6. Management of Disputes, Exits and Retirement

There seems to be an inherent belief that the organisation is an extension of the family in several developing economies. It is believed that employees are the ones to decide when they separate from the organisation and not the organisation despite any reason the latter might wish to advance for the cessation of employment. Many employees do not look forward to retirement as it a cessation of earnings with only few organisations providing substantive pension benefits. Where these benefits are provided, they are hardly adjusted to reflect the economic circumstances of the country. However, where compromising is intolerable, a ‘soft landing’ is provided so, for example, instead of summary dismissal such separations are converted to terminations so that some form of benefits can still be earned by the offending employee. The cessation of employment in Africa attracts several implications and multiplier effects to the employee because of the ‘dependency syndrome’ in the society. The employee is regarded not only as the ‘bread winner’ for the immediate family but also to the extended family.