During the past fortnight every employee over the age of 65 has been dismissed on the grounds of retirement from Longleat Estate and safari park. The estate in England (which includes a large Elizabethan mansion), is owned by the Marquess of Bath and previously had a reputation for being staffed by numerous nubile women.Included in the dismissals were 18 workers who were over the age of 70. Many of those forced into retirement also lived on the estate, resulting in many of them having to find new homes.
These measures appear to be a pre-employment strike in the face of the recent announced change to the retirement age. From October 2011, businesses will no longer be able to retire employees at the age of 65 except in very exceptional circumstances. This means businesses will be obliged to keep their ageing employees, perhaps to the detriment of younger staff who would otherwise have been promoted.
However, businesses can retire those who are already 65, or who will turn 65 before October 2011. In order to do so, they need to follow a set of retirement procedures which involves providing them with a 6 months notice of retirement, and making them aware of their right to request to continue working beyond that age. Currently, businesses are obliged to consider requests to work beyond the age of 65, but they do not have to grant it. If you have an employee who is, or will soon be 65, it's now or never.
If you think you may have any employees who are over 65 or nearing 65, please contact Empire HR for advice on the options available.
Forced retirement? Hmm... They could have reasons why they've adjusted the retirement rules. It would have been better if the employees were warned long before this rule was handed down. So starting October, they'll be obliged to keep their employees, even if they're over the age of 65? Won't this rule have an adverse effect on productivity?
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