Supporting Retirement Pathways for Older Workers

While previous chapters focused on different dimensions of managing a multigenerational workforce, in this chapter we focus on supporting transitions of older workers out of work and into retirement, including the different experiences of women and men. While ‘retirement transitionsRetirement transition/pathways’ is a commonly used term, retirement is not necessarily a smooth or singular transition from paid work to no work, and there are multiple pathways to and through retirement). The challenges for organisations lie in positively facilitating the movement of older employees into retirement. For many people retirement is not a sudden event but a gradual process, laden with psychological, socio-emotional, and identity-related dimensions. Successfully guiding employees through this transition benefits the individuals and the sustainability of organisations. We begin the chapter by examining Australia-wide data on workers’ retirement intentions and then compare with results from our case study organisations. Drawing on our survey and interview data, the chapter examines how workers of different ages and genders experience retirement planning and transitions. The chapter reveals the importance of policies to assist positive retirement pathways and concludes with innovative retirement transition practices that build healthy and sustainable transitions for workers and organisations.