Many references are made to cover letters to obtain employment in the working world. However, the letter of retirement communication from the employee to the employer has become increasingly important.
We explain the reasons, what these letters look like and some important aspects that you should consider.
What is a retirement communication letter?
The name is quite explicit: it would be a communication through which we will notify the employer of the date we retire. But, the importance of this notification goes much further.
Even if the company’s management models include our legal retirement date, the decision to retire, provided that we are entitled to do so, is our own decision. In this context, even if it has been communicated verbally, an employee must notify the company of the intention to retire, including data such as the date, etc.
It must be taken into account that, in most cases, employers have to keep complete documentation of the employees. That means they will have data about social security from the beginning of the employment relationship, and in many cases, there will even be data about your professional performance.
Of course, this documentation will also include notices of resignation from employment and, finally, a notice of retirement.
The reason for keeping all the documentation, in addition to the practicality of management, is to maintain constant and updated records of any circumstance or event in the company.
In the case of retirement, the employer also needs to be able to justify your future pension. Imagine that technically you are leaving your job due to retirement, but at the same time, you are applying for unemployment compensation. With the retirement letter, the employer can justify why you left the job.
What a retirement communication letter should contain
A letter of retirement communication to the company must begin with the data of the person who will retire.
Subsequently, in the first part of the letter, it should clearly state that the reason for the letter is to communicate the future retirement, including the date of the last day of work.
That would be sufficient. However, generally, it is convenient to include paragraphs on the employee’s availability to help in the transition process to retirement in what the company needs. Also, the availability of the human resources department to handle the bureaucratic details of retirement.
The letter should conclude with a signature and date.
Eventually, a retirement letter may include additional elements. For example, if you want your retirement to be less than full retirement, if you wish to continue working a portion of hours or propose to the company to maintain a part-time job compatible with retirement. However, in the latter case, you should remember that this is generally a negotiation process.
It would be common for there to have been a period of negotiation in which you have expressed your desire to remain active with a partial retirement. That is to say, the retirement letter as a communication of willingness to retire partially is not the most appropriate: in any case, as a communication of the acceptance of both parties of this fact.
Does everyone have to send a retirement letter?
Yes, they do. It is one of those little-known legal figures that are nevertheless very important. We cannot say it is mandatory since it may simply be enough to manage the process through the human resources department. Remember that, at the time of your retirement, you will effectively sign the documents that human resources assigned for this purpose.
However, this is a highly recommended action, which we should incorporate into our process of leaving the labor market not only because we facilitate this process but also because we help to maintain good document management of human resources in the company.
In short, it is a very interesting figure that we should always take into account and that should be present at the end of our working lives.