News
Planning for the removal of the default retirement age
In the Budget, the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition announced plans to quickly phase out the current default retirement age (DRA) from April 2011. While this will be welcome news for the 62 percent of over 65s who want to continue working (according to Prudential’s Class of 2010 retirement survey), many business will not be quite so keen.
In fact, a survey earlier this year by an international law firm showed that 70 percent of employers opposed the abolition of the DRA. Many were concerned about the potential performance level of employees over the age of 65, and how they could manage their workforce accordingly.
Other employers were worried about the possibility of souring relationships with employees if they have to dismiss them on grounds of poor performance and capability, as well as the consequences for workforce planning, development and promotion.
With 85 percent of businesses currently using the DRA as their contractual retirement age, employers will need to start planning now to ensure they are ready to tackle the issues highlighted above. Matters for consideration include the necessary policy changes, employee communications, the development of flexible retirement options and pension issues.
