Are your employees ready to retire? Probably not. Do they think they can? Doubtful. And are they taking steps to pave their way for their retirement? Most aren't.

A new retirement confidence probably doesn't offer any surprises wits.regard to the amount trepidation plaguing workers nearing retirement, but it could very well offer a golden opportunity for you to talk to them about their golden years.

The Employee Benefits Research Institute's 2011 Retirement Confidence Survey – conducted with Mathew Greenwald & Associates Inc. – reveals that U.S. workers are more concerned than they've been in at least 20 years. More than a quarter of them – 27 percent – insist they're "not at all confident" about leaving the time clock behind. That's up a whopping up 5 points from just a year ago.