Less than half of Britons chose the word "happy" to describe how they felt on the first day of retirement, evidence that the traditional sudden stop approach no longer works for many people.

New research by Ipsos MORI shows a mixed bag of emotions for those waking up on day one of retirement with under a third saying they felt relaxed and under a quarter feeling free. A surprising one in ten felt anxious, sad or lost.

Pensions Minister Mike O'Brien comments:

"The idea that one day you work and the next you stop can be a shock to the system. These findings challenge the traditional 'one size fits all' approach to retirement. Many of today's older workers are rejecting the cliff edge between work and retirement in favour of a gradual step down. And employers should help them to do this."

Over 1000 people over 55 were interviewed to find out their views on retirement and work. People approaching retirement admitted there's lots they'll miss about their jobs when they stop. Topping their miss list are work friends, being challenged, office banter and a reason to get out of the house.

Soon to be retirees are equally candid about what they'll be happy to turn their backs on. While their distaste for the work canteen, office politics and commuting is unlikely to raise eyebrows, it may come as a surprise that three quarters of Brits are looking forward to binning the Christmas party. Oddly, one in ten people confessed they'll miss the journey to and from work.

When asked why they still work, extra cash was a top motivator followed closely by over half doing it because they enjoy their jobs. A third cited keeping the mind active or keeping fit and over a quarter said they'd miss work if they stopped. Interestingly, the number of people who felt too young to stop increased with age from just under a third of 55-64 year olds to nearly half of those 65-74 year olds surveyed.

One man who's still enjoying an active working life is Tom Connor. Tom left school at 15 to serve his apprenticeship as a plumber, followed by a career in the Royal Signals and more recently at the Ministry of Defence where he was a security supervisor until he 'retired' at 65. Tom has always worked and liked to keep busy. One thing that remained in his mind was being told when you retire: "Don't get your paper delivered, always go for it". Tom wanted to keep active; he felt mentally and physically fit to remain in employment.

He now works as a commissionaire in Glasgow. Tom said:

"I have never stopped working, I needed to do something. I don't have a garden to potter in and I enjoy meeting people therefore this job is perfect. At 68 I still have my routine I know I still need a clean shirt every day. I will keep going for as long as I can."

The stepping down approach is reaping dividends with part-time workers enjoying greater job satisfaction than their full-time counterparts - nearly half said they would miss work if they stopped compared to just over a quarter of full-timers. Over one million Brits are already working past state pension age and most of these have chosen to work part-time. With people living longer, healthier lives this trend looks set to continue.

This month marks the start of a two year countdown to state pension age changes for women, which sees the state pension age for women start to gradually rise from 60 to 65 from 6th April 2010. Around 33,000 women in Scotland now aged 58 will be the first to be affected by the change.

Mike O'Brien adds: "Women's state pension age is moving but you don't have to retire at this date. You have time to plan and you may be surprised by the choices you have. You could use your state pension to allow you to work part time or choose to put off taking it and get extra pension later or a lump sum. To get the facts, put your birthday into the Pension Service website and it'll tell you when you can get your state pension."