Statement of policy

The University aspires to the highest standards of teaching, research, and administration. It is important that in striving to achieve these aims institutions can plan their staffing structures to allow maximum effectiveness across these activities, whilst considering the wishes of individual employees in relation to their workplans.

The introduction of this policy follows consultation with employees, institutions, and trade unions following the abolition of the default retirement age from 1 October 2011. The terms of the policy are set out below.

For University officers, other than the Chancellor, the High Steward, the Deputy High Steward, and the Commissary (who are excluded from Special Ordinance C (ii) 12.), the University operates a retirement age which is at the end of the academic year in which the University officer reaches the age of 67. The University considers that this is important to ensure inter-generational fairness, to complement rights of academic freedom and autonomy, to ensure that the University continues to work towards a diverse workforce and to refresh the academy in providing opportunities for career development to those at an early stage of their academic career. The options available to University officers on reaching the retirement age are set out in more detail in the Procedure for University officers section.

The University does not operate a retirement age for assistant staff, contract research staff, and unestablished academic and unestablished academic-related staff. Where the employment of a University officer is extended beyond the retirement age, that employment will be in a fixed-term capacity and the individual will move from an established to an unestablished position. However, the University may continue to rely on retirement as a reason for ending the employment relationship at the end of this extended period of employment, including where there have been successive extensions.