Home-Start Blaby District Oadby and Wigston
Retirement policy
Policy Statement
Home-Start Blaby District, Oadby and Wigston (Home-Start) values the contribution
made by every employee and recognises the importance of planning together for
their retirement. As an organisation it is committed to supporting employees,
irrelevant of age and supporting them in the transition from work to retirement
and ensuring that the transition from employment to retirement proceeds as
smoothly as possible for the employee and for Home-Start.
In 2011 legislation was introduced abolishing the Default Retirement Age (DRA) of
65 years, this change in legislation to be phased out over a transitional period
running until 30 September 2011.
As a result of the abolishment of the DRA there will be no retirement age applying
to employees of Home-Start. Employees should notify there manager when they
intend to terminate their employment due to retirement
Notification of Retirement
If an employee is considering retiring then they should submit their application to
their line manager. If possible this application should be submitted 6 months
prior to their intended retirement date. If it is not possible an employee will be
required to give the amount of notice set out in their contract of employment.
Retirement on grounds of ill health
If ill health unfortunately occurs at any stage during employment with Home-Start
UK this will be addressed in accordance with the Sickness Absence Policy and
Procedure which can be found on the staff intranet, under ”Working For Us”
heading “Staff Policies”.
Flexible Retirement Options
There is a range of options to bring flexibility into the retirement process to
enable
employees to “ease” into retirement. These options are as follows:1. Working reduced hours or on a job share basis
Employees considering retirement may wish to work reduced hours or on a job
share basis. If an employee wishes to do so they should apply in writing to their
manager on Form R3, located on the staff intranet in the “Working For Us” section
under the heading “Staff Forms” and discuss the option with their line manager at
the earliest opportunity.
Every effort will be made to accommodate the
reasonable requests of employees.
When considering the request account will be taken of:

The effect upon the service and upon the roles of employees
within the same team if the application was granted and the
effect upon the service to Home-Start schemes

Whether it would have a detrimental effect and what adjustments
could be made to minimise this to a reasonable and appropriate
level

Whether the proposed flexible working arrangement is fair and
equitable to all employees in the team

Whether the employee’s role is suitable to be undertaken on
reduced hours in line with our service to schemes

Arrangements for regular review of the arrangement
2. Working with reduced responsibilities
Employees may request to reduce their responsibilities within their existing
position in order to affect a downshift in terms of workload and pressure. A
request should be put in writing to their Line Manager using form R3 available on
the staff intranet “Working For Us” Section under the Heading “Staff Forms”
Consideration should be given to the feasibility of the request taking into
account:
The effect upon the service and upon the roles of employees
within the same team if the application was granted. If it had a
detrimental effect what adjustments could be made to minimise
this to a reasonable level

The availability of suitable staff able to accept a transfer of the
additional responsibilities taken out of the employee’s post

Whether the proposed flexible working arrangement is fair and
equitable to all employees in the team

The appropriate adjustments to be made to remuneration to
reflect the diminished responsibilities within the employee’s
position

Whether the employee’s role is suitable to be carried out with
reduced responsibilities in line with our service to schemes
3. Alternative Work
The employee may apply in writing using form R3 to their line
Manager to be considered for alternative work. The Manager will consider whether
there is a suitable job or project with a clearly stated remit which the employee
could undertake.
It would be necessary for the job to be evaluated and have clearly stated
timeframes and working hours. Once agreed, the job or the project will be
considered employee specific and will not be advertised.
When considering such a request the Manager should also consider the
reallocation of work within the team in a manner which could provide
development opportunities with other staff.
Pre-retirement Courses
Employees will be entitled to paid leave and reimbursement of expenses to attend
a pre-retirement course.
Work after Retirement
Employees may wish to consider voluntary work within Home-Start following their
retirement. If an employee is interested in voluntary work they should discuss this
with their line manager.
Any employee who wishes to undertake ad hoc projects or occasional work for
Home-Start UK following their retirement should discuss this possibility with their
Line Manager and notify the Human Resources Department or other relevant
department of their wish to be considered for such a position.
Date policy adopted:
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Signature of Chair:
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Date policy to be reviewed
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