In my former job we went from doing 'real work' to endless (and pointless) 'brainstorming' sessions. These were supposed to make our department more 'innovative' (even though we'd dropped the 'research' bit from 'research and development' some years before - and I contend that innovation comes mainly from research).

Day after day we sat in meeting rooms and wrote silly 'ideas' down on flip charts. The flip chart sheets were then typed up and disappeared into filing cabinets - never to be seen again. At some point I expressed mild scepticism about this nonsense - and was told that I wasn't "keeping up with modern methods". Soon after that I was made redundant - at the age of 57. I suppose I could have kept my mouth shut and carried on playing 'silly buggers' until I was 65 - but then my brain might have melted and run out of my ears! I don't really think that employers want to keep people on past 60 - they tend to ask too many awkward questions for a start.

Five years later my ex-employer still hasn't come up with anything even vaguely innovative - and I'm poorer but happier!