Senior executives don’t talk about pending retirement plans for fear of being marginalised. There is, according to survey carried out by recruitment firm Highland Partners in Australia, “culture of taboo” around the topic.
Why? Because those who did plan out loud tend to be treated as if they already have one foot out the door and because retirement holds negative connotations for over-achieving personality types. The taboo is, apparently, more evident in professional firms than in corporates.
More than half the companies surveyed lacked any policies or practices to encourage part-time or casual work for more senior employees to ease the transition between full-time work and retirement. And 44 percent failed to record staff retirement intentions for the purpose of succession planning.
The Australian Government is trying to encourage older workers to remain employed because of the looming demographic gap in the employee pool caused by en masse retirement of baby boomers. The survey also found that just 18 percent of organisations had policies designed to attract or retain the 50-plus age group.
M9 event to amplify the power of the Māori economy
Management Editorial Team
March 12, 2025
M9 will kick-start its 2025 season with Te Ōhanga Māori — A Pathway to Prosperity, on April 10, exploring how Māori have shaped and continue to drive the success of the economy in
