Employees' intentions to retire early : a case of planned behavior and anticipated work conditions

This study investigated the early retirement intentions of 346 older Dutch employees by extending the theory of planned behavior with anticipated work conditions. The results showed that employees who felt a pressure from their spouse to retire early had a strong intention to leave the work force before the official retirement age, that is 65. Also, employees' retirement attitude and perceived control over the retirement decision were related to early retirement intentions. Finally, the results indicated that employees might postpone early retirement when they anticipate working in a challenging and rewarding work environment. Together, our findings suggest a number of ways in which organizations can affect employees' early retirement decision making