Managing Without Default Retirement in Universities: A Comparative Picture from Australia

Blackham, Alysia

Managing Without Default Retirement in Universities: A Comparative Picture from Australia

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Alysia Blackham, ‘Managing Without Default Retirement in Universities: A Comparative Picture from Australia’ (2015) 35(3) Legal Studies 502–31

53 Pages Posted: 25 Apr 2018

See all articles by Alysia Blackham

Alysia Blackham

Melbourne Law School, the University of Melbourne; University of California, Berkeley - Berkeley Center on Comparative Equality & Anti-Discrimination Law

Date Written: August 6, 2015

Abstract

The abolition of the default retirement age is creating challenges for UK employers, and universities in particular. Operating without mandatory retirement may have consequences for performance management, the creation of opportunities for new generations of workers, the scope for workforce planning and employment costs. Drawing on comparative experiences of Australian universities, which have been operating without mandatory retirement since the 1990s, this article critically examines whether these consequences have materialised in Australia. It draws out a number of lessons for UK universities from the Australian experience.

Keywords: Universities, retirement ages, default retirement, ageing

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Blackham, Alysia, Managing Without Default Retirement in Universities: A Comparative Picture from Australia (August 6, 2015). This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Alysia Blackham, ‘Managing Without Default Retirement in Universities: A Comparative Picture from Australia’ (2015) 35(3) Legal Studies 502–31, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3157431