It’s happening and can’t be ignored. The Default Retirement Age is being abolished and will be phased out between 6 April and 1 October 2011. As an employer you will need to revise your contracts and policies and communicate the changes to your staff.

The change will raise a number of issues that will require due consideration; for example in a physically demanding job where an employer might accept a decline in performance from an older member of staff knowing that they are due to retire, this will no longer be the case. In this instance it may be appropriate to provide an alternative role, however and each situation will need to be considered on its own merits.

We have a proforma letter to send out to all staff explaining the change and covering their obligation to give you notice should they decide to retire. Contact me if you would like more information or click here to request a copy of the proforma letter.

"Really helpful seminar, it gave me lots of ideas!"

I recently ran an HR seminar in conjunction with Interaction Recruitment and Renney & Co solicitors, at Engineers House in Clifton. It was attended by over 30 delegates and the topics covered were; Employee Engagement, a particular passion of mine, and the Impact of the Change in Retirement Age on businesses.

We were delighted with the huge amount of audience participation and the terrific feedback. To download a copy of the seminar presentation, click here.

Due to all the positive feedback, we are busy planning the next seminar. Look out for more news on this coming soon.