Enhancing the post-retirement benefits: a qualitative study among police retirees

The mandatory retirement age for the public sector in Malaysia has been set at the age of sixty. Interestingly, the benefits received by recent retirees are definitely different from the previous retirees due to changes in the public service schemes. The different features included the amount of pension entitlements received, which coupled with the socio-economic factors, affected the lives of police retirees. This qualitative study was conducted to determine the police retirees' satisfaction level with their current retirement benefits, to identify post-retirement issues or challenges, and to recommend the type of benefits to enhance the current post-retirement benefits plan. Data collection procedure began with the invitation to participate in the study through the Police Retirees' Unit to police retirees' associations in Kedah and Perlis. 15 police retirees, representing various ranks and retiree associations, participated in a focus group conducted in Langkawi, Kedah. Analysis was done manually to make sense of the rich data gathered. The findings showed that police retirees were somewhat satisfied with the basic retirement benefits received. Recommendations and future research were discussed