Mr. Henry Gaynor:

The problem is that people would say they can get a contract to stay on for another year but in the months leading up to retirement age they do not know what will happen - will they be let go or can they stay on? In my workplace, a person approaches a manager two months before retirement to say whether he or she wants to stay on. The manager will tell the human resources department and it sends the person for a medical examination, depending on the results of which he or she can stay on. It is like going through a job application for the last year at work. I know of three people who are due to retire this year but want to stay on. None of them is sure of what will happen. They have to be almost at the door before they will find out whether they are staying or going.