Determinants of Employee Participation in Retirement Benefits Schemes

The study aimed at identifying the determinants of participation in retirement benefit schemes by employees of Nampak Kenya Limited. The consequence of low participation in retirement benefit schemes is evident from the low level of benefits paid to employees who retired from the company. This problem is bound to persist because majority of current employees still contribute only the mandatory 5 % of their basic salary which means in future they will also retire without adequate retirement benefit. The study targeted current employees who are members of the companys retirement benefit scheme. Qualitative and descriptive methods of study were employed. The population comprised of 139 employees of Nampak Kenya Limited who are members of Nampak Staff Provident Fund Scheme. A representative sample of 70 employees was used and the study used primary data which was collected through use of a questionnaire. The study found out that knowledge and awareness, attitude, saving plan practices, education level and gender affect participation. The study recommends that employees should be provided with more knowledge and awareness in specific aspects of the retirement benefits scheme in order to make decisions that would increase their level of participation. Employees also need specialized training on personal finance management to help them appreciate the value and importance of savings and this will influence them to allocate more money towards retirement savings.