• 3 of 4 HR professionals surveyed support the abolishment of mandatory retirement 7 of 10 companies surveyed are already prepared or are making the necessary; arrangements to accommodate the legislative changes regarding mandatory retirement
• Companies are considering a variety of initiatives, such as job modifications for mature workers, to best respond to the new regulations

Results summary1. I personally agree with abolishing mandatory retirement.

• 23.1% Strongly agree 52.6% Agree 21.4% Disagree
• 2.9% Strongly disagree

2. Senior management in my organization supports the shift away from mandatory retirement.

• 11.0% Strongly agree 39.3% Agree 22.5% Disagree 6.9% Strongly disagree
• 20.2% I don’t know

3. My organization is prepared for the legislative changes concerning mandatory retirement coming into effect on December 12, 2006.

• 12.7% Strongly agree 45.1% Agree 12.7% We are not currently prepared but preparations are in process 18.5% Disagree 1.7% Strongly disagree
• 9.2% I don’t know

4. What is the primary source of your communications with employees regarding the changes to the mandatory retirement legislation?

• 20.5% Department or team meetings 18.6% Company meetings 16.7% Email 16.7% Other 14.7% Company intranet
• 12.8% Newsletter

5. Which of the following initiatives are you considering in response to the abolishment of mandatory retirement?

• 40.5% Increased performance management and monitoring 37.6% Job accommodations for mature workers 37.0% Benefits coverage for employees aged 65 and over 32.9% Phased-retirement 28.3% Flex-time 15.6% None 13.3% Inclusion of retirement incentives
• 12.1% Rehiring of former employees who had already retired

6. Top position titles of respondents:

• 37.6% HR Manager, Intermediate Management
• 26.6% HR Coordinator, Assistant, Associate, Generalist

7. Top industries of respondents:

• 38.7% Corporation 34.7% Small- to Medium-sized business 15.0% Not-for-profit
• 11.6% Government

8. Top 3 sectors of respondents:

• 17.9% Manufacturing 13.9% Consulting and professional services
• 10.4% Healthcare

Analysis:Attitudes toward the new mandatory retirement legislation (MR)

• 100% of the HR professionals who said their own senior management supported mandatory retirement said they strongly agreed with the legislation themselves. There was strong correlation between HR support and managerial support for the new legislation.
• A strong correlation between HR professionals who are pro-MR-legislation and those who report that their organization is prepared for the legislative changes.

Employee communications and preparation regarding the new legislation

• Employee communication regarding the end of mandatory retirement is more prevalent in companies where senior management strongly supports the legislation Non-profit organizations are twice as like to communicate the changes of mandatory retirement with their employees. Government departments and large corporations were also more likely to communicate policy changes to their employees, as compared to smaller organizations Companies who are not prepared for the MR changes have been less likely to communicate the issue to their employees HR professionals who are personally supportive about MR were twice as likely to report receiving positive comments from employees and reported fewer neutral comments HR professionals who are personally negative about MR reported almost twice as many neutral or negative comments from employees
• Small business (fewer than 100 employees) report strong agreement with statement, “My organization is prepared for the legislative changes concerning mandatory retirement”

Specific preparations

• Smaller businesses less likely to be considering new initiatives related to aging workforce and MR. Finance and consulting sector more likely to extend benefits coverage Consulting firms are more likely to use flex-time Manufacturing organizations are more likely to use increased performance management Retail sector is most likely to use phased-retirement
• Large companies (more than 2,500 employees) are most likely to be considering rehiring former employees

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