Any attempt by governments to stem the tide of early retirement will need to focus as much on employers management of human resources as on the impacts of social policy. This report focuses on the previously neglected area of employers policies and practice as a dynamic force in retirement decisions. Drawing on data from a series of organizational case studies that situate the individuals decisions and experience in the context of employers age management policies, the report: examines how the retirement process is currently managed in a range of organizations; identifies barriers to effective planning for retirement; considers whether individuals feel there is enough choice when facing decisions about retirement; and addresses the concerns of both researchers and academics in the fields of human resource management and social policy. Policy makers, employers and all those interested in the relationship between employers policies, individual decisions and social policy should read

Executive summary; Introduction; The management of older workers and retirement; Understanding pensions and retirment policies; Choice; Downshifting employment in the transition to retirement; Conclusions.