Personnel Today and the Employers Forum on Age held a debate on the default retirement age, arguing the motion: ‘Is a default retirement age an excuse for avoiding performance management?’
The government announced in July 2009 that it had brought forward a review of the current retirement age of 65 from 2011 to next year. A decision in the long-running Heyday challenge to the DRA is also expected in the coming months following a case at the High Court.
This means that the picture around compulsory retirement will soon be clearer for employers, and they have to start preparing for life after the DRA. But what do employers think of the retirement age, how is it being used and what are the alternatives?
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Panellists were:
- Denise Keating, chief executive, Employers Forum on Age
- David Yeandle, head of employment policy, EEF
- Mandy Ferries, head of HR, JD Wetherspoon
- Kerry Bigwood, HR officer, Epwin Group
The debate was chaired by Financial Times columnist Stefan Stern.
