Responses to the 2010 XpertHR retirement survey brought to light the wide use of pre-retirement workshops and seminars by UK employers. Over one-third of the respondents told us that they run them for employees in the run up to retirement (sometimes from as young as age 50) - and there may well have been more employers using them.
Spurred by this, I investigated further and discovered that this little-publicised communication tool can be an excellent way for employers to break the ice with employees regarding the thorny subject of retirement.
The retirement conversation is renowned for being difficult, potentially provoking suspicions of ageism, or an enforced departure, from the employee side, and concerns that the person lacks motivation if the topic is broached by the employee. A pre-retirement course can change the dynamics and reduce the emotional charge around the subject, by spelling out the realities that retirement brings. It can cover a number of areas from financial planning to lifestyle changes, and a good course will leave the attendees feeling far more positive about their retirement prospects.
There are a broad range of pre-retirement courses around. Organisations like Laterlife Learning and Life Academy offer places to employees on their regular courses, while many employers choose to provide a tailored event that suits their own needs. Some, like BT, use a half-day pre-retirement seminar mainly to explain pension options and help with investment planning, while others, such as the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), offer a longer, residential event to prepare employees for their new life and explain how they can wind down from work using phased retirement.
You can read more about pre-retirement courses in three newly published XpertHR articles (subscription required):
How pre-retirement courses can ease employee departures,
BT's pre-retirement course guides employees through pension maze, and
Longstanding reitrement planning course briings rewards at NERC.
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