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Table 1 HEAF FIRST topic guide

From: Recent UK retirees’ views about the work-related factors which influenced their decision to retire: a qualitative study within the Health and Employment After Fifty (HEAF) cohort

HEAF FIRST Topic guide

Please note that the following questions were guides/prompts only. Fixed question were not asked. The topic guide was also considered and revised throughout the interview process.

Topic

Example questions

Retirement overview

Would you describe yourself as retired? What does being retired mean to you? What age were you when you retired?

Retirement decision

What was the main reason for your retirement? What other reasons led to your retirement? What made the decision to retire more difficult?

Workload/Effort

How hard was your job physically? How hard was your job mentally? How important was your workload in your decision to retire?

Control

How much choice did you have in how you did your work? Prompt: could you decide when to take a break, could you decide what hours to keep, could you decide the best way in which to perform your role How much did you value that choice at work? How did the amount of control influence your decision to retire?

Job Satisfaction

How much did you enjoy your job? How important was job satisfaction in your decision to retire?

Reward

How well were you rewarded at your last job? What effect did the rewards have in your decision to retire?

Work environment

How much did your work change as you got nearer retirement? How much did work changes affect your decision to retire? How much say did you have in these changes?

Training/skills

How much training was available to you in your work? How much were your skills valued in your workplace?

Community

How was your relationship with your line manager? How important were your colleagues in dealing with work challenges? Did you retire earlier or later or at the same age as others at your workplace? If discrepancy – Was there a reason for the difference? How did your relationship with your colleagues affect your decision to retire?

Employer interventions

What could your organisation have done to encourage you to work for longer than you did?

Wrap-up

What else would you like to add about your retirement decision that we haven’t already covered?