Career Center - Announcing your retirement

How and when you announce your retirement to your employer and co-workers can be a tricky matter. Some people prefer to hold off announcing their retirement until the last possible moment for fear that they will be marginalized in their position or treated negatively in other ways.

Conversely, others may like to ease into the retirement transition by announcing their plans for retirement far in advance and perhaps start working part-time before leaving for good. When you should publicize your retirement plans is a matter of personal preference, but there are a few things you should consider to help you decide.

Consider how your leaving will affect the company. If your absence will be a strain on the company, you may want to give your boss some advanced notice so he or she can find a replacement. Your boss may request that you assist in finding your replacement as well.

If you are in a job that has a lot of turnover, you might want to save a retirement announcement for closer to your retirement date. That way you can avoid being forced out earlier than you might want. Some employers have policies and procedures that require you to give a certain amount of notice or submit plans in writing.

Be sure to check into your company’s norms to make your announcement as smooth as possible. Even though you are leaving that job and may not plan on going back to work in the future, it’s important that you don’t burn your bridges in case your plans happen to change. These days more and more people are finding second careers after retirement. How you go about announcing your retirement to your current employer will likely affect any recommendation you receive from that employer in the future.