Can You Ask...
sstogner
23 Posts
We have several employees about to hit the age 65 mark, and all of them at one time or another (some multiple times) have made off the cuff comments about retiring in the next year (or maybe even less). These comments have not been made directly to their supervisor, but just in general conversation to their co-workers, which has made it's way around the office where HR, as well as Executive Management are aware of the comments.
We have a small office of 30 employees, but we manage/consult and provide accounting services for large organizations making up around 1100 employees in total. The employees in question (regarding retiring) are all in key positions and Executive Management would like me to approach these individuals regarding their future plans in an effort to conduct long-term organizational planning.
The question we have is can we ask these individuals their retirement plans, based on the comments they've made over recent months AND, if so, what is the best approach? We certainly will not be forcing anyone to retire and will make sure that nothing is said to construe any form of age discrimination. We just need to be able to plan the rest of the year, as well as upcoming years.
In addition, for at least two of these individuals, there appears to be 'short-timers' syndrome taking effect, so we're trying to navigate those obstacles as well, knowing that we can hold them accountable for their work performance, but also knowing that to lose these individuals without proper planning will put us in quite a bind as their is a learning curve for their positions. We currently have NO succession planning policy/procedure in place, although for some of these positions we would be able to groom current employees for promotion.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
sstogner
san antonio, tx
We have a small office of 30 employees, but we manage/consult and provide accounting services for large organizations making up around 1100 employees in total. The employees in question (regarding retiring) are all in key positions and Executive Management would like me to approach these individuals regarding their future plans in an effort to conduct long-term organizational planning.
The question we have is can we ask these individuals their retirement plans, based on the comments they've made over recent months AND, if so, what is the best approach? We certainly will not be forcing anyone to retire and will make sure that nothing is said to construe any form of age discrimination. We just need to be able to plan the rest of the year, as well as upcoming years.
In addition, for at least two of these individuals, there appears to be 'short-timers' syndrome taking effect, so we're trying to navigate those obstacles as well, knowing that we can hold them accountable for their work performance, but also knowing that to lose these individuals without proper planning will put us in quite a bind as their is a learning curve for their positions. We currently have NO succession planning policy/procedure in place, although for some of these positions we would be able to groom current employees for promotion.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
sstogner
san antonio, tx
Comments
I'm curious as to how you determined that you couldn't ask. Everything I've found said employers can ask, BUT you can't coerce or force retirement and puts up the Age Discrimination bumper guards. Didn't know if it was specific to your industry or something else that drove your approach. Thanks.
sstogner
We see it as good business sense to avoid situations where someone might come back later and point to it as proof that you were not only aware they were ........ (fill in the blank), but that you used the information in business decisions. Again, why go there when you can accomplish the same goals by other means?
Good luck!
Nae