Pathways to retirement | findings

Where individuals felt they had owned their retirement decision this led to more desirable retirement outcomes and in other cases mitigated the potential negative effects of less desirable outcomes.

Clear, structured and consistent retirement policies enabled individuals to take ownership of the retirement decision. On the other hand chaotic or inconsistent policy led to retirement decisions being 'imposed' on individuals and fuelled perceptions of discrimination.

Relevant information about the retirement process provided by employers and open negotiation over working options allowed active and informed decision making by individuals. Where this was absent, individuals were ill-equipped to make informed decisions and less motivated to extend their working life.

A supportive approach by an employer, following the guidelines that allow individuals the right to request working beyond the normal retirement age enabled collaborative decision making. Where the approach was unsupportive the right to request process was felt to be a 'tick-box' exercise and the employer was open to perceptions of age discrimination.

The influence of employer policy and practice is mediated by a range of other factors, including employment conditions, retirement expectations and financial, health and family circumstances. These factors could be the overriding influence on retirement decisions. However, employer policy was the overriding factor in cases where the individual's expectations for retirement and the actual outcome differed.