Reshaping of To support and facilitate partial retirement it may be beneficial to the role ‘reshape’ the employee currently undertakes. For example, it may be the case that an employee wishes to partially retire and reduce his/her working hours by 40% in an area where there are significant skills shortages. Rather than reject the application it may be prudent to explore a changing role as part of the retirement plan so that the individual nearing retirement focusses on mentoring and coaching the next generation. Consideration should be given to changing/reshaping tasks where appropriate as long as they remain within the substantive banding at which the employee is paid and within overall service budgets. In all cases early and detailed discussions should take place and any decisions recorded as part of the application process. It is expected that for most staff partial retirement will have no impact on their actual role and reshaping may not be necessary. It should be that the partial retirement plan agreed for one individual does not mean that a similar plan must be agreed for another. Decisions will be taken based on the merit of each case at a point in time and in consideration of the timescales of overall final retirement plans of individuals concerned. Application Process Where an employee is considering applying for partial retirement an early conversation with the appropriate line manager is essential. An employee should complete the application form for partial retirement which is attached to this policy and discuss it with their line manager so both parties can explore the desired request and how it can be accommodated. This initial meeting should take place within 28 days of receipt of the application form. Following the meeting the line manager should consider the request taking into account business and service needs, and then advise the employee of the outcome in writing within 14 days of the meeting. Whilst the purpose of this Policy is to support staff who wish to work longer, it is recognised that there will be circumstances when an application cannot be approved. Managers must carefully consider their reasons for rejecting an application. Reasons why an application may not be approved at a particular time may include but are not limited to the following:- Detrimental effect on ability to meet patient/client/service demands Inability to re-organise work or increase hours among existing staff Inability to recruit additional staff Detrimental impact on quality Skills shortage hard to fill post – Planned structural changes Financial impact
Reshaping of To support and facilitate partial retirement it may be beneficial to ‘reshape’ the role the employee currently undertakes. For example, it may be the case that an employee wishes to partially retire and reduce his/her working hours by 40% in an area where there are significant skills shortages. Rather than reject the application it may be prudent to explore a changing role as part of the retirement plan so that the individual nearing retirement focusses on mentoring and coaching the next generation. Consideration should be given to changing/reshaping tasks where appropriate as long as they remain within the substantive banding at which the employee is paid and within overall service budgets. In all cases early and detailed discussions should take place and any decisions recorded as part of the application process. It is expected that for most staff partial retirement will have no impact on their actual role and reshaping may not be necessary. It should be that the partial retirement plan agreed for one individual does not mean that a similar plan must be agreed for another. Decisions will be taken based on the merit of each case at a point in time and in consideration of the timescales of overall final retirement plans of individuals concerned. Application Process Where an employee is considering applying for partial retirement an early conversation with the appropriate line manager is essential. An employee should complete the application form for partial retirement which is attached to this policy and discuss it with their line manager so both parties can explore the desired request and how it can be accommodated. This initial meeting should take place within 28 days of receipt of the application form. Following the meeting the line manager should consider the request taking into account business and service needs, and then advise the employee of the outcome in writing within 14 days of the meeting. Whilst the purpose of this Policy is to support staff who wish to work longer, it is recognised that there will be circumstances when an application cannot be approved. Managers must carefully consider their reasons for rejecting an application. Reasons why an application may not be approved at a particular time may include but are not limited to the following:- Detrimental effect on ability to meet patient/client/service demands Inability to re-organise work or increase hours among existing staff Inability to recruit additional staff Detrimental impact on quality Skills shortage – hard to fill post Planned structural changes Financial impact
Partial%20Retirement%20Policyfinaldraft.docx