Abstract

This is a case study of a random sample of retired employees of Teleglobe Canada Inc. surveyed by questionnaire. Its objective is to investigate the factors that influence their retirement and particularly early retirement decisions. Its focus is to explore whether the group follows the general trends described in the literature and to find out specifically whether such factors as health, retirement income levels, length of service, stress at work and pressure from employer, co-workers and family have a deciding influence. It also examines briefly the contextual work ethic within which such decisions are made and how such ethic has evolved over the times. It finds that the most decisive influences have to do with financial incentives to retire and a worker's sense of having worked long enough, but that health, stress and pressure from others were of limited importance for this group.