44 | •	Wanted to get married
45 | •	Taking care of or babysitting grandchildren
46 | •	“I earned it”, unless they give a reason why that fits elsewhere
47 | •	Wanted to retire while still young

48

•	Spouse reasons
•	Divorce – mark for review
•	Spouse graduated

50 | •	Respondent’s health reasons
51 | •	Spouse’s health reasons
52 | •	Other family member’s health reasons
53 | •	Death of spouse
54 | •	Death of other
55 | •	Care for spouse
56 | •	Care for others
57 | •	Left while on disability
58 | •	No longer able to work or required nursing care

59

•	Maximized health benefits
•	Got health benefits

60 | •	Wanted to retire in good health
61 | •	Job did not offer enough or adequate health insurance
62 | •	Started getting Medicare
70 | •	Quit
71 | •	Changed to part time
72 | •	Was already retired (before this job)

73

•	Other/Not specified/ “I retired”
•	“It was my decision/choice”
•	Personal decision
•	That’s how it worked out

74

•	Age – unspecified
•	“I was old”