RETIREMENT STRESS AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES AMONG RETIRED CIVIL
SERVANTS IN KWARA STATE: COUNSELLING IMPLICATION AND INTERVENTIONS
BY DR. ABDULRAZAQ OLAYINKA ONIYE DEPARTMENT OF GUIDANCE AND CONSELLING UNIVERSITY OF ILORIN International Journal of Educational Management. 3. Available at www.docstoc.com/docs/14905722/RE-EN Abstract This paper is a study of retirement stress and management strategies among retired civil servants in Kwara state. The sample for the study is made up of 115 retired civil servants (61 females and 54 males) drawn though random sampling technique from the Kwara state pensions broad ofce, Ilorin. The research design adopted for the study is a descriptive survey design. A researcher developed questionnaire titled Retirement Stress and Management Strategies Perception Questionnaire (RSMSPQ) was used to collect relevant data. Simple percentage and t-test statistics were used to analyze the data collected. The fndings of the study include the fact that retired civil servants in Kwara state are experiencing stressful retirement from ten diferent sources, the main one being fnancial insufciency. They are using eight retirement stress management strategies, the major one being talking to trusted people. It was found that there are both sex and educational background diferences in the perception of retirement stress being experienced by the retirees. It was discussed that counselors should among other things be alert to the responsibility of counselling all workers on the need to prepare early for their eventual retirement. It was recommended that mandatory retirement counselling and stress management skills should be incorporated into the induction-training programmes of all employees. In the same vein, government should establish a mandatory tripartite funded pension saving scheme, an account to which the main signatory would be the individual retirees and only withdraw able after retirement. Introduction Retirement is a fuid concept because it connotes diferent things and is fraught with diferent experiences for diferent people. While some individuals view it positively and anticipate it with nostalgia others dread its eventuality with great anxiety. Thus, it could be said that it is not a homogenous experience for everyone. Retirement is a time of signifcant transition as far as the use of time is concerned. However, the importance of retirement is made more glaring by the fact that the retired person is made to face some challenges because of his/her new status (as a retired person). It has been noted that retirement is a stressful experience to many because of its associated life decision change in the matter of life arrangement generally. It has been postulated by Elezua (1998) that the moment retirement comes knocking on the door (of an employee) it enters with challenges and expectations. Retirement is typically associated with attendant stress for the average employee especially in a country like Nigeria with austere economic policies. Management as a concept implies the organization and mobilization of all human and material resources in a particular system for the achievement of identifed objectives in that system (Adesina, 1981). The organization and mobilization of human and material resources here applies to civil servants who are expected to annex their resources for the development of an efective and stress-free post retirement life style. This is imperative, bearing in mind that management also implies directing, planning, programming, regulating of fnancial and human resources for optimal goal accomplishment (Abdulkareem, 2000). Counselling typically is a one to one, person to person, or face to face encounter between the counsellor and the counsellee. According to Oniye (2004), it is a helping relationship based on trust. It is also a process by which an individual is assisted to evaluate him/herself and his/her opportunities, i.e. to make feasible choices in the light of his/her unique characteristics and opportunities, to accept responsibility for his/her choices and initiate a course of action that is in consonance with any given choice. Background to the study Retirement has been defned as a state of being withdrawn from business, public life or active service. According to the Industrial Training Fund, Centre for Excellence (2004), retirement is a real transition. In the views of Kemps and Buttle (1979) in Ubangba and Akinyemi (2004), retirement is a transfer from one way of life to another; they note that many people sufer from retirement shock such as a sense of deprivation during the early period of their retirement. In the opinion of Olusakin (1999), retirement involves a lot of changes in values, monetary involvements and social aspects of life. Olusakin further noted that for some retirees, it leads to termination of a pattern of life and a transition to a new one. However, Billings (2004) described retirement as the transition from frst adulthood to second adulthood which is often a jarring and unsettling experience. It follows from these descriptions/defnitions of retirement that a retired person or retiree is any person who performs no gainful employment during a given year or any person who is receiving a retirement pension beneft and any person not employed full time, all year round after his/her disengagement from a previous work schedule. It is deducible; therefore, that retirement implies a transition from active working life at youthful age with adequate fnancial capability to less rigorous work schedule or lack of any tangible work schedule at old age. Retirement has been variously categorized depending on the orientation or perception of the classifer. For example, to many authorities on retirement literature (e.g. Akinade 1993) retirement can be broadly grouped into three namely compulsory/involuntary retirement, voluntary retirement and mandatory/regular retirement. Compulsory or forced retirement is often impsed on an employee by the employer for various reasons at times on grounds of ill-health, mental or physical incapability and so on. Voluntary retirement is associated with personal withdrawal from active service by an employee having put in the required years of service for eligibility for retirement. This in most cases may be due to personal satisfaction or dissatisfaction with work schedule or vocational life style. However, mandatory/regular is said to occur when an employee is made to withdraw his/her service from a long-time work schedule having attained the mandatory retirement age/duration according to the organizations policy. Retirement in Nigerian civil service is guided by Decree 102 of 1979 (cap 346) which deals with pensions and gratuity. According to this law, the statutory age of retirement of public ofcers is 60 years while it is 65 years for judicial ofcers and academic staf of universities. However, with the reform of the civil service decree No. 43 of 1988 retirement age has been put at 60 years or 35years in service whichever comes frst. It must be stated here that irrespective of the type of retirement, the transition is associated with some stress situations like economic, social, psychological and occupational stress. In the submissions of Omoresemi (1987), Denga (1996) and more importantly Retire to Enjoy (2004), retirement stress could emanate from at least eight broad sources. These are: (i) money; (ii) health; (iii) ageing; (iv) search for meaningful activity; (v) work in retirement; (vi) marital status; (vii) caring for other family members, e.g. grandchildren or elderly parents, and (viii) relocation. However, in the opinion of Denga (1980), retirement is known to afect income, residence, family structure or relationship between members, health and economic viability of the retirees. Nonetheless the case is worsened when the retiree is not adequately prepared to face this ultimate phase of life. Retirement life demands great managerial ability. It has been observed that the retiree in order to experience a pleasant post-retirement life style would have to device efective means of managing some challenges inherent in retirement. It has been posited by Kolawole and Mallum (2004); that the typical retiree in Nigeria setting is confronted with the challenge of managing the following: (i) insufcient fnancial resources; (ii) problem of securing residential accommodation; (iii) the challenge of a new and low social status; (iv) difcult health and (v) challenges of declining health. It is against this background that this study was initiated to investigate into the sources of retirement stress and management strategies among retired civil servants in Kwara state. Statement of Problem A worker is said to retire when he/she discontinues, withdraws or ceases doing a particular work for which he/she has been known for a long period of time. It is a phase of an individuals life which must be planned for and anticipated with a great sense of fulfllment. However, anticipating and planning for retirement is not easy, especially among the civil servants where majority fnd it difcult to make ends meet even while still in services. Thus, the main focus of this study is to fnd out the sources of stress of retired civil servants in Kwara state and the management strategies they are using. Purpose of the Study This study is interested in establishing the nature/type of stress management strategies being used by retired civil servants in Kwara state as a way of combating the stress of retirement being experienced. It is the ultimate aim of the study to analyze the counselling implications of these fndings. This is with a view to profering counselling interventions likely to assist civil servants and other stakeholders in retirement adjustment and management process. Research Questions 1. What are the sources of retirement stress experienced by retired civil servants in Kwara state? 2. What are the stress management strategies employed by retired civil servant in Kwara state to combat retirement stress? Research Hypotheses 1. There is no signifcant diference in retirement stress experienced by retired civil servants in Kwara state on the basis of their sex. 2. There is no signifcant diference in retirement stress experienced by retired civil servants in Kwara state on the basis of their educational qualifcation. Methodology The research design adopted for this study is the descriptive survey method. The design was used because it would allow the researcher to obtain factual information which will be a fair representation of the perceptions of the retired civil servants in Kwara state about retirement stress being experienced by them. The population for the study is all retired civil servants in Kwara state. But the sample was made up of 115 retired civil servants (61 females and 54 males) randomly selected from Pension Board ofce Ilorin. The instrument used for data collection is a researcher- developed questionnaire titled Retirement Stress and Management Strategies Perception Questionnaire (RSMSPQ). The instrument was validated by giving it to experts in the feld of guidance and counselling for vetting. Based on their suggestions, the initial draft was modifed for suitability. The modifed copy was administered twice to 20 selected retired teachers in Ilorin West Local Government Area. The coefcient of 0.76 obtained was deemed high enough to justify the usage of the questionnaire for the study. Result The results of data analysis are presented in two parts viz: rank order of respondents views on both sources of retirement stress and management strategies being experienced and used respectively, and fnally t-test analysis for the hypotheses generated. Table 1: Rank order distribution of respondents on sources of retirement stress S/N Items N % Rank 1. Stigma of being referred to as a retired person. 99 86 3 rd
2. Problem of adjustment to post-retirement life style. 95 83 7 th
3. Problem of insufcient fnancial resources. 102 89 1 st
4. Problem of accommodation for post-retirement life style. 97 84 5 th
5. Problem of ageing and imminent death. 85 73 10 th
6. Problem of learning a new survival skill for post- retirement life. 97 84 5 th
7. Problem of managing irregular or non payment of retirement beneft. 99 86 3 rd
8. Problem of managing new and low social status. 95 82 7 th
9. Coping with long hours with my partner without our children. 90 78 9 th
10. Problem of managing surplus time at my disposal. 100 87 2 nd
It is clear from table 1 that majority (102 i.e. 89%) of retired civil servants in Kwara state experience retirement stress. From the list shown in table 1, it could be seen that the retirement stress are from ten broad sources viz: insufcient fnancial resources; (102 or 89%), problem of managing surplus time at their disposal (100 or 87%), stigma of being referred to as a retired person (99 or 86%) and problem of managing irregular or non-payment of retirement beneft (99 or 86%). Other problem sources deduced from the list on the table are problems of learning new survival skill for post-retirement life (97 or 84%); fnding suitable accommodation at that age and for their new status, (95 or 82%), adjustment to post retirement life style (95 or 83%), coping with long idle hours with their partners (90 or 78%), while problem of ageing and fear of imminent death is another source of stress for retired civil servants in Kwara state. Table 2: Rank order distribution of respondents on management strategies of stress alleviation S/N Items N % Rank 1. Visiting my age-long friends to keep in touch. 95 85 7 th
2. Engaging in part-time assignments to make more money. 100 87 4 th
3. Engaging in political activities on behalf of my people. 100 87 4 th
4. Learning to mind my own business. 104 90.4 3 rd
5. Leading a moderate life style. 98 85 6 th
6. Talking to people I trust. 110 96 1 st
7. Dedicating more time to religious activities. 107 93 2 nd
8. Engaging in exercises to keep ft. 92 80 8 th
Table 2 reveals that retired civil servants in Kwara state are using eight stress management strategies which in order of magnitude include talking to a trusted people (110 or 96%); dedicating more time to religious activities (107 or 93%), minding ones business (104 or 90.4%), seeking communal recognition via participation in political activities (100 or 87%); seeking extra source of fund through participation in part-time assignment (100 or 97%); learning to lead a moderate life (i.e. 98 or 85%); and socialization by visiting childhood friends (95 or 85%). Hypothesis testing Hypothesis one: There is no signifcant diference in the retirement stress of retired civil servants in Kwara state on the basis of their sex. Table 3: T-test analysis of respondents retirement stress on the basis of their sex Sex of respondents N X SD DF Cal. t-value Crit. t-value Female 61 15.8 5.9 113 1.94 1.64 Male 54 4.2 1.8
It is clear from table 3 that the calculated t-value (1.94) is greater than the critical t-value (1.64) at 0.05 signifcance levels and for 113 degree of freedom. Thus, the null hypothesis which states that there is no signifcant diference on the basis of respondents sex is rejected. Hence, there is signifcant diference in the perception of retirement stress by retired civil servants in Kwara State on the basis of their sex. Table 4: T-test analysis of respondents retirement stress on the basis of their educational background Educational level of respondents N X SD DF Cal. t-value Crit. t-value Pry & Sec. Edu 39 10.2 2.7 113 1.78 1.64 Post Sec. Edu. 76 13.9 4.5
Table 4 shows that the calculated t-value (1.78) is greater than the critical t- value (1.64) at 0.05 signifcance levels and for 113 degree of freedom. Thus, the null hypothesis which posits a lack of diference on the basis of educational qualifcation is rejected. Hence, there is signifcant diference in the perceptions of retirement stress by retired civil servants in Kwara state on the basis of their educational qualifcation. Discussion It is clear from the fndings of this study that majority of the retired civil servants in Kwara state experience retirement stress. Insufcient fnancial resources top the list of sources of retirement stress. The sources of stress of retired civil servants are categorized into ten broad areas viz: insufcient fnancial resources; managing surplus time at ones disposal; coping with stigma of been referred to as a retired person; managing irregular or non-payment of retirement benefts; problem of learning a new survival skill for post-retirement life; fnding suitable accommodation at that age for their new social status; coping with long idle hours with ones partner and problem of ageing and fear of imminent death. The implications of the fnding of this study include the fact that retirement for civil servants in Kwara state is stressful. This is in line with the submission of Elezua (1998) that retirement in Nigeria is traumatic especially bearing in mind the unstable nature of the nations economy. Similarly, this fnding corroborates Oniyes (2001) assertion that workers in Kwara state experience retirement stress. Furthermore, the fnding that majority of the retired civil servants experience retirement stress tends to reinforce the submission by Retire to Enjoy (2004), that retirement stress cuts across eight broad areas, i.e. money, health, ageing, search for meaningful activities, work in retirement, marital status, caring for family members and problem of relocation. It is also clear from the fnding of the study that retired civil servants in Kwara state have devised a number of ways of dealing with the problem of retirement stress. Essentially, it has been found out that, they have been trying out at least eight broad strategies for combating the stress associated with retirement in the state. The strategies reported by the retired civil servants in their order of patronage or utilization include: talking to trusted people; dedicating more time to religious activities; learning to mind their own business; engaging in part-time assignments as way of making ends meet; engaging in political activities; leading moderate life; visiting age-long friends to keep in touch and engaging in physical exercise as a way of keeping ft respectively. The fnding above is not surprising, especially noting the fact that retirement for a great majority of retirees could be a time of idleness during which the retired-person has little or nothing to do with his/her time. Therefore, it is only sheer corollary that retired civil servants have devised diferent ways of combating retirement stress they are experiencing. Again, this fndings lends credence to the assertion by Marceau (1998), that a worker and retiree can handle retirement if he learns to do ten things; being himself leading a well-balanced life; eating sensibly; venting stress physically (through exercise); adopting a calming routine; talking with people he can trust; taking control of his life; brainstorming about the causes of stress; constructive use of imagination and devising ways of managing himself diferently. It is important to note the fnding on the existence of sex and educational diferences in the retirement stress being experienced by retired civil servant. This fnding brings to the fore, issue of gender and education in individual adjustment to retirement. Susan, Peter, Barbara, Peter, Margrit, Caalill and Dean (2003) submitted that education or enlightenment is needed to understand the true nature of stress and profer meaningful management strategies anticipated this development. Similarly, the realization that there is sex diference in the perception of retirement stress by retired civil servant reinforces the notion that retirement stress and eventual adjustment to it, is to a large extent individualistic in nature (Elezua, 1998). Counselling Implications It could be inferred from the fndings of this study that retirement from work does create a lot of problems for retirees. These problems range from sudden loss of income, fnancial insufciency and anxiety, deteriorating health condition, anxiety about suitable post-retirement accommodation to problem of learning new survival skills for post-retirement life. The implication of this awareness supports the submission of Billings (2004) that the individual who is bound to retire some day must decide for him/herself the type of life he/she wishes to live. It is imperative also that the individual must consider those resources he/she would need in order to satisfy his/her dependants. This is crucial if it is noted that the factors that may infuence success or failure in retirement are infnite. These include educational background; family background; government policy; and personal investment among others. Also we should bear in mind that our age-long reliance on children as a form of social security is fading away. Again, this implies that all prospective retirees must start very early to plan for the kind of life they want to live in retirement. It has been noted that most people (especially children) who are supposed to care for the aged and retirees cannot do so again because of their own economic incapability (Abolarin, 1997). Another implication of the fndings of this study is that old people or retired people must be provided with retirement counselling services. According to Odebunmi (1990) and Ode (1992), it is not uncommon to see very active or agile men and women becoming very fragile and suddenly growing dismally old one or two years after retirement. This is believed to be as a result of lack of adequate pre-retirement planning and counselling. Therefore, it is essential for counsellors to be alert to their responsibility in providing all workers with well packaged pre-retirement counselling as well as meeting the counselling needs of retired persons. Specifcally, it is essential that all workers and retired persons be counselled on the need for holistic preparation for retirement. In this vein, the views expressed by Mboto (2004) become imperative. Mboto noted that this holistic preparation must cover areas such as fnancial preparation, psychological preparation, and appropriate documentation, preparation towards the use of the expected retirement benefts, time management and preparation for the retirement home. The benefts derivable from the pre-retirement planning and counselling being advocated include the fact that it would enable all prospective retirees and those already retired to: (i) make adequate fnancial preparation for retirement thereby avoiding incidence of retirement adjustment failure; (ii) prepare psychologically for eventual retirement thus overcoming its attendant fear and anxiety; (iii) adapt meaningful life after retirement; (iv) manage efectively their fnancial resources as a source of investment against old age when a typical retiree is commonly confronted with dwindling income and (v) Protect ones self esteem and family front as a credible investment for post-retirement life style. Furthermore, counsellors intervention approach would have to include the three fundamental services of Assisting, Clarifying and Referral (ACR) to the workers and by extension the retired persons. In assisting the workers, it is expected that the counsellor would provide information relating to health, fnance, housing, and a variety of other concerns to daily living of the retirees and those yet to retire. Clarifcation service demands that among other things, the counsellor should clarify the occasions surrounding the retirement of a client. This is crucial if they are to be assisted to accept their retirement and adjust meaningful to it. It is not a crime for a counsellor to refer clients and cases he/she could not handle. Thus, counsellors who handle issues of retirement should not hesitate to make use of referral outlets available in their working environment. This is important if the goal of ensuring workers and retires optimal adjustment to retirement life is to be accomplished as elucidated by Okorodudu (1998). Recommendations Based on the fndings of this study, it is recommended that all workers and retirees should avail themselves of the total package of retirement strategies advocated by Marceau (1998). According to the author, retirement planning should refect the individuals dreams, hopes, and aspirations in addition to meeting day-today obligations. It is essential that all prospective retirees should begin with a personal goal setting exercise that refects how the individual wants to spend the last third of his/her life. The question is not just can I aford it? It is also how do I want to spend the last time I have left? Bearing in mind that management is a multidimensional phenomenon concerned with activities that take place in an environment that is composed of economic, physical, social, psychological, political and technical structures (Abdulkareem, 2000); all employers should incorporate a mandatory retirement counselling and general management into their staf induction programmes. Government should also establish a more realistic tripartite mandatory retirement saving scheme to which all employees their employers and the government will contribute. However, the main signatory to the account into which this fund is kept should be the individual employee who statutorily will be empowered to withdraw from it after successful disengagement from paid employment i.e. a month after his/her retirement. This should take the place of the present controversy-ridden mandatory retirement/pension saving scheme of the federal government (see Pension Reform Act, 2004). Conclusion It can be concluded from the fndings of this study that retirement at present is generally stressful for retired civil servants in Kwara state. It can also be inferred that retired civil servants in Kwara state are experiencing retirement stress from ten broad sources. According to the study, the retires have retirees according to the study. They have acknowledged using eight diferent retirement stress management strategies. It is clear from the fndings of this study that there are both sex and educational diferences in the perception of retirement stress by retired civil servants in Kwara state. References Abolarin E. E. (1997). A cross-ethnic comparison of support network in widowhood in Nigeria. Unpublished Ph.d. Thesis Department of Guidance and Counselling, University of Ilorin. Abdulkreem, A. Y. (2000). Management concept, principles and functions. In F. Durosaro & S. Ogunsaju (Ed.), The craft of educational management (17-34). Ilorin: Haytee press and Publishing Co. 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