What is an early retirement commonly considered in the context of employment?

In the context of employment, early retirement is typically understood as the process of retiring from one's job before reaching the standard or legally recognized retirement age. This choice highlights the key characteristic of early retirement, which is the intention of an employee to exit the workforce earlier than what would generally be expected based on age or years of service.

Employees may choose to retire early for various reasons, including benefits that incentivize them to leave sooner, personal health considerations, or a desire to spend more time in leisure or pursue other interests. Thus, this option accurately captures the essence of what early retirement entails, separating it from options that involve redundancy or dismissal scenarios.

The other options reference situations that relate to job termination or delayed retirement, which do not fall under the traditional definition of early retirement.