Retirement: the essential conversation with your employer before leaving work

As retirement approaches, one particular discussion with an employer can shape pay, working patterns and even the eventual leaving date.

A new set of rules for older workers is changing how the end of a career should be negotiated within businesses. Rather than relying on last-minute decisions, the law encourages - and in some situations requires - a structured discussion between employee and employer before the first retirement payment reaches the worker’s account.

What older workers should request before leaving the company

The key point is straightforward: a worker nearing retirement should request, in writing, an “end-of-career interview” with HR or their manager. This meeting is far more than a formality. It determines how the final working years may look, including hours, the option of part-time work, phased retirement, adjusted duties and even a likely timetable for leaving.

Requesting this specific meeting, recording the request and retaining the evidence becomes a form of protection against rushed decisions in the final stretch of a career.

In many European countries, following the 2025 reform referred to in the original text, this discussion became compulsory for employers, usually when workers are between 58 and 59. Although Brazilian legislation is not identical, the underlying principle of protecting the final stage of a career offers a practical reference for people working there: do not wait for retirement to “fall from the sky”; negotiate the route towards it.

Why this new type of interview exists

Traditionally, employers have already held two formal discussions: the annual performance review and, in some cases, the so-called career interview, which focuses on development and training. For older workers, the new element is a third meeting devoted entirely to the transition into retirement.

It does not replace the other discussions; it is an addition to them. Its purpose is to address matters that rarely feature in ordinary appraisals, including:

• Staying in work at an older age;
• Adjustments to working hours and duties;
• The possibility of reduced hours alongside an income top-up;
• Planning a gradual departure rather than an abrupt exit.

Under French law, for instance, this meeting must take place during the two years before a worker’s 60th birthday, specifically to prevent last-minute decisions. Even for workers in Brazil, the same approach is worth adopting: at around 58 or 59, it is time to invite the employer to talk and put intentions on record.

What must be covered in this compulsory discussion

Working hours and the end of a career

The end-of-career interview has one central aim: finding a way for the worker to remain employed, and to do so well, until retirement without becoming physically or mentally exhausted.

The agenda should include points such as:

• The option of moving to part-time work with proportionate pay;
• Allocating duties that are less physical or less high-pressure;
• Training for roles better suited to the worker’s age;
• Hybrid or remote working where the role permits it;
• Rebalancing targets and responsibilities.

This meeting is the time to align expectations: what the company needs, what the employee can - and wishes to - continue delivering, and for how long.

A likely retirement timetable

The timetable is another important part of the conversation. In many cases, workers themselves are not clear on the best date to retire. This is the stage to set out every relevant factor:

• The age at which the state retirement benefit can be claimed;
• The effect of working one, two or three additional years on the level of income;
• Personal plans, such as moving city, caring for relatives or starting new projects.

With this information, employer and employee can organise replacements, knowledge transfer and even the older worker’s involvement in training new members of staff.

The role of phased retirement

The source text refers to an increasingly prominent arrangement: phased retirement. Instead of stopping work all at once, the employee cuts their hours and starts receiving part of their pension, combining that income with their salary.

In France, since 2023, an employer cannot reject such a request without a strong justification. For example, it must show that the change would affect service continuity or that there is a specific difficulty in hiring someone to cover the remaining hours.

Brazilian law differs, but the concept of a gradual transition has been appearing in collective agreements, voluntary redundancy programmes and internal policies. Whatever the setting, the message remains the same: older workers should make their position clear, submit a formal request and keep every response from the employer.

Why everything should be recorded in writing

For anyone close to retirement, memory alone is not enough. Keeping emails, letters, meeting confirmations and even notes of conversations can help to:

• Prove that the request for an interview was made in good time;
• Show that phased retirement or part-time hours were requested;
• Evidence an unjustified refusal by the employer;
• Improve the worker’s position in a future employment claim or trade-union mediation.

The golden rule is simple: what is not recorded risks never having existed in legal terms.

Key points to take to the meeting

To make planning the discussion easier, it is worth preparing a short personal outline. Here is an example of matters that can be raised in a meeting with HR:

Topic	Key question
Working hours	Can I gradually reduce my hours until retirement?
Role	Is it possible to move into a less demanding or more strategic role?
Timetable	How does the company view my remaining period of employment and my likely leaving date?
Replacement	Will I take part in training the person who will take over my duties?
Phased retirement	Is there an internal policy or agreement covering gradual retirement or part-time work?

Terms that deserve attention and practical examples

Two concepts often cause confusion: “phased retirement” and “retention in employment”. Phased retirement is a model in which the worker remains economically active with fewer hours while receiving part of their state retirement benefit. “Retention in employment”, meanwhile, means practical measures to ensure that an older worker is not pushed out of the company prematurely, such as ergonomic adaptations, redeployment and more flexible targets.

Consider a 59-year-old bank employee with more than three decades of branch experience. She asks for the end-of-career meeting. During it, she negotiates a four-day working week, while retaining specialist customer-facing duties and helping to train new employees. Her income is supplemented by the first retirement payments, and her full departure is planned for age 63. The company retains her accumulated knowledge for longer and has time to train those taking over her client portfolio.

Now consider a 58-year-old maintenance technician whose back and knees have suffered physical wear. In the interview, he requests a gradual move into inspection, supervision and training duties involving less physical effort. If the employer refuses without any plausible justification, that recorded refusal may carry weight in a potential dispute, especially in countries that already have specific rules for older workers.

Risks of ignoring this right and the benefits of acting early

When workers allow this moment to pass, they face several clear risks: a sudden departure, temporary loss of income because of poor planning, difficulty adapting after retirement and even worsening mental health due to the sense of an abrupt break.

By contrast, those who request the interview, arrive with prepared questions and document everything tend to gain greater financial and emotional breathing space. Having a two- or three-year horizon, with clear goals, makes it possible to manage debts, plan courses or new activities, and better balance working life with health and family care.

Retirement is no longer merely a date; it has become a transition process that starts years earlier - and necessarily involves an honest conversation with the employer.