Determinants of Early Retirement of Employees in National Library Service in Kenya

Abstract

Retirement is regarded as an important stage in human development all over the world. Retirement is an inevitable activity in the lives of workers. In most developed countries, the official age of retirement is 60 years. Currently, early retirement is regarded as a critical phase in human development all over the world, Kenya included. The main objective of the study was to establish the determinants of early retirement of employees in Kenya National Library Service. The specific objectives of the study were to: assess the effect of work related factors; examine effect of organizational characteristics; investigate the effect of employees‟ characteristics; and analyze the moderating effect of external environment on early retirement of employees in Kenya National Library Service. The study presents new perception into reasons why personnel cease their jobs early and what it can take to maintain such employees of their relevant career. The study used three theories which include; Continuity Theory, Cognitive Dissonance Theory and the Life Course Perspective theory. This research problem was studied through the use of a descriptive research design and the target population was 505 individuals including the chief librarian and library branch manager. The study sample size was 122 respondents who were selected through simple random sampling method. The main data collection instrument was questionnaire which was self-administered. The validity of the research instrument was determined through pre-testing. Its reliability was computed using Cronbach‟s alpha formula and reliability coefficient of 0.7 was obtained. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics especially the mean and standard deviation, and inferential statistics specifically multiple progression, with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences. The analyzed data was presented using percentages, graphs and pie charts. The study established that there was a significant effect of work-related factors, organizational characteristics and employee characteristics. External environment had moderating effect on the relationship between determinants and early retirement. The study concluded that poor working conditions affect the health of workers and lead to early retirement. Employee‟s age is essential in determining when to retire from the job. Employee retention and prolonged stay in the organization can be achieved through motivation. The study further concluded that external environment influences the relationship between determinants and early retirement of employees. The study concluded that the government needs to sensitize employees on guidelines that govern early retirement and resignation. the look at encouraged that there need to be a clean scheme of carrier and promotion methods and that, measures should be taken to acquire more dedication through changes in running surroundings. The findings of this study generate current knowledge on the determinants of early retirement of employees in the public sector in Kenya.