Members’ Perceptions of Challenges Facing the Federation of Kenya Employers

Abstract

Employer associations all over the world are increasingly faced with multiple challenges related to the provision of services to their members. Challenges exist resulting to poor service delivery due to the influence of both internal and external environment. This study sought to establish the members’ perceptions of the challenges facing the Federation of Kenya Employers.The study applied descriptive research design. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data and was administered through drop and pick later method. Population sample size of 156 was selected using simple random sampling method.The respondents were the heads of human resource function in the selected organizations. The study found that Members’ perceptions of challenges included global competition, poor service and bad customer relations, business environment, political interference, legal reforms and trade union pressure among others. The study concluded that the members want a conducive business environment and a strong employer association capable of protecting their collective interests. It was recommended that concerted actions by employer association and its social partners be taken to exert pressure on the government to make decisions that will deal with these challenges. In addition there is an urgent need for greater integration and to package services as a strategy to retain and attract new members. It is also recommended that for the federation to be successful it must appropriately handle external and internal environmental pressures by changing its internal processes, systems, competencies and services. It was suggested that further studies be undertaken on other organizations to enable comparison of results.