Managers Guidance

Colleagues can usually retire once they have reached 55, although some SAUL members retain the right to retire after age 50. If they retire before age 66, their pension will be adjusted to take into account the longer period it will be paid. They do not need your permission to retire; however, they are required to serve at least their contractual notice period. Ideally, colleagues should give three months' notice of their intention to retire.

They may also wish to attend a Pre-Retirement workshop offered by Imperial before they retire. This usually lasts 90 minutes and is held online.

Colleagues retiring fully will need to complete a leaver form and indicate the reason for leaving is 'retirement'. This automatically starts the process with the People Function Staff Hub and the Payroll & Pensions Team, who will notify the relevant pension scheme, liaise with your staff member, and collect the required information.

If your member of staff is in USS or the NHS pension scheme, they have the option of requesting flexible retirement. SAUL does not currently offer a flexible retirement arrangement.

Flexible retirement allows colleagues to begin receiving some of their pension already earned and at the same time to continue to work, but in a reduced capacity, either fewer working hours or a salary reduction; see table below: 

Flexible retirement requires your consent, and any colleague requesting it will send you a Flexible retirement form, which they will also send to the Head of Department and your Director of Operations.

The request must set out the date they would like reduced working hours to start and the hours they wish to work after accessing some pension.

You will need to review the proposal and decide whether the requested work pattern will meet your department's operational needs. You can refuse a request or suggest an alternative work pattern that does work.

If a flexible retirement request is approved, it must be agreed as part of a package that includes a final retirement within three years. This is to consider the need for succession and resource planning and to ensure that the needs of key stakeholders and operational requirements are met. 

Staff must also confirm that they will not submit or lead any application for external funding, research grants, contracts, studentships or other commitments where the proposed duration, delivery obligations or principal investigator responsibilities would extend beyond their agreed retirement date. 

Where they are involved in collaborative funding applications, appropriate succession and handover arrangements must be identified before submission to ensure that any funded activities can be completed without reliance on their continued employment beyond the agreed retirement date.

You will need to complete a Contractual change form, placing the individual on a three-year fixed-term contract, after which they will take full retirement. Send all forms to the People Function Staff Hub for processing.

Once approved, the arrangement will constitute a formal agreement between the member of staff and Imperial to vary their contract terms and conditions and for their final retirement to take place on or before the specified date. If they decide to leave before the specified date, their normal contractual notice will continue to apply. Full retirement will therefore commence within three years of the start of their flexible retirement period. This excludes any additional flexes they may take, and the final retirement date remains the same.

If you agree to the request, submit the Partial/Flexible Retirement Application Form promptly to the People Function Staff Hub. Flexible retirement may take effect three months after the application is approved, and it cannot be processed if the flexible retirement date is less than two months away.

After the initial three years, any request for employment beyond the expiry of the fixed term will be considered solely at Imperial’s discretion and in accordance with the flexible retirement framework in force at the time. The only exception to this is for NHS Pension Scheme members who are drawing their 1995 pension benefits which are payable unreduced from age 60.  Colleagues who do this may extend their flexible retirement period to a maximum of five years.

In some cases, it may be appropriate to agree to Partial Retirement. This allows colleagues to draw all their accrued pension and return to work at Imperial after a break in service on a new contract of employment. There are restrictions on duration and working hours, which are set out below:

• Minimum break in service is one full calendar month, i.e. the whole of January (part-months don't count)
• Maximum hours allowed on return to work: 60% Full Time Equivalent
• Maximum contract length of three years
• New contract of employment is pensionable

A Partial Retirement request requires your consent. The request will be emailed to you, the Head of Department, and the Director of Operations for your consideration.

You will need to review the proposal and decide whether the request meets your department's operational needs. You can refuse the request or suggest an alternative that works.

If you agree to the request, you will need to send the Partial Retirement Form along with a completed online leavers form (via the Staff Hub Portal) for the member of staff. The People Function will write to the staff member and confirm the process. Retirement cannot take place until three months after the request has been approved. Importantly, the individual may not return to work until their pension has been processed and paid.

To ensure consistency and fairness, requests to vary working hours or contract duration will not be granted. However, at the end of the maximum three-year period, a further extension of no more than two years could be considered, if appropriate. It is expected that these cases will be for exceptional reasons, not limited to, but in line with the criteria set out below:

• Commitment to teaching a particular programme
• Strategic role that requires specialist recruitment
• Supporting role during departmental transformation or restructure
• Business continuity

If you are considering an extension to your agreed retirement date, approval can only be granted by the Deans, Directors of Support Services, and the Chief People Officer. If you need guidance, please discuss with your Head of People.

When considering whether you can accommodate a request for flexible or partial retirement, it's a good idea to think about the following:

• Economic factors
• Business needs
• Capacity to reorganise work amongst existing staff
• Impact on quality
• Impact on performance
• Ability to recruit additional staff
• Planned structural changes
• Succession planning
• Allocation of space

A guidance document has been formulated to help you consider applications for flexible and/or partial retirement requests: Flexible and Partial Retirement Guidance for Managers.

If you have considered a request but cannot accommodate it, you must let the member of staff know as soon as possible and give the reason for the refusal. Staff cannot appeal the decision and may not apply for partial or flexible retirement again until one year has passed. 

Imperial regularly runs Pre-Retirement workshops to help staff manage the transition from work to retirement.

Staff are actively encouraged to attend. Information can be found on the workshop web pages.