General Chat

Whilst this may help those who are on the minimum wage or just above, for many professional people, middle managers, public service managers this is of little comfort.

Most of these positions reach their peak in both terms of seniority and salary at around 50-55. After that they want you out.

They can't get rid because of age, so have developed subtle underhand ways of getting you to go. It is a fairly well established procedure both within the private sector, banking and the civil service

It works something like this:-

1. you suddenly get a reduction in your annual assessment from high to medium on the basis that they have been obliged to introduce a new leveling process.

2. As a result your annual increment or bonus is reduced.

3. You are given additional targets to achieve, which unknown to you at the time will be the sole basis for your next performance assessment, ignoring all other work that you might have done.

4. At your next assessment, you are marked down as room for improvement in these new targets, which mysteriously become the only one you are being assessed on, all others being considered as insignificant.

5. Because of your failure to exceed these new targets, and the current economic situation you receive no bonus or increment.

6. You are now placed on a performance improvement plan, in order to get you back on track. This is cunningly designed to favour a much younger agile person with little experience, rather than someone with experience but whose legs are not what they used to be.

7. Not surprisingly, despite a strong contribution to the company / department / profits you fail your performance contract having failed to jump high enough

So, within three years you have gone from high performer to under performer.

8. You are now given the following options.

Resign
Apply for early retirement
Hope that there will be a redundancy program and take it
Agree to move to a lower grade and take a significant reduction in salary
Continue as you are and face yet more hassle, with the eventual possibility that you will eventually be dismissed.

I'll never be able to afford to retire, with the pension funds nearly worthless & being cleaned out by ex i'll just have to carry on till i pop me cloggs.

So long as i'm fit enough.

Well if the retirement pension was a sensible amount maybe people would be happy to stop working at 65 ,many cannot .. not that they dont want to .

PigletsPal - (Playing Devils Advocate) - The other side of the story is that a number of people don't have enough in savings or pension pots to sustain their current life style, or even a satisfactory if reduced standard of living. At least people will now have a choice.

Hopefully not too many people will stay on after 65, and a compromise can be reached. Perhaps those folks over 65 can cut down their hours and perhaps job share with someone in a similar situation. Between the 2 of them, they would at least create one job opening.

Hmm - just had a thought. Is this the Government hoping they can get some more income tax payments/not have to pay out benefits??

just looked on the BBC , if you are told by employer before the 6th April and are due to retire before October then you have to go. .

hmmm I wonder what date it will be, the company where a relative works is adamant they leave in April, retirement age 65....

just read on sky news they are scrapping the enforced retirement age from april this year. good news for those yet to reach it


wendy