{"id":24792,"date":"2022-10-04T11:19:09","date_gmt":"2022-10-04T11:19:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/10\/04\/can-the-federal-government-force-an-employee-to-retire\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T05:04:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T05:04:21","slug":"can-the-federal-government-force-an-employee-to-retire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/management\/2022\/10\/04\/can-the-federal-government-force-an-employee-to-retire\/","title":{"rendered":"Can the federal government force an employee to retire?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The federal workforce is older on average. Almost 30 percent (635,397) of employees are older than 55<\/a>, while 8.1 percent (176,805) of employees are younger than 30. By comparison, in the private sector, 23 percent of the workforce is younger than 30. Every single agency has fewer employees younger than 30 today than they had in 2010.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission earlier this year issued a report on workers age 40 and over in the federal workforce with details regarding pay disparities, the proportion of older workers on staff, complaints of age discrimination, and how this group compares to workers in the private sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report<\/a> by the EEOC\u2019s Office of Federal Operations found that the federal government \u2013 the nation\u2019s largest employer with about two million workers \u2013 generally outperforms the private sector in diversity for this cohort of workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, employees 40 and over had greater representation in the federal sector (72%) than in the non-federal civilian labor force (54%), and was more diverse — most race and national origin groups were represented in the federal government at rates equal to or greater than the CLF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers found disparities in aspects of the federal workforce 40 and over: men were a greater percentage than women and pay gaps existed between women and men and among different race and national origin groups. Also, the report found that federal employees on average earned more as they aged, with earnings peaking at 65, suggesting that labor is not undervalued as people get older.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an established fact of life that more older Americans are working longer, and in larger numbers than ever before,\u201d said Dexter Brooks, associate director of the EEOC\u2019s Office of Federal Operations. \u201cThe fact that more mature workers are contributing their experience and talents to their employers is good for the country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Joe Biden, the oldest person ever to assume the office, issued an Executive Order on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce,<\/a> calling for the federal workforce to be a model employer for older Americans. The order includes \u201cindividuals who belong to communities that may face employment barriers based on older age\u201d as a potentially underserved group needing attention.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, mandatory retirement in federal government exists only for a handful of physically demanding roles, including firefighting and some law enforcement jobs. But even that age limit can be waived if the head of the agency really needs that person to stay on a little longer, says Reg Jones, a charter member of the senior executive service and a longtime Federal Times columnist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the rules on federal workforce retirement?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Legally, the government can\u2019t force workers to retire strictly due to their age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re going to separate somebody, you only have a narrow range of choices under the law,\u201d Jones said in an interview. \u201cFor example, misconduct, unacceptable performance. And it\u2019s also possible to do that if somebody is medically unable to perform. They can\u2019t do the job.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But while the law is on an older employee\u2019s side, that doesn\u2019t mean they won\u2019t have a superior who begins subtly encouraging them to retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At times, Jones says, bosses may try to hasten an employee\u2019s departure by siphoning off their responsibilities. He\u2019s spoken with federal workers who have found themselves in a job with little or nothing to do, though they were still getting paid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some people are willing to ride out a few years that way to forestall retiring, he says. They may even be pleased.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut others get bored and say, \u2018I don\u2019t want to do this anymore,\u201d Jones said. \u201cI\u2019m gonna find a way to get out.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other cases, an agency is reorganized and an employee finds that their job is being eliminated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUsually it involves a larger organizational shift, and then everybody involved gets a notice,\u201d Jones says. \u201cIf you\u2019re in one of those positions that won\u2019t exist, there are Reduction in Force regulations that govern what happens to you after that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One possibility, he says: \u201cYou could be moved to another position where you would \u2018bump\u2019 another employ with less tenure, less standing, and take over that job. Or you could end up at a lower level.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In cases of reorganization, older employees with more tenure may have an advantage: \u201cIt\u2019s only the ones who are left over who don\u2019t have a place to go and don\u2019t have the tenure to hold on that are going to be separated,\u201d Jones said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What to do if you feel pressure to retire<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Another benefit to older employees: Bosses generally don\u2019t want to do the complicated paperwork involved in separating someone. In many cases, a supervisor will work with an employee to ensure they\u2019re in a job that continues to suit their needs and strengths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt all depends on your boss, and it depends on your willingness to open up and say, \u2018Hey, boss, I really need to talk to you,\u2019\u201d says Jones. \u201cIf you get that kind of relationship, it\u2019s amazing how things can get fixed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re committed to working beyond typical retirement age, Jones says, \u201cthe main thing is continue to do your job. Do the best that you can. And don\u2019t accept pressure just because somebody would like to fill a space.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was decades ago, but Jones said he vividly remembers the moment he ran into a friend who worked in a federal agency\u2019s general counsel\u2019s office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like Jones, the man was a longtime government employee. He loved his work. But this man was reaching what was then considered the ancient age of 70, and mandatory retirement had been looming ahead of him like a storm cloud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act had been enacted in 1967, prohibiting discrimination against workers age 40 and older. But it wasn\u2019t until 1986 that Congress voted to abolish mandatory retirement at age 70.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Jones\u2019 friend, that reprieve came just in time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI met him on the street,\u201d Jones remembers, \u201cand he said, \u2018Well, now I don\u2019t have to retire!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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